How to Use the Screw Tool in Blender Edit Mode

The Screw tool in Blender's Edit Mode allows 3D artists to quickly generate complex spiral, helical, and rotational geometry—such as springs, bolt threads, pipes, and spiral staircases—from simple 2D profiles or single vertices. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough on how to set up your mesh, activate the Screw tool, and adjust its parameters in the Operator panel for precise modeling results.

Step 1: Set the Pivot Point with the 3D Cursor

The Screw tool rotates geometry around the 3D Cursor along a chosen axis. Setting its position accurately before using the tool is essential.

  1. Select your object and press Tab to enter Edit Mode.
  2. Select a vertex or edge where you want the center of rotation to be.
  3. Press Shift + S and select Cursor to Selected to snap the 3D Cursor to that exact position.
  4. Alternatively, press Shift + Right Click anywhere in the viewport to manually place the 3D Cursor.

Step 2: Create and Select Your Profile

  1. Draw or select the 2D mesh profile (vertices, edges, or faces) that you want to extrude into a spiral shape.
  2. Ensure the profile is offset slightly from the 3D Cursor. The distance between the profile and the 3D Cursor determines the radius of the resulting spiral.
  3. Press A to select all the vertices in the profile, or highlight only the specific geometry you wish to revolve.

Step 3: Activate the Screw Tool

  1. In the Toolbar on the left side of the 3D Viewport (press T if hidden), click and hold the Spin tool icon to open the sub-menu, then select Screw.
  2. Alternatively, press Shift + Spacebar, then press S (or select Screw from the pop-up menu).
  3. A yellow gizmo with a curved arrow and line handles will appear at the location of the 3D Cursor.
  4. Click and drag the yellow handle in the viewport to interactively perform the screw operation.

Step 4: Fine-Tune Settings in the Operator Panel

After dragging the tool, expand the Adjust Last Operation panel in the bottom-left corner of the viewport (or press F9) to configure exact values:

  • Screw: Defines the height or distance the geometry moves along the axis per rotation. Increasing this creates open coils (like a spring), while keeping it at 0 creates a standard 360-degree lathe shape.
  • Turns: Controls the total number of full 360-degree rotations (e.g., 2.0 creates two complete coils).
  • Steps: Sets the number of geometric segments per turn. Higher values produce smoother geometry, while lower values create a low-poly effect.
  • Axis (X, Y, Z): Specifies the global axis around which the profile rotates.
  • Center (X, Y, Z): Manually adjusts the origin point of the rotation axis if the 3D Cursor was not placed accurately.

Useful Tips for the Screw Tool

  • Normals: The Screw tool may occasionally create inverted faces. To fix this, select all vertices after executing the tool (A), press Alt + N, and select Recalculate Outside.
  • Closing Loops: If using the tool with a Screw height of 0 to make a circular object, tick Auto Merge in the Operator panel to automatically stitch the start and end vertices together.