Autodesk Maya is probably the gold-standard software for 3D modeling, animation, and VFX in the TV and movie industries. Autodesk Maya even plays a part in game development. Whether you’re a student learning 3D modeling, an architect making visualizations, or a production company as large as Marvel Studios, Autodesk Maya can do a whole lot.

If you’re a beginner, it is important to know that you can utilize shortcuts for faster workflow in Maya. However, even as an expert, you might not know some important ones. Worry not, as this article will take you through both fundamental and advanced Maya keyboard shortcuts.

Benefits of Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Maya

Before we talk about how to use keyboard shortcuts in Maya, let’s talk about why you should use keyboard shortcuts in Maya. The moment you know the perks and what you stand to gain, you can put a lot more energy into learning them.

Here are some of the perks of using keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys in Autodesk Maya:

• Shortcuts save you from needing to use the mouse each time you want to select a tool or activate a setting, and over a full day of work, it can significantly speed up your workflow.

• With keyboard shortcuts, your ease of using Maya will improve significantly.

• They can also keep you more focused by making tool switching as fast as a few keys on the keyboard, as opposed to reaching for the mouse.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts for Maya

Whether you’re a beginner (if you are, here are some great Maya tutorials to check out) or a professional, there are essential Maya keyboard shortcuts that everyone who uses the application should know, and you’ll find all of those ones in the table right below.

Essential Shortcuts for Navigating The Viewport and Manipulating Objects

Navigation and Transformation

ActionShortcut

• Rotate Viewport (Tumble Tool): Alt + Left Mouse Button Drag

• Pan Viewport (Track Tool): Alt + Middle Mouse Button Drag

• Zoom Viewport (Dolly Tool): Alt + Right Mouse Button Drag

• Select Tool: Q

• Move Tool: W

• Rotate Tool: E

• Scale Tool: R

• Select Last Used Tool (not including Move, Rotate, Scale, or Select): Y

• Frame Selected Object in the Viewport: F

• Frame All Objects in the Viewport: Shift + A

• Snap to Grid: X

• Snap to Curve: C

• Snap to Point: V

Basic Shortcuts for Every Maya User

Basic Actions

• Undo: Ctrl + Z

• Redo: Ctrl + Y

• Cut: Ctrl + X

• Copy: Ctrl + C

• Paste: Ctrl + V

• Repeat Last Action: G

• Hide Selected Object: Ctrl + H

• Show Select Object: Shift + H

• Duplicate Object: Ctrl + D

• Group Selected Objects:Ctrl + G

• Ungroup Selected Objects: Shift + Ctrl + G

Important Shortcuts for Modifying Scene Appearance in the Viewport

Object Display Settings

• Toggle Wireframe Shading: 4

• Toggle Shaded Shading: 5

• Toggle Shaded and Textured Shading: 6

• Use All Lights: 7

• Toggle Default Quality: 0

• Toggle Rough Quality: 1

• Toggle Medium Quality: 2

• Toggle Smooth Quality: 3

Advanced Shortcuts for Modeling and Animation

Some of you, after looking through the Maya modeling shortcuts guide above, might find yourself unstimulated, as you already know all of those shortcuts. Worry not, as we’re about to dive into some more advanced shortcut options that you can explore.

Advanced Shortcuts for 3D Modeling

• Multi-Cut Tool: Ctrl + Shift + X

• Quad Draw Tool: Ctrl + Shift + Q

• Insert Edge Loop: Shift + Right Mouse Button, then Insert Edge Loop

• Merge Vertices: Shift + Right Mouse Button, then Merge Vertices

• Select Vertices: F9

• Select Edges: F10

• Select Faces: F11

• Select UV: F12

Advanced Shortcuts for Animation

• Set Keyframe: S

• Set Key for Rotate: Shift + E

• Set Key for Scale: Shift + R

• Set Key for Translate: Shift + W

• Play/Stop Animation: Alt + V

• Go To First Frame: Alt + Shift + V

• Go to Next Key: . (period)

• Go To Previous Key: , (comma)

• Move Forward One Frame: Ctrl + Alt + . (period)

• Move Backward One Frame: Ctrl + Alt + , (comma)

Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts in Maya

Everyone’s workflows are different, especially in an application as versatile and powerful as Autodesk Maya. In your use, you might realize that while some Maya keyboard shortcuts for beginners and experts are fine for most people, they simply aren’t convenient for you. 

Thankfully, Maya makes tweaking these shortcuts and hotkeys pretty simple, so let’s dive into using the Hotkey Editor in Maya.

1. Select Windows from the menu bar, Settings/Preferences, and then Hotkey Editor.

2. If this is your first time modifying hotkeys, you will need to make a new Hotkey Set to start applying your edits, since you can’t modify the defaults. Click the gear icon next to Hotkey Set in the upper left and select Duplicate.

3. You can now enter a new name for the duplicate Hotkey Set that you’ve created.

4. Now, in the Edit Hotkeys For section, choose the category of hotkey that you want to change.

5. In the list that populates below it, look for the command that you want to modify, and then double-click in the Hotkey column.

6. Now, with either “On Press” or “On Release” selected, you can then put in the new shortcut for the action.

Tips for Learning and Memorizing Maya Keyboard Shortcuts

Knowing how to use keyboard shortcuts in Maya isn’t the hard part, but actually remembering them. However, there are a few things you can try out to make it easier to keep these shortcuts in memory.

First off, if you’re new to shortcuts in Maya in general, start with the basic shortcuts for navigation and for switching to the basic tools. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to memorize everything at once. Also, aim to learn the shortcuts that you use the most. So, if your workflow has you animating every day, that’s a good place to start.

If you really need help, printing out a cheat sheet or visual aid for these shortcuts can be very helpful. After that, you’ll be more efficient for whichever Maya courses and classes you’re enrolled in.

Conclusion

Equipping yourself with shortcuts when using Autodesk Maya can make your workflow a lot more streamlined and just generally make Maya easier to use. If you really want to become a Maya expert, shortcuts are essential. Don’t be daunted by the long lists though. Just start with foundational shortcuts and get comfortable first.

Shortcuts and hotkeys can speed up your Maya workflow, and so can Vagon. Running Autodesk Maya on Vagon’s high-performance cloud computers will give you the chance to run Maya with plenty of power, all of the best Maya plugins, and no limits.

FAQs:

1. What are the most important shortcuts to learn first in Maya?

   • Focus on navigation (Alt + mouse buttons), transformation (W, E, R), and view modes (4 and 5) as the most basic shortcuts to learn.

2. Can I customize shortcuts in Maya?

   • Yes, Maya’s Hotkey Editor allows you to assign custom shortcuts for specific actions or tools.

3. How do I reset Maya keyboard shortcuts?

   • In the Hotkey Editor, you can reset Maya’s default shortcut settings if needed.

4. Are Maya shortcuts different from other 3D software like Blender?

   • Yes, each 3D software has a unique set of shortcuts, but some navigation and transformation keys may be similar.

5. How can I reference a complete list of Maya shortcuts?

   • You can check a comprehensive list of Autodesk Maya shortcuts here. You can also take a look at shortcuts included in the Hotkey Editor.