How to Use Walk Navigation in Blender

Blender's Walk Navigation mode allows you to explore 3D scenes using first-person video game controls. This guide covers how to activate Walk Navigation, master the essential keyboard and mouse controls, enable gravity and teleportation, and adjust your navigation settings for a smooth workflow.

How to Activate Walk Navigation

You can start Walk Navigation using either a keyboard shortcut or the top menu:

  • Shortcut: Press Shift + ~ (Tilde / Backtick key, located above the Tab key on standard keyboards).
  • Menu: Go to the top viewport menu and select View > Navigation > Walk Navigation.

Once activated, your mouse cursor will lock to the center of the viewport, and moving the mouse will look around the scene.

Basic Movement Controls

Walk Navigation uses standard first-person shooter (FPS) controls:

  • W: Move forward
  • S: Move backward
  • A: Strafe left
  • D: Strafe right
  • E: Move straight up
  • Q: Move straight down

To stop moving, simply release the keys.

Adjusting Movement Speed

You can control your movement speed on the fly while navigating:

  • Increase Speed: Hold Shift while moving.
  • Decrease Speed: Hold Alt while moving.
  • Adjust Base Speed: Scroll the Mouse Wheel Up to increase base speed or Mouse Wheel Down to decrease it.

Gravity and Teleportation Features

Walk Navigation includes built-in physics tools for realistic scene exploration:

  • Toggle Gravity (G): Press G to turn gravity on or off. When active, your view will drop to collision surfaces (like floors) and stick to them as you move.
  • Jump (Spacebar): If gravity is turned on, press the Spacebar to jump.
  • Teleport (V): Press V while aiming at a surface to instantly jump your view directly to that target point.

Confirming or Canceling View Changes

  • Confirm Position: Left-Click or press Enter. This locks your viewport or camera into the new position.
  • Cancel Movement: Right-Click or press Esc. This returns your view to exactly where it was before you started Walk Navigation.

How to Set Walk Navigation as Default

Blender features two main navigation styles: Walk and Fly. Walk is generally preferred for architectural visualization and environment design.

To set Walk as your permanent navigation style:

  1. Go to Edit > Preferences.
  2. Select the Navigation tab on the left.
  3. Under the Fly & Walk section, set the Navigation Style dropdown to Walk.