Outliner

../_images/editors_outliner.png

The Outliner editor.

The Outliner is a list that organizes data in the blend-file. i.e. the scene data and also the User Preferences.

Usage

  • View the data in the scene.
  • Select and deselect objects in the scene.
  • Hide or show an object in the scene.
  • Enable or disable selection (to make an object “unselectable” in the 3D View).
  • Enable or disable the rendering of an object.
  • Delete objects from the scene.
  • Unlink data (equivalent to pressing the X button next to the name of a data-block).
  • Easily select which render layer to render.
  • Easily select which render pass to render (for example, you can choose to render just the Specular pass).

Tree View

Each row in the Outliner shows a data-block. You can click the plus-sign to the left of a name to expand the current data-block and see what other data-blocks it contains.

You can select data-blocks in the Outliner, but this will not necessarily select the data-block in the scene. To select the data-block in the scene, you have to activate it.

Selecting and Activating

Single selection does not require any pre-selection: just work directly with LMB (and/or RMB – contextual menu, see below) inside the name/icon area.

When you select an object in the list this way, it is selected and becomes the active object in all other 3D Views.

Activating a data-block

To “activate” the data-block with LMB on the icon of the data-block. Activating the data-block will automatically switch to the relevant mode. For example, activating the mesh data of the cube will select the cube and enter Edit Mode while activating the object data of the cube will select the cube and enter Object Mode (see right).

Selecting a group of data-blocks

Useful when you want to select/deselect a whole bunch of data-blocks. For this you must prepare the selection using, to your liking:

  • RMB or LMB,
  • Shift-RMB or Shift-LMB,
  • RMB and drag or LMB and drag,

all outside the name/icon area. Those pre-selected have their line in a lighter color. You then can (de)select them with a RMB on the name/icon area, which brings on a context menu (see bellow). A to select/deselect all open items.

../_images/editors_outliner_column-icons.png

Selection of a data-block.

Context menu

Show the context menu for a data-block with RMB on the icon or name. Depending on the type of the pre-selected data-block(s), you will have all or part of the following options:

Select, Deselect
Unlink
To unlink a data-block from its “owner” (e.g., a material from its mesh).
Make Local
To create a “local” duplicate of this data-block.
Make Single User
ToDo.
Delete
ToDo.
Delete Hierarchy
Deletes the object and all of its child objects.
Remap Users
ToDo.
Add Fake User, Clear Fake User
ToDo.
Rename
ToDo.
Select Linked
ToDo.

Note

Some data-block types will not have a context menu at all!

Object-level Restrictions

The three following toggles, in the right side of the Outliner editor, are available for objects, modifiers and constraints. When holding Ctrl all its child objects are affected as well.

Visibility (eye icon)
Toggles the visibility of the object in the 3D View. V will toggle this property for any objects that are selected in the Outliner.
Selectability (mouse cursor icon)
This is useful for if you have placed something in the scene and do not want to accidentally select it when working on something else. S will toggle this property for any objects that are selected in the Outliner.
Rendering (camera icon)
This will still keep the object visible in the scene, but it will be ignored by the renderer. R will toggle this property for any objects that are selected in the Outliner.

Example

../_images/editors_outliner_example.png

The Outliner with different kind of data.