Display Panel

Reference

Mode: Object, Edit and Pose Mode
Panel: Object Data ‣ Display
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_properties_display-panel.png

The Display panel.

This controls the way the bones appear in 3D View; you have four different visualizations you can select.

Bone Types

We have four basic bone visualization: Octahedral, Stick, B-Bone, Envelope and Wire:

../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_bones-visualization-1.png

Octahedral bone display.
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_bones-visualization-2.png

Stick bone display.
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_bones-visualization-3.png

B-Bone bone display.
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_bones-visualization-4.png

Envelope bone display.
Octahedral bone

This is the default visualization, well suited for most of editing tasks. It materializes:

  • The bone root (“big” joint) and tip (“small” joint).
  • The bone “size” (its thickness is proportional to its length).
  • The bone roll (as it has a square section).
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_visualization_type-octahedral.png

Note the 40° rolled Bone.001 bone.

Stick bone

This is the simplest and most non-intrusive visualization. It just materializes bones by sticks of constant (and small) thickness, so it gives you no information about root and tip, nor bone size or roll angle.

../../../_images/rigging_armatures_visualization_type-stick.png

Note that Bone.001 roll angle is not visible (except by its XZ axes).

B-Bone bone

This visualization shows the curves of “smooth” multi-segmented bones; see the Bendy Bones for details.

../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_b-bones-1.png

An armature of B-Bones, in Edit Mode.
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_b-bones-3.png

The same armature in Object Mode.
Envelope bone

This visualization materializes the bone deformation influence. More on this in the bone page.

../../../_images/rigging_armatures_bones_introduction_envelope-pose-mode.png
Wire bone

This simplest visualization shows the curves of “smooth” multi-segmented bones.

../../../_images/rigging_armatures_visualization_type-wire-pose-mode.png

An armature of Wire, in Pose Mode.
../../../_images/rigging_armatures_visualization_type-wire-edit-mode.png

The same armature in Edit Mode.

Draw Options

Names
When enabled, the name of each bone is drawn.
Colors
This is only relevant for Pose Mode, and is described in detail there.
Axes
When enabled, the (local) axes of each bone are drawn (only relevant for Edit Mode and Pose Mode).
X-Ray
When enabled, the bones of the armature will always be drawn on top of the solid objects (meshes, surfaces, ...) – i.e. they will always be visible and selectable (this is the same option as the one found in the Display panel of the Object data tab. Very useful when not in Wireframe mode.
Shapes
When enabled, the default standard bone shape is replaced, in Object Mode and Pose Mode, by the shape of a chosen object (see Shaped Bones for details).
Delay Refresh
When enabled, the bone does not deform its children when manipulating the bone in pose mode.