Blender: Adding background images in edit mode for tracing.
OK - this is soooo embarrassing.
I can't believe it took me the better part of 4 years to bother looking this up.
It's easy too...
- Press 'N' with your mouse pointer in the edit area - (to get the stupidly unnamed tool panel that toggling 'N' shows and hides) from this panel:
- Scroll to the bottom and check: Background Images
- Expand the dropdown in front of Background Images
- Click the Add Image button
- Scroll down more to be able to now click the Open button
- After selecting your image scroll down the 'N' panel again as a bunch of new options are now available
- Press '5' to get into Orthographic mode (this only works in ortho mode)
- Press '1' and your image should appear
- You can press other keys for top and side view of you object
- Obviously you'll need other images for side and top views of what you want to trace
Fear not if the above is too confusing, this YouTube video explains it perfectly and succinctly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmxtF_D82xk
Thank you: Grant Abbitt!