---
title: Gizmos
order: 4
---

Chisel draws its editing handles straight in the viewport: arc-and-dot widgets at every fillet, dots on modifier targets, and point editors for Ngons, Sweep paths, Lattice cages and Bisect planes. Drag a handle and the field updates live; release to confirm.

![Gizmo dots overview](../assets/gizmo-dots.webp)

## What gizmos appear

| Object / modifier state | Gizmos shown |
|---|---|
| Primitive with rounding | Arc gizmo on each rounded edge |
| Prism / Trapezoid / Oblong | Separate arcs for *Rounding* (rims) and *Bevel* (corner edges) |
| Boolean modifier | Arc gizmo at the boolean seam |
| Carve modifier | Blend arc plus a third **offset** arc, and an azure dot on the target |
| Mirror modifier (with blend) | Arc gizmo at the mirror plane |
| Array modifier (with smooth) | Arc gizmo between copies |
| Emboss / Engrave | Two gizmos: outer seam and inner corner |
| Ngon primitive | Vertex dots, rounding handles, and edge add-dots |
| Sweep modifier | Blue path dots, green insert dots, orange rounding handles |
| Lattice modifier | Violet cage dots and the cage wireframe |
| Bisect modifier | Blue plane arrows, an orange blend ring, orange corner dots |

## Which objects show them

Each family has a **Show** setting in *Render Properties → Gizmos*: **Active** follows the active object while it is also selected, **Selected** follows every selected object, **Off** hides the family. Modifier dots and the Ngon gizmo default to *Selected*, so selecting two Ngons lets you edit both at once. A dot on the non-active one edits that shape and makes it active.

Modifier dots also have a **Hidden Objects** toggle. On by default, so a veiled cutter keeps its dot and stays one click away; turn it off to draw dots only on targets that are visible. See [Render Engine: Gizmos](../render-engine/gizmos.md) for every switch.

## Color coding

Gizmo colors identify the operation at a glance:

- **Boolean Difference**: accent red
- **Boolean Union**: accent green
- **Boolean Intersect**: accent blue
- **Carve**: azure
- **Emboss / Engrave**: orange / purple
- **Other modifiers**: neutral

On the point editors, **blue** dots move something, **green** dots insert something, **orange** handles set a rounding or blend, and **violet** is the lattice cage. A lattice that has folded turns **red**. Color, dot size, arc geometry, and gap are all configurable in the Theme tab of [Preferences](../preferences.md).

### Rounding gizmo

![Rounding gizmo](../assets/gizmo-rounding.webp)

### Blending gizmo

![Blending gizmo](../assets/gizmo-blending.webp)

### Carve offset arc

When a selected shape is a carve target, a third ring joins the rounding and blend arcs at the bottom-right of the cluster. Drag it to grow or shrink the carve offset.

## Interaction

Click and drag an arc dot to enter the *Adjust Rounding* modal:

- **Drag**: adjust radius
- **Shift**: precision mode
- **Ctrl**: snap to round increments
- **`1`–`5`**: switch profile
- **`S`**: toggle radius ↔ Chamfer Smooth
- **Release / `Space` / `Enter`**: confirm
- **Esc / RMB**: cancel

See [Rounding](../rounding-and-blending/rounding.md#adjust-modal-b) and [Blending](../rounding-and-blending/blending.md#adjust-modal-ctrl--b) for the full controls. While any drag modal runs, every gizmo hides so it never gets in the way of the guide line.

## Ngon gizmo

When an [Ngon primitive](../primitives/shapes/ngon.md) is selected (and active, if *Show* is set to *Active*), Chisel draws its polygon outline with an editing gizmo on every point.

![Editing an Ngon in the viewport](../assets/ngon-edit.webp)

| Handle | Action |
|---|---|
| **Vertex dot** | Drag to move that point on the local XY mid-plane. A gray dot marks its original spot and the live outline previews the result while the field catches up |
| **Rounding handle** (orange, offset from the vertex) | Drag along the corner's outward normal to set that corner's rounding |
| **Edge add-dot** (green, appears at an edge midpoint on hover) | Click to insert a new point there |
| **`X` / `Delete`** | While hovering a vertex dot, delete that point (refuses below three points) |

While dragging a rounding handle the status bar offers the same profile keys as the other modals: `1` Round, `2` Sharp, `3` Soft, `4` Tight, `5` Chamfer, and `S` to jump between the corner's rounding and its chamfer smooth. `RMB` / `Esc` cancels.

![Inserting Ngon points on an edge](../assets/ngon-add-points.webp)

## Sweep gizmo

![editing a sweep path](../assets/sweep.webp)

A [Sweep](../modifiers/sweep.md) draws its path with a **blue dot** on every point (drag to move it in 3D), a **green dot** at the middle of a segment when you hover near it (click to insert a point), and an **orange handle** floated out from every interior corner (drag to round that corner; its distance from the point is the value). `X` or `Delete` over a blue dot removes the point. See [Sweep → Editing the path](../modifiers/sweep.md#editing-the-path).

## Lattice gizmo

![dragging lattice cage points](../assets/lattice.webp)

A [Lattice](../modifiers/lattice.md) draws its cage as a violet wireframe with a dot on every control point. Drag a dot and the field sculpts live. When a drag would fold the cage the dot stops at the limit and turns red. See [Lattice → Editing the cage](../modifiers/lattice.md#editing-the-cage).

## Bisect gizmo

![the bisect plane handles](../assets/bisect-gizmo.webp)

Every cutting plane of a [Bisect](../modifiers/bisect.md) shows a **blue arrow** pointing at the side that gets cut away; drag it to slide the plane along its normal. An **orange ring** around the first arrow drags the cut-edge blend, and an **orange dot** on every polyline corner drags that corner's own blend. Both blend drags take `1`–`5` and `S`. See [Bisect → Gizmo](../modifiers/bisect.md#gizmo).

## Multi-modifier gizmos

When an object has several modifiers with fillets (e.g. a Boolean with blend, plus a Mirror with blend), each gizmo sits at its own seam. Click the one you want to adjust. They don't overlap and the modal targets that specific fillet.

## Hiding gizmos

Gizmos respect Blender's overlay toggles. Press `Shift + Alt + Z` to toggle viewport overlays, or use the overlay dropdown in the 3D View header. Each family can also be gated to the Chisel tool or to *Show Gizmo → Active Object*, or switched off, in [Render Properties → Gizmos](../render-engine/gizmos.md).

## See also

- [Rounding](../rounding-and-blending/rounding.md#adjust-modal-b) and [Blending](../rounding-and-blending/blending.md#adjust-modal-ctrl--b): full modal controls
- [Render Engine: Gizmos](../render-engine/gizmos.md): visibility switches for every family
- [Preferences](../preferences.md#theme): gizmo theme colors and sizes
- [Pie Menu](pie-menu.md): keyboard alternatives for the same operations