---
title: Properties Panels
order: 9
---

Chisel's settings in Blender's Properties editor: the **SDF** panel in *Object Properties*, the **Chisel Modifiers** panel in *Modifier Properties*, and Chisel's panels in *Material Properties* and *Render Properties*.

## Object Properties ▸ SDF

The **SDF** panel holds the active object's Chisel settings. It shows on mesh objects and on Blender text objects, and starts closed.

![the SDF panel of a Box with Rounding](../assets/objectsettings-sdf.webp)

### Rows every shape has

| Control | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| **Disable Chisel** / **Enable Chisel** | | Turns the object into a plain mesh, or back into a Chisel shape. Enabling an object that has Blender modifiers asks first, since they are removed |
| **Render** | on | Draws the shape on its own. Off, the shape draws only where another shape uses it as a target (a cutter, for example), and shows as an outline in the view |
| **Type** | | The shape's type. Changing it keeps the size where it can |
| **Clean** | | Removes the modifiers that use other shapes and makes the shape solid, see [Clean](../operations.md#clean) |
| **Clean Mods** | | Removes every modifier whose target is gone, see [Clean Mods](../operations.md#clean-mods). Greyed out when there is none |
| **Rebuild Mesh** | | Rebuilds the shape's mesh, see [Rebuild Mesh](../operations.md#rebuild-mesh) |
| **To Mesh** | | Turns the shape into a polygon mesh, see [Convert to Mesh](../operations.md#convert-to-mesh) |

Between **Type** and **Clean** come the shape's own settings, described on its page under [Primitives](../primitives/index.md), and its rounding rows.

### Rounding rows

Box, Cylinder, Cone, Ngon, Outline and Text have one group:

| Control | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| **Profile** | Round | The edge profile: **Round**, **Sharp**, **Soft**, **Tight**, **Chamfer**, see [Profiles](../rounding-and-blending/profiles.md) |
| **Rounding** | `0 m` (0 – soft 2) | Rounds the edges, see [Rounding](../rounding-and-blending/rounding.md) |
| **Smooth** *(Chamfer only)* | `0 m` (0 – soft 0.5) | Softens the edges where the chamfer meets the faces |

Oblong, Prism and Trapezoid have two:

| Group | Controls | What they round |
|---|---|---|
| **Bevel** | profile, **Bevel**, **Bevel Smooth** (Chamfer only) | The upright edges |
| **Cap Rounding** | profile, **Rounding**, **Smooth** (Chamfer only) | The top and bottom edges |

A Lathe has **Side Rounding** instead. Sphere, Capsule, Torus, Tube and Rail have no rounding rows.

### A plain mesh

![the SDF panel of a plain mesh](../assets/objectsettings-enable-chisel.webp)

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Enable Chisel** | Turns the object into a Chisel shape, a Sphere to start. The mesh's own form is not kept |
| **Convert Mesh to SDF** | Turns the mesh's own form into a Chisel [Mesh shape](../primitives/mesh.md), see [Convert to SDF](../operations.md#convert-to-sdf) |

### Old curve shapes

A Curve, Curve Tube or Curve Revolve shape from a Chisel 4.x file that could not be converted is not shown. Its panel says so in red (*"Old Curve Tube: not shown"*, for example), gives the reason, and has **Update Old Curve Shapes** to try again. See [From Curve](../primitives/paths/from-curve.md#curve-shapes-from-4x-files).

## Modifier Properties ▸ Chisel Modifiers

The **Chisel Modifiers** panel lists the active shape's [modifiers](../modifiers/index.md) in the order they apply, top to bottom. A plain mesh keeps Blender's own modifier stack.

![the Chisel Modifiers panel: four modifiers, folded](../assets/modifiersettings-mods.webp)

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| **▲** | Folds every modifier |
| **▼** | Unfolds every modifier |
| **Objects N/256** | How many shapes the active shape's whole tree holds, out of the most one tree can hold; red from 80 %. A **Modifiers M/…** count appears beside it once more than half of the modifier limit is used (a Smooth does not count), red from 80 % |
| **⋮** | The options menu, below |
| **Add Modifier** | The list of modifiers, below |
| Row arrow | Folds or unfolds that modifier's settings |
| Row icon and name | The modifier and a summary: *Difference: Sphere* (the target), *Mirror X*, *Array Line 2x*, *Smooth: 0.020*. A join whose target is gone reads *(no target)* in red |
| **▲** / **▼** (row) | Moves the modifier up or down the stack |
| Pin | Keeps the modifier at the bottom of the stack: new modifiers go above it. A Smooth is pinned when added |
| **×** | Removes the modifier |

### ⋮ (options)

![the options menu](../assets/modifiersettings-menu.webp)

| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Expand** | New modifiers arrive unfolded |
| **Apply All** | Bakes the stack into the shape, see [Apply Modifiers](../operations.md#apply-modifiers) |
| **Delete All** | Removes every modifier |
| **Clean Mods** | Removes every modifier whose target is gone |

### Add Modifier

![the Add Modifier list](../assets/modifiersettings-add.webp)

| Entry | Adds |
|---|---|
| **Boolean**: **Difference**, **Union**, **Intersect** | A [Boolean](../joins/boolean.md); pick its target in the row |
| **Solidify** | A [Solidify](../modifiers/solidify.md) |
| **Mirror**, **Bisect**, **Array** | A [Mirror](../modifiers/mirror.md), [Bisect](../modifiers/bisect.md) or [Array](../modifiers/array.md) |
| **Emboss**, **Engrave**, **Carve** | An [Emboss or Engrave](../joins/emboss-engrave.md) or a [Carve](../joins/carve.md); pick its target in the row |
| **Twist**, **Bend**, **Revolve**, **Sweep**, **Lattice** | A [Twist or Bend](../modifiers/twist-bend.md), [Revolve](../modifiers/revolve.md), [Sweep](../modifiers/sweep.md) or [Lattice](../modifiers/lattice.md) |
| **Smooth** | A [Smooth](../modifiers/smooth.md), pinned at the bottom |

## Material Properties

A Chisel shape takes its colour from the object's material, see [Materials](../materials/index.md).

## Render Properties

With **Render Engine** set to **Chisel**, Render Properties holds the panels Quality, Performance, Matcap, Display, Gizmos and Bake, see [Render Engine](../render-engine/index.md).