Timesaving: Hammer's shortcuts.

YM

LVL100 YM
aa
Dec 5, 2007
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Trying to put together a comprehensive list of shortcuts for hammer, I myself don't know all of them, and use even less.

Tool selection, these are the most important by far:
Action: | Shortcut: | Notes:
Select | Shift+s| Mouse click on selected object changes mode
Magnify | Shift+g| Defunct, never ever used this.
Camera | Shift+c| Defunct due to easy navigation without it
Entity tool | Shift+e|
Block tool (new brush) | Shift+b|
Texture application | Shift+a|
Apply current texture to selection | Shift+t | Requires a brush to be selected and for the texture application window to not be open
Overlay tool | Shift+o|
Clipping tool | Shift+x |multiple times to change mode - white side stays, red side is deleted
Vertex manip | Shift+v | multiple times to change mode
Group selected | ctrl+g|
Ungroup selected | ctrl+u|
Toggle group ignore | ctrl+w|
Toggle texture lock | shift+l|
Run map | F9|

3D viewport navigation, also incredibly useful for getting around your map quickly:
Action: | Shortcut: | Notes:
Pitch | up/down keys| rotation
Yaw | left/right keys| rotation left/right
'Sidestep' left/right | a/d keys|
Forwards/backwards | w/s keys/mouse wheel|
Center on currently selected object | shift+ctrl+e|
Lock view to mouse | z key| Feels wierd, I never use it but it mimics the camera tool
Toggle fullscreen 3D view | shift+z|
(Using the camera tool is a waste of time because these navigational keys work all the time as long as the mouse is over the 3D view)

Entities:
Action: | Shortcut: | Notes:
Tie to entity | ctrl+t |brush based only
Move to world | shift+ctrl+w | brush based only
Open properties | alt+enter|

Manipulation:
Action: | Shortcut: | Notes:
Transform | ctrl+m| Opens a precise rotation/scale/translate popup/
Snap slected to grid | ctrl+b|
Snap selected to grid individually | shift+ctrl+b |
Toggle auto snapping | shift+w | Be careful with this!
Override auto snapping | alt+drag |
Clone selection | shift+drag|
Select multiple | ctrl+click | First, just click then after that hold ctrl for every new entity/brush
New vertex pair | ctrl+f | With a midpoint vertex pair selected only
Flip selection horizontally | ctrl+l |
Flip selection vertically | ctrl+i|
Increase/decrease grid size | [/] | [ reduces the size and ] increases it.
Increase/decrease grid size | alt+a/alt+s | alt+a reduces the size and alt+s increases it.
Center 2D view on selection | ctrl+e |
Toggle 3D view manipulation | x key |
Hide selection | h key |
Hide unselected | ctrl+h | Can be more useful than cordon! :D
Unhide all | u key |
Toggle radial cordon | c key | Makes hammer lag up a ton, always the same radius around the camera, virtually useless feature.

Texture application, with the texture application window open:
Action: | Shortcut: | Notes:
Apply slected texture to face | right click | keeps current x/y scale and offset as well as rotation.
Align texture to selected along common edge | alt+right click | Incredibly useful, like the previous except it leaves no seam along the join - excelent for rounded corners, displacements and rotated brushes
Select face normal | alt+right click | Displacements only, 'face normal' mode only. Changed direction of motion to parallel to the normal of the face you selected, works on any brush, not models
Scale displacement adjust radius | alt+left drag | Drag up/down to change scale


Misc:
Action: | Shortcut: | Notes:
Open Valve developer community wiki | F1 |
Create prefab from selected | ctrl+r | Make sure the selected stuff is at the origin!
Check map for problems | alt+p | lists 'problems' in a popup window
Toggle FPS counter in 3D view | o key |
Toggle bounding boxes in 3D view | i key |
New map | ctrl+n |
Open VMF | ctrl+o |

If there's any I missed or you'd like further explaination of them just say!
 
Last edited:

Owlruler

L12: Fabulous Member
Dec 10, 2008
964
275
Awesome

+
post_thanks.gif
 
Dec 25, 2007
566
439
That's funny, I use the 'z' for navigation in the 3d view all the time, as I can keep my left hand on the keyboard near the other shortcuts, and my right hand on the mouse. And I find wasd+mouse navigation quite normal, it's just like noclipping around the map.

One correction: You've got "Move to world" as "ctrl+w", when it's actually ctrl+shift+w.

Three other things I find essential for navigation in the 2D views: mousewheel zooms, Ctrl+mousewheel zooms all the 2D views at the same time, and hold down the spacebar and drag to pan around.

There's also list of shortcuts on the valve wiki here: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Hammer_Hotkey_Reference
 

TheDarkerSideofYourShadow

L10: Glamorous Member
Apr 12, 2008
792
286
Increase/decrease grid size [/] [ reduces the size and ] increases it.

I would also add Alt + A and Alt + S, since those are both left hand commands, I find them very useful compared to [ or ], which requires me to a) move my left hand across my keyboard or b) take my hand off the mouse.
 

MungoKing

L3: Member
Jul 12, 2008
148
47
Here is a printer friendly version in a pdf. Youme, feel free to use this in the original post. All notes were excluded as they wouldn't fit all on one page (sorry :(). Well here's the Link
 

uma plata

L6: Sharp Member
Jan 20, 2009
294
93
Awesome list. Going on my wall

I use z:mouselook all the time too. Personal preference, I guess

And maybe this topic is somewhat verboten, but ctrl+shift+c to use the 'carve' tool...?
 

Connect_Four

L2: Junior Member
Jan 28, 2009
57
23
Wow, good job! This is going to save me alot of time in the future. I need to remember to print this once I get my regular computer operational.
 

Scotland Tom

L6: Sharp Member
Jan 19, 2008
332
64
Hey wow! I never would've noticed this without the necrobump! Thanks for your necro-skills Mr. Happy!
 

Omena

L2: Junior Member
Feb 26, 2011
50
20
You missed quicksave!!
Ctrl+S

It's the only hotkey I use, and I use it alot. Like every minute or so :D