Autodesk Maya keyboard shortcuts

Autodesk Maya shortcuts & hotkey guide

Work faster and more efficiently by using the  Autodesk Maya keyboard shortcuts below.

Shortcut commands by category

 

Use Autodesk Maya shortcuts to improve speed and efficiency as you design.

Tool Operations

Return

Complete current tool


Insert

Enter tool Edit mode


q

Select Tool, or with left mouse button for Selection Mask marking menu


w

Move Tool, or with left mouse button for Move Tool marking menu


e

Rotate Tool, or with left mouse button for Rotate Tool marking menu


r

Scale Tool, or with left mouse button for Scale Tool marking menu


Ctrl + t

Show universal manipulator tool


t

Show manipulator tool


y

Selects the last used tool that is not one of Select, Move, Rotate, or Scale


j

(Hold + drag) Move, Rotate, Scale Tool Snapping


=, +

Increase manipulator size


-

Decrease manipulator size


d

With left mouse button move pivot (Move Tool)


Insert

Switches between move pivot and move object (Move Tool)


Tab

Cycle through In-View editor values


Shift + Tab

Reverse-cycle through In-view Editor values.


Ctrl + Middle-drag (with the Move Tool)

Move components along their normals (Component Mode only)


Ctrl + Middle-drag (with the Rotate Tool)

Rotate components along their local X axes (Component Mode only)


Ctrl +Middle-drag (with the Scale Tool)

Scale components along their local YZ axes (Component Mode only)


Action Operations

Ctr+z

Undo


Ctrl+y

Redo


g

Repeat last action


F8

Switch between object/component selection mode


p

Parent


Shift+p

Unparent


s

Set key


w

Key the selected object position


e

Key the selected object rotation


r

Key the selected object scale


Hotbox Display

space

(When pressed down) Show the hotbox


Alt+m

Default Hotbox Style (Zones and Menu Rows)


Displaying Objects (Show, Hide)

Ctrl+h

Display > Hide > Hide Selection


Shift+h

Display > Show > Show Selection


Ctrl + Shift + h

Display > Show > Show Last Hidden


Alt+h

Display > Hide > Hide Unselected Objects


Ctr+1

Show > Isolate Select > View Selected (in the panel menus)


Alt+A

Cycle rig display mode: shows joints, controls, and character


Display Settings

4

Shading > Wireframe


5

Shaded display


6

Shaded and Textured display


7

Lighting > Use All Lights


0

Default quality display setting


1

Rough quality display setting


2

Medium quality display setting


3

Smooth quality display setting


File Operations

Ctrl (or Command) + n

File > New Scene


Ctrl (or Command) + o

File > Open Scene


Ctrl (or Command) + s

File > Save Scene


Ctrl (or Command) + Shift+s

File > Save Scene As


Ctrl (or Command) + q

File > Exit


Ctrl + r

Create file reference


Animation Operations

s

Set key


Shift+e

Set key for Rotate


Shift+r

Set key for Scale


Shift+w

Set key for Translate


Alt+i

Insert Keys (on any curve(s) inside or outside the Graph Editor that correspond to the position of the Current Time Indicator).

Note: If the window focus is outside the Graph Editor, this hotkey inserts a key on all curves. If you are within the Graph Editor this hotkey sets a key on the selected curve.


Ctrl + Shift + (e,r,w)

Inserts a key on a specific channel: E for Rotation, R for Scaling, and W for translation, at the position of the Current Time Indicator.


i

With middle mouse button lets you insert a key anywhere on a selected curve, regardless of the position of the Current Time Indicator.


s

With left mouse button for Keyframe marking menu (or swipe left)


s

With middle mouse button for Tangent marking menu (or swipe right)


v

Play animation (Press v again to turn animation off)


j

Toggle Multicolor Feedback


1

Toggle NURBs curves visibility


2

Toggle Polygon mesh visibility


4

Toggle Image Plane visibility


5

Switch between Wireframe and Shaded view


1

Switches between joints, controls, and character visibility


t


t

Creates a bookmark for the selected time range. (Bookmarks created this way have no name and a random color associated with it. Modify this in the Bookmark Manager.)


| (vertical bar)

Frame Bookmark: sets the playback range to the start and end of the current bookmark. (If multiple bookmarks overlap, the bookmark on top, the newest-created, is selected.)


: (colon)

Frame Previous Bookmark: sets the Range Slider on the bookmark before the bookmark at the current time.


" (quotation mark)

Frame Next Bookmark: sets the Range Slider on the bookmark after the bookmark at the current time.


\ (backslash)

Unframe Bookmark: sets the playback range to the animation range.


' (apostrophe)

Bookmark selection step forward


; (semicolon)

Bookmark selection step backward


drag

Reposition bookmark on the Time Slider.


drag left or right edge

Resize the bookmark on the Time Slider.


double-click

Selects the bookmark and the frames associated with it so you can move them together


Playback Control

Alt + . (period)

Move forward one frame in time


Alt + , (comma)

Move backward one frame in time


. (period)

Go to Next key


, (comma)

Go to Previous key


Ctrl + Alt + . (period)

Selects the Next key in the Graph Editor without opening it.


Ctrl + Alt + , (comma)

Selects the Previous key in the Graph Editor without opening it.


Alt + v

Toggles playback on or off


Alt + Shift + v

Go to Min Frame (normally 0)


k

With middle mouse button for virtual Time Slider mode (press and hold and scrub timeline)


Tumble, Track, or Dolly

Alt + Left mouse button

Tumble Tool (press and release)


Alt + Middle mouse button

Track Tool (press and release)


Alt + Right mouse button

Dolly Tool (press and release)


2D Pan/Zoom

\ +  Middle mouse button

2D Pan tool


\ + Right mouse button

2D Zoom tool


\

Enable/disable 2D Pan/Zoom.


Painting Operations

Alt + f

Flood with the current value


Alt + a

Turn Show Wireframe on or off


Alt + c

Turn Color Feedback on or off


Alt + r

Toggle Reflection on or of


u

With left mouse button for Artisan Paint Operation marking menu


b

Modify upper brush radius (press and release) (Drag left or right for Blue Pencil stroke size)


Shift + B

Modify lower brush radius (press and release)


Ctrl + b

Edit Paint Effects template brush settings


m

Modify maximum displacement (Sculpt Surfaces and Sculpt Polygons Tool) (Drag left or right for Blue Pencil opacity)


n

Modify paint value


/

Switch to pick color mode (press and release)


o

With left mouse button for the Poly Brush Tool marking menu


o

With middle mouse button for Poly UV Tool marking menu


Snapping Operations

c

Snap to curves (press and release)


x

Snap to grids (press and release)


v

Snap to points (press and release)


j

Move, Rotate, Scale Tool snapping (press and release)


Shift + j

Move, Rotate, Scale Tool relative snapping (press and release)


Selecting Objects and Components

F8

Select > Object/Component (Switch between object and component editing)


F9

Select > Vertex


F10

Select > Edge


F11

Select > Face


F12

Select > UV


Ctrl + i

Select next intermediate object


Alt + F9

Select > Vertex Face


<

Shrink polygon selection region


>

Grow polygon selection region


Selecting Menus

Ctrl + m

Show/hide main menu bar


Shift + M

Show/hide panel menu bar


Ctrl + Shift + M

Show/hide panel toolbar


h

With Left mouse button for Menu Set marking menu


F2

Show Modeling menu set


F3

Show Rigging menu set


F4

Show Animation menu set


F5

Show Dynamics (FX) menu set


F6

Show Rendering menu set


Edit Operations

Ctrl (or Command) + z

Edit > Undo


Ctrl (or Command) + y

Edit > Redo


g

Edit > Repeat


Shift + G

Repeat command at mouse position


Ctrl + d

Edit > Duplicate


Shift + Drag any transform manipulator

Edit > Duplicate


Ctrl + Shift + D

Edit > Duplicate Special


Shift + D

Edit > Duplicate with Transform


Ctrl + g

Edit > Group


p

Edit > Parent


Shift + p

Edit > Unparent


Ctrl (or Command) + X

Edit > Cut


Ctrl (or Command) + c

Edit > Copy


Ctrl (or Command) + v

Edit > Paste


Rendering

Ctrl + Left arrow

Render view next image


Ctrl + Right arrow

Render view previous image


Ctrl + P

Open the Color Chooser in a modal window. When opened using this hotkey rather than from a swatch, you can save colors to the Color History or use the Eyedropper to select or inspect colors on screen. You can also load, save, and edit palettes. However, you cannot set color attributes on scene objects.


Window and View Operations

Alt + Middle mouse

Pan in the Outliner


Alt + Ctrl + Middle mouse

Fast pan in the Outliner


Alt + Middle mouse

Pan in the Attribute Editor


Ctrl + a

Switches between Attribute Editor or Channel Box–displays the Attribute Editor if neither is shown


a

Frame All in active panel, or with left mouse button for History Operations marking menu


Shift + A

Frame All in all views


f

Frame Selected in active panel


Shift + F

Frame Selected in all views


space

(When tapped) Switch between the active window in multi-pane display and single pane display


Ctrl + space

Switch between the standard view and full-screen view of the current panels


] (Right square bracket)

Redo view change


[ (Left square bracket)

Undo view change


Alt + b

Switch between a gradient, black, dark gray, or light gray background color.


Shift + { (Left brace bracket)

View previous layout


Shift + } (Right brace bracket)

View next layout


F1

Help > Maya Help


Moving Selected Objects

Alt + Up

Move up one pixel


Alt + Down

Move down one pixel


Alt + Left

Move left one pixel


Alt + Right

Move right one pixel


Pick Walk*

Up

Walk up current


Down

Walk down current


Left

Walk left in current


Right

Walk right in current


Modeling Operations

1

Default polygon mesh display (no smoothing)


2

Cage + smooth polygon mesh display


3

Smooth polygon mesh display


Ctrl + F9

Convert polygon selection to Vertices


Ctrl + F10

Convert polygon selection to Edges


Ctrl + F11

Covert polygon selection to Faces


Ctrl + F12

Covert polygon selection to UVs


Ctrl + `

Proxy > Subdiv Proxy Displays original mesh (proxy) and a smoothed version of the original.


Ctrl + Shift + `

Proxy > Subdiv Proxy >Displays Subdiv Proxy options window


`

Toggles the display between the original (proxy) and the smoothed mesh.


~

Displays both the original (proxy) and the smoothed mesh.


Alt + `

Modify > Convert > NURBS to Subdiv, Polygons to Subdiv


Alt + Shift + ~

Displays option window for Modify > Convert > NURBS to Subdiv > or Polygons to Subdiv > (depending on whether NURBS or Polygons are selected).


Page Up

Increases Division Levels for Smooth Mesh Preview or Subdiv Proxy.


Page Down

Decreases Division Levels for Smooth Mesh Preview or Subdiv Proxy.


l

Lock/unlock length of curve (press and hold)


Ctrl + Shift + Drag transform manipulator

Slide selected component along edge. You can also middle-drag anywhere on the screen.


Shift + Drag transform manipulator

Extrude currently selected component (Component Mode only).


Ctrl + Middle-drag

Move components along their normals (Move Tool only)


Ctrl + Middle-drag

Rotate component groups along their local X axes (Rotate Tool only)


Ctrl + Middle-drag

Scale component groups along their local YZ axes (Scale Tool only)


Ctrl + Shift + Q

Activate Quad Draw Tool.


Ctrl + Shift + X

Activate Multi-Cut Tool.


*Based on selection, the arrow keys let you walk up the hierarchy (object selected) or walk about the object’s components (component selected, including vertices, edge loops, edge rings)