# Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Properties Window



The properties window lets you change many settings and properties
relating to the current scene and selected objects. You can edit many
options, including customizing materials and textures, controlling how
your scene is rendered and at what quality, among many other things.

The properties window is divided into categories, which themselves group
individual tabs. Each tab, in turn, groups a selection of properties and
settings. For example, the *World Properties* tab, under the *Scene*
category, lets you control the color and texture of the background of
the scene (i.e. the sky), and allows you to add volumetric effects to
the scene (i.e. fog or mist). Each tab has their own, unique, icon. Some
tabs will even change depending on the type of object selected!

## Active Tool and Workspace settings

### Active Tool and Workspace settings

As the name suggests, this simply configures the active tool (for
example, the move tool) and various workspace settings (such as
switching to object mode when a workspace is opened).

## Scene

### Render Properties

This tab lists settings that control the how the resulting render of a
scene is displayed, such as performance-related settings, color
management settings, and effects like motion blur. These settings will
change depending on the render engine used, which can also be edited
from this tab

### Output Properties

This tab controls various settings that determing the output of a
render. This includes resolution, frame rate, file format, among other

### Scene Properties

This tab lets you choose which camera to use for rendering, change the
units and edit the gravity settings for the current scene.

You can also select another scene to be a "background" for this scene.
That is, all renders of this (foreground) scene will also include the
contents of the background scene, as though they had been copied into
this scene. While the background appears in the 3D viewport when editing
this scene, none of its contents are editable, or even selectable; that
has to be done in the background scene itself.

### World Properties

This lets you change the environment of the scene. In this tab, you can
edit the background color and texture (i.e. the sky color), and add
volumetric effects such as fog or mist.

## Collection

### Collection Properties

This tab lets you control various collection settings, such as whether
its contents are selectable, or whether it can be seen in render.

## Object

### Object Properties

This tab lets you control general object properties, such as
transformations (i.e. location, rotation, scale), parent-children obejct
relationships, collections, and other. Note that even if you have
multiple objects selected, these properties only control the active
object, which is usually the last object selected.

### Modifier Properties

This tab lets you add, edit, and remove modifiers. Object modifiers are
operations that affect your object in a non-destructive way (i.e. it can
always be reversed later). For example, adding the bevel modifier to a
cube applies a bevel to the geometry of the cube, but you can adjust the
bevel or remove the bevel whenever you like. Some object types, such as
lights and cameras, can\'t have modifiers.

### Visual Effects Properties

This tab lets you add visual effects to grease pencil objects, such as
pixelation and blur effects. These effects treat the object like an
image. Unlike modifiers, these can not be applied to the object.

### Particle Properties

This tab lets you add particle systems to objects, which can let you
create effects such as smoke, flames or sparks. Particles in Blender can
also be used to generate hair or fur. Particles can be set to custom
objects, to produce effects like blades of grass, water droplets on a
wet surface, or even entire buildings to make up a large cityscape!

### Physics Properties

This allows you to simulate real-world physics, such as simulating solid
dice colliding with each other, or simulating how water in a cup reacts
when you move it.

### Object Constraint Properties

Constraints limit various object properties, such as the location,
rotation, and scale of the object. These are usually to set animate
objects, such as making the wheels of the bus rotate together.

## Object Data

### Object Data Properties

These control settings specific to the object type such as text font,
lamp settings, and camera settings. This is reflected in the icon, which
changes according to the type of object selected.

## Object Shading

### Material Properties

The material settings for an object control its appearance, e.g. its
colour, whether it has a shiny or dull surface, how transparent it is,
and so on.

You can also control the material of an object using shader nodes.

### Texture Properties

Textures in Blender used to control the surface of an object, alongside
the materials. Nowadays, it has been replaced by the shader nodes, and
is only used for texture painting.

