Ornate Lesson 02 header: Object Mode and Edit Mode, with magical Blender books, a lantern, a cube, mesh editing symbols, and a tower

✦ BLENDER BASICS · LESSON 02 · BLENDER 5.2 LTS ✦

Object Mode & Edit Mode

This is the lesson that starts making Blender make sense. Learn when you are moving the whole object and when you are editing the actual mesh.

For absolute beginnersAbout 20 minutesBlender 5.2

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Your first real modeling idea

  • What Object Mode actually does
  • How Edit Mode changes the mesh
  • How to switch between modes with the menu or Tab
  • How to use faces and extrude a tiny tower

YOU ONLY NEED

A fresh General file

Open Blender 5.2, choose New File → General, and keep the default cube. If you finished Lesson 01, you're ready.

START HERE

Before we begin

Open Blender 5.2 and choose File → New → General. You should see the default cube. This lesson starts right where Lesson 01: Getting Around Blender leaves off.

We're going to use the cube to learn Blender's two big modeling modes, then turn it into a tiny enchanted tower with a separate cone roof.

Blender 5.2 startup splash with the General option circled and labeled Click General to start.
If the splash screen is open, click General so you start with Blender's default cube scene.
01

ONE CUBE, TWO JOBS

What's the Difference?

Imagine a little toy house. You could pick up the whole house and move it across your desk—or you could reshape its roof. That's the difference between Blender's two main modeling modes.

OBJECT MODE Orange outline = whole object
Work with the whole object. Move it, rotate it, scale it, duplicate it, or organize it in the scene.
EDIT MODE Orange face = selected geometry
Work with the mesh itself. Select its points, edges, or faces and change the shape of the object.

These are simplified teaching illustrations. The helper images below show what this looks like in the real Blender interface.

Annotated Blender screenshot showing Object Mode, the whole cube selected, and the move arrows.
In Object Mode, the orange outline means Blender has selected the whole object.
Remember the magic rule: Object Mode moves the whole thing. Edit Mode changes the shape of the thing.
02

YOUR MODE SWITCH

How to Switch Modes

With the cube selected, look in the upper-left corner of the 3D Viewport. You'll find a dropdown menu that says Object Mode. Choose Edit Mode to work on the mesh.

◈   Object Mode  ⌄↔ Tab ↔◈   Edit Mode  ⌄
  1. Click the cube so its orange outline appears.
  2. Open the mode menu in the upper-left of the 3D Viewport and choose Edit Mode.
  3. Or hover inside the 3D Viewport and press Tab to switch quickly.
  4. Press Tab again to return to Object Mode.
Annotated Blender screenshot showing the mode menu and Edit Mode option.
This is the exact menu beginners usually need help finding. If Blender seems stuck, check which mode you're in.
Little workshop tip: If Tab doesn't seem to work, make sure a mesh object is selected and your mouse pointer is over the 3D Viewport.
03

MOVE THE WHOLE CREATION

Getting to Know Object Mode

In Object Mode, the selected cube has an orange outline. Try these three essential actions:

If you make a mistake, press Ctrl + Z to undo. That's a magical lifesaver in Blender.

What changes here? The position, rotation, or size of the object changes—but the actual cube shape stays the same.
04

NOW CHANGE THE SHAPE

Getting to Know Edit Mode

When you switch to Edit Mode, you stop working with the whole object and start working with its mesh. Blender lets you select three kinds of mesh parts:

1 · Vertex Select

Select a single point of the mesh.

2 · Edge Select

Select a line joining two vertices.

3 · Face Select

Select a flat surface of the mesh.

Important: Press 1, 2, or 3 on the number row above the letters—not the numpad. The numpad controls your view.

You can still use G, R, and S in Edit Mode. This time, they act on your selected vertices, edges, or faces, instead of transforming the whole object.

Annotated Blender screenshot showing Edit Mode and the vertex, edge, and face selection buttons.
In Edit Mode, Blender shows the mesh and the Vertex, Edge, and Face selection buttons.
Annotated Blender screenshot showing a top face selected and extruded upward to start a tiny tower.
With the top face selected, press E to extrude and start shaping a little tower.
05

A LITTLE HANDS-ON MAGIC

Build a Tiny Enchanted Tower

Let's try both modes in one simple project, using a cube for the tower and a cone for its roof. You'll discover that the finished tower is really two separate objects.

  1. Start fresh. Choose File → New → General. Select the default cube. In Object Mode, press F2, name it Workshop Tower, and press Enter.
  2. Practice Object Mode. Press G, then X, type 2, and press Enter. Then press Ctrl + Z to bring it back to the center.
  3. Choose the top face. Press Tab to enter Edit Mode. Press 3 on the number row for Face Select. Press Alt + A to deselect everything, orbit to see the top, then click the cube's top face.
  4. Make the first tier. Press E, type 0.6, and press Enter to extrude the top face upward. Then press S, type 0.8, and press Enter to make the upper part narrower.
  5. Make a second tier. With the new top face selected, press E, type 0.5, and press Enter. Then press S, type 0.6, and press Enter. Now the tower has a stepped shape.
  6. Leave Edit Mode. Press Tab. Your whole tower is selected again. The shape changed in Edit Mode, but the object is still one mesh object.
  7. Add a separate roof. In Object Mode, press Shift + A and choose Mesh → Cone. With the new cone selected, press G, then Z, type 3.1, and press Enter. Its base should sit on the new top of the tower with Blender's default dimensions.
  8. Save your work. Press Ctrl + S and save the project as My Enchanted Tower.blend. You've used both modes to create your first little building!
Annotated Blender screenshot showing how to add a cone roof in Object Mode as a separate object.
Add the cone while in Object Mode so the roof stays a separate object from the tower body.
Why was the cone added in Object Mode? Because we want a separate roof object that we can move and resize on its own. Adding a cone while editing the tower's mesh would put that new geometry inside the existing object instead.

You've made your first little tower!

You now know when you're working with a whole object and when you're sculpting its underlying mesh. That's one of the biggest beginner breakthroughs in Blender.

A few beginner questions

Where are the vertex, edge, and face buttons?

Select a mesh and enter Edit Mode. The selection buttons appear in the 3D Viewport header.

Why does Tab seem to do nothing?

Make sure you selected the cube and move your mouse over the 3D Viewport before pressing Tab.

Why did I move the whole cube?

You're probably in Object Mode. Press Tab, select a mesh face, and try again.

Why did my cone become part of the tower?

It was probably added in Edit Mode. Undo, switch back to Object Mode, and add the cone again.

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