Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Blender 2.5x Properties Panel

The Properties window is where you will find most of the functions that Blender can perform with objects and materials, animation, rendering and so on. Here is also the area where you will see the greatest changes from earlier versions of Blender (where it was called the Buttons window). Hopefully you’ll agree that the new layout makes it much easier and quicker to find things!

In the header of the Properties window, you will see a row of buttons that looks like this: The actual icons will vary depending on the type of object selected in the 3D view; also in the default layout, the Properties window may be too narrow to show the entire row, in which case you can either widen the window, or click drag across the buttons with  MMB  to scroll the button row. Each of these buttons gives you access to a different context, or subsection of the Properties settings. Unlike older Blenders, there are no more “subcontexts”—no additional buttons will appear in the header when you click any of these.

The Contexts

Render Context

In here are the settings that control rendering of the final images: which layers to render, what resolution to use, output format, performance, post processing etc.

Scene Context

In here are some settings for use when previewing the scene on-screen, and choosing which camera to use for rendering.

World Context

In here are settings that govern the surroundings in which the model is rendered: background sky color, mist and star settings, environment lighting etc.

Object Context

In here are settings that apply to all kinds of objects: overall transformations, layer assignments, grouping etc. The settings shown here (and any changes made) apply to the last object selected. This is also the case for the following object-specific contexts.

Object Constraints Context

In here are settings that limit the motion of the object for animation purposes. The limits can also be tied to the motion of other objects in various ways.

Object Modifiers Context

In here are settings for applying modifiers to the object geometry. Note that lamps, cameras and empty objects cannot have modifiers.

Object Data Context

In here you will find settings specific to the type of object: mesh vertex groupings, text font, lamp settings, camera settings, all that kind of things. This is reflected in the icon, which changes according to the type of object selected.

Material Context

The material settings for an object control how it looks: its colour, whether it has a shiny or dull surface, how transparent it is, and so on.

Texture Context

The texture settings specify patterns that break up the uniform appearance of a material: these patterns can affect the colour of the material, or give it a rough surface, or modify it in other ways.

Particles Context

An object can be set to emit particles, like smoke, flames or sparks. But the concept of “particles” (and the underlying algorithms) also includes the generation of hair or fur.

Physics Context

In here you will find settings that control how the object reacts to forces like objects in the real world: whether it behaves like a rigid body that keeps its shape but can be knocked around, cloth, something soft e.g a pillow, or a flowing liquid.

Where Did The Old Stuff Go?

For those used to older versions of Blender, the old Logic Context has been moved into its own window type, the Logic Editor.

The old Script Context has gone: Python scripting is now much more closely integrated into the Blender UI, and old scripts will not work anyway.

The functions of the other contexts have been rearranged into the new contexts as listed above. Once you get used to the new arrangement, it should make much more sense than the old one.