GtkRadiant Editor Manual

Appendix G: Shortcut keys and Mouse functions
in QeRadiant/Q3Radiant

By Eutectic

1. Introduction

This is a list of all the command shortcut keys and key-mouse functions in QeRadiant and Q3Radiant. Please note that there are some commands that work in QeRadiant and not in Q3Radiant and vice versa. This is mainly because those are actually 2 different map editors for 2 very different game engines (Quake II and Quake III Arena) even though they share a common interface. But unless otherwise specified, the commands in this list work for both editors. Also note that in QeRadiant, there are some functions that work when selected from the menus but for which the shortcut key doesn't work. Whenever this is the case, this is clearly indicated with a color coded table cell.

This revised version of this list reflects all the changes and additions in Q3Radiant Build 189.

2. Shortcut key list

The commands are sorted by category and color coding was implemented in the table boxes:

  • Red background:

    This denotes shortcut keys which are listed in the Help command list but don't work.


  • Green background:

    This denotes shortcut keys or mouse functions which apply only to QeRadiant.


  • Orange background:

    This denotes shortcut keys or mouse functions which apply only to Q3Radiant.


  • Purple background:

    This denotes shortcut keys which are assigned to different features in QeRadiant and Q3Radiant.
Action Description Shortcut Key
2D view and Z view navigation & control keys
Toggle View Only used in free window mode. Toggles the 2D view on/off. CTRL+SHIFT+V
Next View Cycles the 2D view through all 3 views (top, front, side). Not used in 4 view mode. CTRL+TAB
Zoom In Zooms 2D view in. DELETE
Zoom Out Zooms 2D view out. INSERT
Center On Camera Centers the 2D view on the camera's current location. G
Toggle Z Only used in free window mode. Toggles the Z view on/off. CTRL+SHIFT+Z
Z Zoom In Zooms Z checker window in. CTRL+DELETE
Z Zoom Out Zooms Z checker window out. CTRL+INSERT
3D view navigation & control keys
Camera Back Makes the POV in the 3D view move backwards. DOWN ARROW
Camera Forward Makes the POV in the 3D view move forward. UP ARROW
Camera Left Makes the POV in the 3D view look left. LEFT ARROW
Camera Right Makes the POV in the 3D view look right. RIGHT ARROW
Camera Strafe Left Makes the POV in the 3D view move left. COMMA ( , )
Camera Strafe Right Makes the POV in the 3D view move right. PERIOD ( . )
Camera Down Makes the POV in the 3D view move down. C
Camera Up Makes the POV in the 3D view move up. D
Camera Angle Down Makes the POV in the 3D view look down. Z
Camera Angle Up Makes the POV in the 3D view look up. A
Center View Centers the POV in the 3D view. END
Down Floor Moves the POV in the 3D view down by one floor. PAGE DOWN
Up Floor Moves the POV in the 3D view up by one floor. PAGE UP
Toggle Camera Only used in free window mode. Toggles the 3D view on/off. CTRL+SHIFT+C
Toggle Cubic Clip Toggles 3D view clipping on/off. This feature works in both editors but shortcut key only works in Q3Radiant. CTRL+\
Cubic Clip Zoom In Makes the cubic clipping plane come in closer. Best used for speed optimizations. CTRL+ ]
Cubic Clip Zoom Out Makes the cubic clipping plane move further out. CTRL+ [
Toggle Realtime Toggles on/off real time 3D view camera updates.
Feature doesn't work.		 CTRL+R
Grid control keys
Toggle Grid Turns grid view on/off. 0
Set Grid 1 Sets the grid to 1 unit. 1
Set Grid 2 Sets the grid to 2 units. 2
Set Grid 4 Sets the grid to 4 units. 3
Set Grid 8 Sets the grid to 8 units. 4
Set Grid 16 Sets the grid to 16 units. 5
Set Grid 32 Sets the grid to 32 units. 6
Set Grid 64 Sets the grid to 64 units. 7
Grid Down Decreases the size of the grid. [
Grid Up Increases the size of the grid. ]
Brush & entity creation and manipulation keys
Brush (3 sided) Creates a 3 sided brush. CTRL+3
Brush (4 sided) Creates a 4 sided brush. CTRL+4
Brush (5 sided) Creates a 5 sided brush. CTRL+5
Brush (6 sided) Creates a 6 sided brush. CTRL+6
Brush (7 sided) Creates a 7 sided brush CTRL+7
Brush (8 sided) Creates a 8 sided brush. CTRL+8
Brush (9 sided) Creates a 9 sided brush. CTRL+9
Unselect Selection Deselects all currently selected objects. ESC
Delete Selection Deletes all currently selected objects. BACKSPACE
Clone Selection Creates a duplicate of the currently selected objects. SPACEBAR
Drag Edges Mode Toggles edge manipulation mode on/off. Edges are represented by blue dots on the brush. E
Drag Vertex Mode Toggles vertex manipulation mode on/off. Vertices are represented by green dots on the brush. V
Brush Clip mode Toggles brush clipping mode on/off. X
Flip Clip Switches which part of the brush is going to be clipped away on the set clip plane points while in clipping mode. CTRL+ENTER
Clip Selected Clips the selected brush/brushs on the set clip plane points while in clipping mode. ENTER
Split Selected Splits the selected brush/brushs on the set clip plane points while in clipping mode. SHIFT+ENTER
Move Selection Down Moves the selected object down in Z axis by units equal to the grid size (independent of current 2D view). KEYPAD MINUS
Move Selection Up Moves the selected object up in Z axis by units equal to the grid size (independent of current 2D view). KEYPAD PLUS
Select Nudge Down Moves the selected object down in current 2D view by units equal to the grid size. ALT+DOWN ARROW
Select Nudge Up Moves the selected object up in current 2D view by units equal to the grid size. ALT+UP ARROW
Select Nudge Left Moves the selected object left in current 2D view by units equal to the grid size. ALT+LEFT ARROW
Select Nudge Right Moves the selected object right in current 2D view by units equal to the grid size. ALT+RIGHT ARROW
Snap Selection To Grid Snaps the vertices of the currently selected brush or patch mesh to the grid. CTRL+G
Make Detail Turns selected structural brush into a detail brush. CTRL+M
Make Structural Turns selected detail brush into a structural brush. CTRL+SHIFT+S
Dump Selected Brush Dumps a list of the plane point coordinates of all the faces of the currently selected brush to the console view. SHIFT+D
View Entity Info Brings up the entity dialog window. N
Select Whole Entities QeRadiant only: Toggles feature on/off. When feature is on, selecting any single brush of a multiple brush entity automatically selects all the brushes that belong to that entity (This shortcut key does a Redisperse Rows in Q3Radiant). CTRL+E
Cycle Group Selection Cycle selects each individual brush of currently selected bsp-model entity (Select Whole Entities must not be on in QeRadiant). This command was renamed Patch Tab in Q3Radiant but it's function is unchanged. TAB
Connect Selection Connect entities target to targetname. CTRL+K
Entity Color Use this to set the "_color" key of a entity by bringing up the standard Windows RGB color selector. Used for choosing the color of lights for example. K
Texture manipulation keys
View Textures Only used in 4 view and free window modes. Brings up the texture selection window (toggle in 4 view mode). T
Surface Inspector Brings up the surface properties dialog (only used to align textures in Q3Radiant). S
Texture Shift Down Moves texture on currently selected brush face(s) downwards. Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. SHIFT+DOWN ARROW
Texture Shift Up Moves texture on currently selected brush face(s) upwards. Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. SHIFT+UP ARROW
Texture Shift Left Moves texture on currently selected brush face(s) to the left. Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. SHIFT+LEFT ARROW
Texture Shift Right Moves texture on currently selected brush face(s) to the right. Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW
Texture Rotate Clockwise Rotates texture clockwise on currently selected brush face(s). Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. SHIFT+PAGE DOWN
Texture Rotate Counter-Clockwise Rotates texture counter-clockwise on currently selected brush face(s). Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. SHIFT+PAGE UP
Texture Scale Down Decreases vertical scale of texture on currently selected brush
face(s). Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results.		 CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Texture Scale Up Increases vertical scale of texture on currently selected brush face(s). Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. CTRL+UP ARROW
Texture Scale Left Decreases horizontal scale of texture on currently selected brush face(s). Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results. CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Texture Scale Right Increases horizontal scale of texture on currently selected brush
face(s). Also works for patches but might sometimes give unexpected results.		 CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Texture Fit Automatically fits the texture to the size of the currently selected brush face by scaling it vertically and horizontally. This shortcut only works in QeRadiant. SHIFT+5
Texture Fit To Face Same as Texture Fit. This shortcut only works in QeRadiant. CTRL+F
Toggle Texture Lock Toggles brush move texture alignment locking on/off. This feature works in both editors but shortcut key only works in Q3Radiant. SHIFT+T
Toggle Texture Rotate Lock Toggles brush rotation texture alignment locking on/off. This feature works in both editors but shortcut key only works in Q3Radiant. SHIFT+R
Dialogs and special features keys
View Console Only used in 4 view and free window modes. Brings up the console (this is a toggle function in 4 view mode). O
Preferences Brings up the user preferences dialog. P
Entity List Brings up the entity list "tree view" window. This feature works in both editors but shortcut key only works in Q3Radiant. L
Map Info Brings up the map info status window. This feature works in both editors but shortcut key only works in Q3Radiant. M
Filter Settings Brings up the filters dialog window. This feature only works in QeRadiant. F
Show Detail Toggles display of detail brushes on/off. CTRL+D
Animate Selected Entities Toggles animation of selected mover entities (doors, buttons, etc.) on/off. This feature only works in QeRadiant. CTRL+A
Previous Leak Spot Takes POV in the 3D view to the previous leak spot (pointfile must be loaded). CTRL+SHIFT+L
Next Leak Spot Takes POV in the 3D view to the next leak spot (pointfile must be loaded). This feature works in both editors but shortcut key only works in Q3Radiant. CTRL+SHIFT+K
Misc utility keys
File Open Opens a file. CTRL+O
File Save Saves a file. CTRL+S
Exit Closes the editor. CTRL+X
Copy Copies whatever is currently selected. CTRL+C
Paste Pastes what ever is in the clip board. Only works with text and Radiant's stuff. CTRL+V
Undo Undo. Doesn't work in all cases. CTRL+Z
Redo Redo. Doesn't work in all cases. CTRL+Y
Q3Radiant miscellaneous features keys
View Groups Brings up the groups dialog window. G
Toggle Size Paint Momentarily displays the position + dimensions of currently selected brush(es) in the 2D view. Q
Mouse Rotate Toggles mouse free rotation mode on/off for currently selected objects. R
Select Type All Selects all "identical" based on type of "currently selected". If type is a surface, all solids with the same texture are selected. If type is an entity, all the other entities of its classname are selected. SHIFT+A
CSG Merge Will merge all currently selected brushes into a single brush. If the shape and size of any one of the selected brushes would cause the merge to produce a concave solid, the merge operation is not performed. SHIFT+M
Toggle Crosshairs Toggles between the regular mouse pointer and a large crosshair style pointer in the 2D view. CTRL+SHIFT+X
Fit Texture This will automatically scale the texture on the currently selected faces so one texture tile will fit exactly on the faces by default. It also brings up Surface Inspector so the texture can be fit to the faces by a different number of texture tiles than 1. SHIFT+B
Hide Selected Hides all currently selected objects from the 2D/3D views. H
Show Hidden Un-hides all objects currently hidden from the 2D/3D views. SHIFT+H
Show All Textures Shows all the textures currently loaded in Q3Radiant's texture window. Use this to un-set Show In Use in the textures menu. CTRL+A
Patch Tab Cycle selects each individual brush or patch of currently selected bsp-model entity. This command was called Cycle Group Selection in QeRadiant but it's function is unchanged. TAB or SHIFT+TAB
Q3Radiant patch manipulation keys
Bend Mode Toggles bend mode on/off. This is used to bend patch meshes. Follow the instructions that come up in the dialog box when you use this. Best used for making arches and such. B
Cap Current Curve Automatically creates cap patches for the currently selected patch if it's a cylinder. For bevels and endcaps, it will bring up the cap dialog instead. The patch and its caps will then automatically be grouped in a func_group. SHIFT+C
Cycle Cap Texture Patch This cycles the cap texturing type on the currently selected patch. CTRL+SHIFT+N
Cycle Cap Texture Axis This cycles the cap texturing axis on the currently selected patch. CTRL+SHIFT+P
Naturalize Patch Makes the texture natural on the patch mesh (sometimes the textures are stretched to fit the patch, this will make the texture fit normal instead of streching it). CTRL+N
Increase Patch Row Adds 3 rows to currently selected patch. CTRL+KEYPAD PLUS
Decrease Patch Row Removes 3 rows from currently selected patch (assuming patch currently has more than 3 rows). CTRL+KEYPAD MINUS
Increase Patch Column Adds 3 columns to currently selected patch. CTRL+SHIFT+KEYPAD PLUS
Decrease Patch Column Removes 3 columns from currently selected patch (assuming patch currently has more than 3 columns). CTRL+SHIFT+KEYPAD MINUS
Redisperse Columns Evenly re-disperses all the columns of the currently selected patch. Useful after adding new columns. CTRL+SHIFT+E
Redisperse Rows Evenly re-disperses all the rows of the currently selected patch. Useful after adding new rows (this shortcut key does a Select Whole Entities in QeRadiant). CTRL+E
Invert Curve This inverts the patch mesh's matrix. IOW, it changes which side of the patch the texture is applied to. CTRL+I
Invert Curve Texture X Inverts the X value of the texture on the matrix. Use this to mirror the texture vertically on a patch. SHIFT+I
Invert Curve Texture Y Inverts the Y value of the texture on the matrix. Use this to mirror the texture horizontally on a patch. CTRL+SHIFT+I
Matrix Transpose Swaps the rows and columns on a patch. There is no physical change on the patch as such: rows become columns and vice versa. Use this to change the natural texture orientation axis on patches. CTRL+SHIFT+M
Make Overlay Patch Turns on display of the currently selected patches control points. The display of the patches control points will remain on until turned off by Clear Patch Overlays. Y
Clear Patch Overlays Turns off display of the currently displayed patches control points previously turned on by Make Overlay Patch. CTRL+L
Patch Inspector Brings up the patch inspector dialog. SHIFT+S
Thicken Patch Creates a copy of current patch and spaces it by X amount of units (as per value entered in dialog box) then caps off the mesh. CTRL+T
Toggle Show Patches Toggles display of patch meshes from 2D/3D views on/off. CTRL+P


3. Mouse Function list

This is the list of all the Mouse Functions in QeRadiant and Q3Radiant. Note that these are not shortcuts. The tasks accomplished by the mouse cannot be found in the menus. They provide much of the essential functionality in QeRadiant/Q3Radiant when designing maps.

Radiant's user interface includes many productivity features and is a very powerful tool. It's no wonder that it's the editor of choice for professional and amateur map designers alike. But it's true power is unleashed when you use a 3-Button mouse. Several extremely useful power features, especially when it comes to texturing, are only accessible if you use a 3-Button mouse. Many people own one nowadays and if you use QeRadiant regularly, I strongly recommend you get one.

The commands were sorted by category and abbreviations were used to make it easier for me to fit the shortcut names in the table boxes:

  • LEFT-SIDE BUTTON or LEFT-CLICK = LEFTBUT


  • MIDDLE BUTTON or MIDDLE-CLICK = MIDBUT


  • RIGHT-SIDE BUTTON or RIGHT-CLICK = RIGHTBUT

    The action of these 3 abbreviations mean: click once



  • LEFT-CLICK & DRAG = LEFTBUT+DRAG


  • MIDDLE-CLICK & DRAG = MIDBUT+DRAG


  • RIGHT-CLICK & DRAG = RIGHTBUT+DRAG

    The action of these last 3 abbreviations mean: click once, hold down button and drag mouse.


Also, as with most applications, the action of the mouse is context-sensitive meaning that the same Mouse shortcut might do a different thing depending in what view you click. This is why the categories below are sorted more by context than type.
Action Description Mouse Function
2D view mouse functions
Scroll View Scroll or pan the 2D view. Also works in the Z view. RIGHTBUT+DRAG
Move Z Checker Moves the location of the Z Checker box icon in the 2D view to where you click. Dragging the mouse makes it follow around. SHIFT+MIDBUT
SHIFT+MIDBUT+DRAG
Move Camera Moves the location of the Camera eye icon in the 2D view to where you click. Dragging the mouse makes it follow around. Also works in the Z view. CTRL+MIDBUT
CTRL+MIDBUT+DRAG
Point Camera Points the Camera eye icon in the 2D view to where you click. Dragging the mouse makes it follow around. MIDBUT
MIDBUT+DRAG
Create/Modify Brush This will create a new brush if no object is currently selected. If one or more brushes are selected, this will:

1. Resize the brush when click-dragging outside.

2. Move the brush when click-dragging inside.

If one or more point entities are currently selected, this will just move them. Also works in the Z view but for brushes, only move and vertical resize are possible. In the 3D view, only move and resize work.		 LEFTBUT+DRAG
Select Object Selects/Deselects brush or entity under cursor. Entities have priority over brushes. This also works in the Z and 3D views. SHIFT+LEFTBUT
Cycle Select Object Cycle selects all brushes or entities under cursor in order of depth. This only works in the 2D view in QeRadiant but works in all views in Q3Radiant. SHIFT+ALT+LEFTBUT
Drag Brush Face Drags the face of the currently selected brush. The face nearest to the cursor is dragged. Brushes can also be sheared by using this. This also works in the 3D view. CTRL+LEFTBUT+DRAG
Entity Menu Brings up the entity pop-up menu. You can then select the entity to create. For solid entities (doors, buttons, triggers, etc.), at least one brush must be selected beforehand. RIGHTBUT
3D view mouse navigation functions
Drive Camera Makes the POV in the 3D view move forward/backwards and turn left/right when mouse is dragged. RIGHTBUT+DRAG
Strafe Camera Makes the POV in the 3D view strafe up/down and sideways when mouse is dragged. CTRL+RIGHTBUT+DRAG
3D view mouse texturing functions
Select Brush Face Selects brush face under cursor. Only one face at a time can be selected. Will automatically deselect any currently selected objects. Also grabs the face's current texture + alignment + flags into Surf Inspector. CTRL+SHIFT+LEFTBUT
Select Multiple Brush Faces Selects brush faces under cursor. Any number of faces at a time can be selected. Will automatically deselect any currently selected objects. Also grabs the face's current texture + alignment + flags into Surf Inspector. This feature only works in Q3Radiant. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT
+LEFTBUT
Grab Texture Grabs the texture + alignment + flags of the brush face under the cursor into Surf Inspector. Any currently selected face or brushes will automatically be assigned the grabbed values. MIDBUT
Apply Texture To Brush Applies the current texture + alignment + flags in Surf Inspector to the whole brush under the cursor. CTRL+MIDBUT
Apply Texture To Face Applies the current texture + alignment + flags in Surf Inspector to the single brush face under the cursor. CTRL+SHIFT+MIDBUT
Apply Texture Only To Face Applies the current texture in Surf Inspector to the single brush face under the cursor but face retains its current alignment + flags. SHIFT+MIDBUT
Shift Texture Shifts the texture's vertical and horizontal alignment on the currently selected face or brushes. This feature only works in QeRadiant. ALT+RIGHTBUT+DRAG
Scale Texture Stretches up/down the texture's vertical and horizontal scale on the currently selected face or brushes. This feature only works in QeRadiant. SHIFT+ALT+RIGHTBUT
+DRAG
Rotate Texture Rotates the texture on the currently selected face or brushes. This feature only works in QeRadiant. CTRL+ALT+RIGHTBUT
+DRAG
Set Light To Average Texture Color Grabs the average color of the current texture in Surf Inspector and sets the "_color" key of the light entity under the cursor to that RGB color value. This feature only works in Q3Radiant. SHIFT+MIDBUT
Texture window mouse functions
Select Texture Selects the texture under the cursor and pastes the texture + default flags into Surf Inspector. All currently selected brushes or face will automatically be assigned the selected texture. LEFTBUT
Select Texture + Surf Inspector Same as above but also automatically brings up the Surf Inspector window. This feature only works in QeRadiant but shortcut key does a Apply Texture Angled in Q3Radiant. CTRL+LEFTBUT
Scroll Texture Window Scrolls up/down through the texture window (same as scrollbar or mouse wheel). RIGHTBUT+DRAG
Scroll Texture Window Fast Same as above but will scroll much faster. Useful for browsing through very large texture folders. SHIFT+RIGHTBUT+DRAG
Edit Shader Shader window function. Shift-click on a shader opens the proper shader file in EditPad and automatically places the cursor at the beginning of the shader. This feature only works in Q3Radiant. SHIFT+LEFTBUT
Apply Texture Angled Automatically applies and scales the texture under the cursor on currently selected angled faces so it will fit on those faces by exactly one texture tile. This feature only works in Q3Radiant but shortcut key does a Select Texture + Surf Inspector in QeRadiant. CTRL+LEFTBUT
Entity dialog mouse functions
Create Entity Double-clicking on an entity name in the dialog's list will create an entity at the location of the currently selected brush (mandatory).

1. If a point entity is chosen from the list, it will automatically replace the selected brush(es).

2. If a solid entity is chosen from the list, the selected brush(es) will belong to the entity.

3. If an entity or nothing is selected beforehand, you will get an error dialog: "Failed to create entity".		 DOUBLE-LEFTBUT

Back | Home | Next