macOS users should not have to toggle numeric keypad emulation to access view shortcuts and vertex selection modes
MacBook and other laptop users without physical numeric keypads are forced to constantly toggle "Emulate Numpad" in Preferences to access essential viewport navigation and selection mode shortcuts. Problem:
View shortcuts (Front: Numpad 1, Side: Numpad 3, Top: Numpad 7, etc.) are bound to numpad keys by default Vertex/Edge/Face selection mode shortcuts (1, 2, 3) conflict with view shortcuts when "Emulate Numpad" is enabled Users must repeatedly switch the "Emulate Numpad" setting depending on which operation they need
Expected Behavior: Laptop users should be able to use both viewport navigation AND selection mode shortcuts without needing to toggle settings.
Suggested Solutions:
Provide alternative default keybindings for laptops (e.g., using modifier keys) Auto-detect lack of numeric keypad and adjust defaults accordingly Allow separate keybindings for view switching and selection modes without conflicts
4 Comments
I highly recommend using the View pie menu instead. By default it's mapped to "tilde", which in the US layout is right above
Tab.It's much faster as it contains all viewpoints plus "View Selected" which is super convenient.
No, they aren't. Some operators have overlays on the view you can click (front/back/side views), and others have menu entries.
Reality of using a laptop: you have fewer keys. So you have fewer available shortcut options available to begin with.
How would there be remapping with no conflicts? Again, most keys are already spoken for. Remapping means that some things that are current shortcuts, would cease to be. Who's going to be the arbitrator of which shortcuts to kill?
AFAIK "emulate numpad" is functionnaly a "separate keybinding" already, it's like a subset of keybinds overriding whatever you already have.
It's not like you can assume that macOS or laptop = no numpad. Apple sells keyboards with numpads , not even mentioning 3rd party constructors, and many laptops do have numpads.
IDK if Blender can easily and reliably detect whether there is a numpad available, but perhaps a good solution to at least make it easier for users setting up their Blender is to have that option exposed and properly explained in the first startup's splashscreen, along the choice for LCS vs RCS and spacebar action.