How to Inset Individual Faces Simultaneously in Blender

Insetting individual faces simultaneously in Blender is an essential technique for 3D modeling that allows you to create inner face borders for multiple selected polygons independently rather than as one combined region. This article provides a quick, step-by-step guide on using the Inset tool shortcut and settings to apply individual face insets across your mesh efficiently in Edit Mode.

Step-by-Step Guide to Insetting Individual Faces

To inset multiple faces individually at the same time, follow these steps:

Enter Edit Mode: Select your object in the 3D Viewport and press Tab to switch to Edit Mode.
Switch to Face Selection: Press 3 on your keyboard (top row) to enter Face Select Mode.
Select the Target Faces: Hold Shift and left-click the faces you want to edit, or use Box Select (B) to choose multiple faces.
Activate the Inset Tool: Press the I key on your keyboard to start the inset operation.
Toggle Individual Inset: Press I a second time while the tool is active. This switches the inset mode from region-based to individual faces.
Set the Inset Size: Move your mouse cursor inward to adjust the size of the inner faces, then left-click to confirm.

Using the Adjust Last Operation Panel

If you forget to press the shortcut twice, you can easily switch to individual mode after performing the inset:

Select your faces and press I once to inset.
Left-click to confirm the initial position.
Expand the Adjust Last Operation panel located in the bottom-left corner of the 3D Viewport (or press F9).
Check the box marked Individual.
Adjust the Thickness and Depth values as needed to refine the geometry.

Handy Inset Shortcuts

I + I: Toggles between Grouped Inset and Individual Inset.
Hold Ctrl while dragging: Dynamically adjusts the depth (extruding the inset faces inward or outward).
O: Toggles the Outset option, moving the outer border outward instead of creating an inner face.
B: Toggles boundary inset handling when working near open mesh edges.