How Do You Create a Path From Vertices in Blender?

You can efficiently select the shortest path between two vertices in Blender's Edit Mode using a specific mouse and keyboard combination.

While the term "create" might imply generating new geometry, a common step in creating something from vertices that form a path is to first select those vertices. Blender offers a quick method for selecting the shortest path between any two vertices.

Selecting the Shortest Path Between Vertices

This technique is a valuable shortcut for quickly highlighting a chain of vertices, edges, or faces along a mesh.

Here's the simple process:

1. Enter Edit Mode: Ensure you are in Edit Mode for your mesh object. You can typically do this by selecting the object and pressing the Tab key.
2. Select the First Vertex: Right-click on the first vertex you want to be the beginning of your path selection. (Note: If your Blender uses Left-Click Select, use Left-Click instead).
3. Select the Second Vertex: Hold down the Ctrl key and then right-click on the second vertex you want to be the end of your path selection.

Figure 6.3: Selecting the shortest path between two vertices.

Upon performing step 3, Blender will automatically select all the vertices that constitute the shortest path connecting the two chosen vertices along the existing mesh edges.

Applying to Edges and Faces

This convenient selection method isn't limited to just vertices. As mentioned in the documentation (see Figure 6.3 reference), this selection technique also works when selecting between two edges or two faces. This allows you to quickly select a loop or path of edges or faces on your mesh.

Once the desired path of vertices (or edges/faces) is selected, you can then use Blender's tools to create something from this selection, such as:

• Creating a new edge (using the F key).
• Duplicating the vertices to form a new object (Shift + D).
• Converting the selected vertices/edges into a curve object (Object > Convert To > Curve from Mesh/Text).

This selection method based on the shortest path is a fundamental step for many modeling tasks that involve working with specific geometric flows on your mesh.