Keyboard shortcuts reference

Every Studio shortcut is listed below, grouped by where it applies: the shell (works in any mode), then the three editors. Mod is Cmd on macOS and Ctrl on Windows/Linux.

Two things stop a shortcut from firing. Text entry: keys are ignored while you are typing in an input, textarea, select, or any editable field. An open modal: the command palette, the cheat sheet, the export dialog, and the prompt, confirm, and add-character modals own the keyboard outright while they are up — no shortcut fires, not even Mod+P or Mod+S. Close the overlay first.

Press ? outside a text field to open the in-app help overlay. It lists shortcut-bearing commands currently registered in the Studio session, and continues into the in-Studio Character Creator guide. The Editor and Map panes also handle some keys directly, so this page includes pane-specific shortcuts that may not appear in that overlay.

Why bindings differ per tool#

The Character editor runs a global shortcut dispatcher, so its keys are always live. The Editor and Map tools install their own key handlers scoped to their pane, and those pre-empt the global dispatcher while that tool is visible. That is why the same physical key does different things per tool — for example R is rotate gizmo in Character but the scale tool in Map. Read each tool's table on its own.

Shell (any mode)#

These work regardless of which editor is open.

Mod+P and Mod+S also fire while a text field is focused (so you can save mid-rename); every other shortcut respects the input guard. Neither gets through the modal guard, though — that check runs before any binding is matched.

Character editor#

Playback#

Keys & posing#

Editing & selection#

View & camera#

Clips#

Character Creator render controls#

The Creator's Render panel has no default key bindings — every control below is a registered command, so you reach it from the panel, from Mod+P, or from a script. They are listed here because the ? sheet only shows commands that carry a shortcut, and these do not.

Ink outline only appears when the character's set supports it, and every action except Reset view needs a built character.

See Posing & IK and Keyframes, dope sheet & curves for what these operate on.

Editor (model editor)#

These keys act while the Editor pane is focused.

Transform tools#

Editing#

View & camera#

More context in Transforms & materials.

Map builder#

These keys act while the Map pane is visible. Copy, cut, and paste are only claimed when they would act (a selection exists, or the clipboard is non-empty), so ordinary browser copy/paste keeps working elsewhere.

Tools#

Editing#

See Placing assets & the scatter brush for the tools these keys drive.

Discovering everything#

Two in-app surfaces help you discover registered commands:

• ? opens the help overlay. Its first half is the cheat sheet for commands that currently have shortcuts; its second half is the Character Creator guide, which documents that mouse-driven surface action by action and names the command behind each one. Character Creator help in the palette jumps straight to it.
• Mod+P opens the command palette, which searches the commands registered by tools you have opened in this Studio session, including many commands with no shortcut.

Pane-specific keys can be broader than those lists, so keep this page handy for Editor and Map controls. For advanced command access, see Scripting and automation.