Creating a Simple Menu¶
A Simple Menu is a flat rectangular popup — a clean grid of buttons that opens at your cursor position.
Use it when you have many buttons that are easier to read in a list than spread around a circle.
When to Use a Simple Menu vs a Pie Menu?¶
| Pie Menu | Simple Menu | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | 4–8 frequently-used actions | Large toolsets, items that need to be read |
| Speed | Very fast — gesture-driven | Slower — you scan and click |
| Direction sense | Yes — muscle memory per direction | No — just a list |
Create the Menu¶
Inside your Preset, click Add Menu. Fill in:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Shown in the menu header |
| Description | Optional subtitle in the header |
| Columns | How many buttons per row |
| Shortcut | The key that opens this menu |
| Context | Which Blender editor the shortcut works in |
Add Buttons¶
Click + Add Button to add buttons. They fill the grid left to right, row by row.
You can drag buttons to reorder them.
Tip
Use a LABEL button as a section header, then group related buttons below it.
Columns and Col Span¶
The Columns setting on the menu controls how many columns the grid has.
Each button has a Col Span value that controls how wide it is:
| Col Span | Result |
|---|---|
0.5 |
Half a column wide |
1.0 |
Normal width (default) |
2.0 |
Two columns wide |
Example: A 3-column menu with two 1.0 buttons and one 3.0 button:
See Layouts & Col Span for more detail.
LOCKED: Consistent, Always-Visible Menus¶
A Simple Menu can also skip the shortcut entirely and live on screen permanently. Set Position Mode to Locked in the Options tab:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Position Mode: Locked | The menu always opens at a fixed screen position instead of the cursor, and stays visible. |
| Offset X / Y | Percentage offset from the screen corner/edge that anchors the panel. |
| Auto Show | Opens/closes itself automatically based on its condition, no keymap needed — e.g. only in Weight Paint mode. |
| Auto Show Editor | Which editor area type it spawns in; works in any editor, not just the 3D Viewport. |
Ctrl+Click the PieMaster header button to toggle every LOCKED menu/layout at once.
Opening a Simple Menu from a Pie¶
Use a MENU_CALL button in a pie menu to open a Simple Menu when clicked.
This lets you build a hierarchy: