Blender Basics · scottaferguson.org

Lesson 12: Exact sizes

About 12 minutes · Blender 5.2.1 LTS · Mac Mini + Magic Mouse

Why exact sizes matter

A 3D model is only useful if it fits the real thing. A phone stand must fit the phone. A pot must fit the plant. Blender measures in units. In the default setup, one unit is one meter. default unit scale unverified on your 5.2.1 file

Dimensions X 0.120 m Y 0.120 m Z 0.100 m Type a number in a field, press Enter, and the object resizes exactly. Shown: a plant pot 12 cm wide, 10 cm tall.
What to look at: the three Dimensions fields. Type a number in one and press Enter.

Steps

  1. Tool Add a cylinder with Shift + A, then Mesh > Cylinder. menu name unverified
  2. Key Press N with the mouse over the 3D Viewport to open the side panel. Click the Item tab in that panel. Item tab and Dimensions label unverified on 5.2.1
  3. Mouse Double-click X under Dimensions, type 0.12, and press Enter.
  4. Mouse Double-click Y, type 0.12, and press Enter. Blender will keep the cylinder round.
  5. Mouse Double-click Z, type 0.10, and press Enter.
  6. Check The numbers in the panel read 0.120, 0.120, and 0.100.
  7. Key Press Cmd + S to save as plant-pot.blend.
Check your work: if the object looks the wrong size in the view, read the numbers in the panel. The panel is the source of truth. Guessing by eye is the most common mistake.

Project: plant pot

A cylinder 12 cm wide and 10 cm tall. Save as plant-pot.blend.

Finished: 12 cm wide, 10 cm tall
Finished product: a plain cylinder with exact size. The shape is simple on purpose.
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