Introduction
Deswik is a popular software used in the mining industry for designing and planning mines. Mastering keyboard shortcuts can significantly improve your productivity and efficiency while working with Deswik. In this article, we will cover some of the most commonly used Deswik keyboard shortcuts that can help you streamline your workflow.
Navigation Shortcuts
These navigation shortcuts allow you to quickly zoom in and out of your design, pan across the screen, and reset the view to its original state.
Selection and Editing Shortcuts
These shortcuts enable you to quickly select and edit objects in your design, including copying, pasting, cutting, undoing, and redoing actions.
Design and Modeling Shortcuts
These shortcuts allow you to quickly create common design elements, such as benches, berms, ramps, tunnels, and extrude and intersect objects.
Other Useful Shortcuts
These miscellaneous shortcuts provide additional functionality, such as toggling snapping and grid display, showing and hiding objects, and switching to design review mode.
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts
Deswik allows you to customize keyboard shortcuts to suit your preferences. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Keyboard Shortcuts. From here, you can create, edit, or delete custom shortcuts.
Conclusion
Mastering Deswik keyboard shortcuts can significantly improve your productivity and efficiency while working with the software. By memorizing these shortcuts, you can streamline your workflow, reduce mouse usage, and focus on designing and planning mines. Take some time to practice using these shortcuts, and you'll become a Deswik power user in no time!
Deswik doesn't have a single "official" cheat sheet because the software is designed to be highly customizable. Most power users actually ditch the multi-key defaults for single-key setups to speed up their CAD workflows.
Here’s a breakdown of how the shortcuts work and some of the most popular setups used in the industry. Common "Single-Key" Customizations
Many mining engineers use a custom profile (often called a "One-Key" setup) similar to these examples found on LinkedIn : B: Break polyline at a point. C: Connect polylines automatically. D: Draw polyline. M: Move entities. R: Rotate entities. S: Stretch or Scale. X: Explode polyline or block. Standard System Shortcuts
These usually work across most Deswik modules (CAD, Sched, etc.) out of the box: Refresh/Redraw F5 Snap Toggle F3 (Standard CAD behavior) Ortho Toggle F8 Cancel Command Esc Properties Pane Ctrl + 1 Save Project Ctrl + S How to Create Your Own Post/Shortcuts
If you're looking to set these up yourself or share a "post" of your own configuration: Go to Tools: Navigate to Tools > Options in the top menu. Keyboard Shortcuts: Look for the Keyboard or Shortcuts tab.
Assign Commands: Search for the specific command (e.g., "Polyline Draw") and type your preferred key in the assignment box.
Export Profile: You can export these settings as a .dwsconfig file to share with your team or keep as a backup. Pro-Tip for Efficiency
In Deswik.CAD, you can also use Aliases. Instead of just a shortcut, an alias allows you to type a short command into the command line (like PL for Polyline) which mimics the classic AutoCAD workflow many engineers are used to.
Deswik.CAD primarily utilizes a command-driven shortcut system rather than just single-key hotkeys. While many standard Windows shortcuts apply, the software's core efficiency comes from customizable multi-character aliases that can be mapped to any tool. Accessing & Customizing Shortcuts
You can view or change your current shortcuts by navigating to the Tools | Shortcuts dialog box.
Customization: Many users remap Deswik's default multi-character shortcuts (like "NS" for a polyline) to more familiar single or double-letter commands (like "PL" or "D"). deswik keyboard shortcuts
Composition: Shortcuts can consist of the Ctrl or Alt key combined with a single alphanumeric character. Essential Default Navigation
Navigation in Deswik often relies on mouse-keyboard combinations and dedicated 3D navigation modes: Object Mode: Moves the model in sync with your inputs.
Fly/Drone Mode: Controls the camera/viewport as if flying through the scene.
Target Camera Mode: Orbits around a specific point of interest. Common Productivity Shortcuts
While many are user-defined, these are standard or frequently recommended by power users: Common Shortcut / Recommendation Draw Polyline NS (Default) or PL / D (Recommended) Connect Polylines C (Recommended) Break Polyline B (Recommended) Isolate Layer ISO (Recommended abbreviation) Hide Layer HID (Recommended abbreviation) Unhide Layer SHO (Recommended abbreviation) Open Shortcuts Menu TS (Recommended for Tools | Shortcuts) Standard General Commands
Deswik supports standard Windows and CAD-style control keys:
Here are some common Deswik keyboard shortcuts:
Note that these shortcuts may vary depending on the specific version of Deswik and the operating system being used.
Note: Deswik allows for customizable shortcuts, so these defaults may vary slightly depending on your specific configuration or version (e.g., Deswik.CAD vs. Deswik.Sched).
| Action | Shortcut |
|--------|----------|
| Zoom extents (all objects) | Ctrl + E |
| Zoom window | Ctrl + W |
| Pan view | Hold middle mouse |
| Rotate 3D view | Shift + middle mouse |
| Refresh / redraw screen | Ctrl + R |
Add these lines to your .key file immediately:
| Shortcut | Command | Why you need it |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| ^+L | "LayerIsoAllButSelected" | Isolate layer of the selected object (Super fast). |
| ^+F | "TriFuse" | Deswik’s unique triangle merging tool (Fix dirty surfaces). |
| !W | "Wireframe" | Change view style to wireframe. |
| !S | "Shaded" | Change view style to shaded. |
| ^+E | "ExportSelected" | Export just the selected strings to DXF. | Introduction Deswik is a popular software used in
These are the shortcuts that separate the novice from the expert. They involve holding modifier keys while pressing another key.
| Shortcut | Module | Action | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Ctrl + 1 | CAD | Open Property Inspector (Quick edit vertices). | | Ctrl + 2 | DH | Open Drillhole Display Manager. | | Ctrl + 3 | CAD | Open Layers Tree (Layer Manager). | | Ctrl + N | All | New File. | | Ctrl + O | All | Open File. | | Ctrl + S | All | Save. (Get muscle memory for this. Deswik does not autosave aggressively). | | Ctrl + P | All | Print / Export to PDF layout. | | Ctrl + Z | All | Undo. | | Ctrl + Y | All | Redo. | | Alt + F8 | Sched | Run Gantt Chart schedule. | | Alt + F4 | All | Close Deswik. |
| Action | Shortcut |
|--------|----------|
| Open command line | Spacebar |
| Repeat last command | Enter |
| Cancel / escape | Esc |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Y |
In the world of mining engineering and geological modelling, speed is survival. Whether you are designing stopes in Deswik.CAD, building solids in Deswik.SMD, or managing data in Deswik.DH (Data Handler), every second counts. The difference between an average engineer and a power user often comes down to one thing: mastering the keyboard.
Deswik, renowned for its powerful suite of tools (Deswik.CAD, Deswik.Sched, Deswik.MD, Deswik.UG), is a mouse-heavy interface by default. However, hidden beneath the dropdown menus is a layer of efficiency that can cut your design time by over 30%. This article serves as your definitive encyclopedia of Deswik keyboard shortcuts.
We will cover everything from basic navigation to advanced custom macros, industry-specific bindings for underground mining, and how to create your own shortcuts using the .key file system.
A compact, actionable keyboard-shortcuts feature for Deswik users that boosts efficiency by mapping common tasks to keys, with quick access, customization, and in-app help.
Selecting the right vertices, solids, or strings is 80% of Deswik work. These Deswik keyboard shortcuts are non-negotiable.
| Shortcut | Action | How to use it |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Ctrl + A | Select All | All visible objects in the current view. |
| Ctrl + D | Deselect All | Clears selection. Faster than clicking empty space. |
| Ctrl + F | Filter Select | Opens the "Select by Attributes" dialog (e.g., select all strings with Z > 1000). |
| Ctrl + G | Group Selection | Creates a temporary selection group for editing. |
| Ctrl + H | Hide Selected | Hides the chosen objects from view. |
| Ctrl + Shift + H | Show All | Unhides everything. |
| Q (Quick key) | Query Object | Click any object to see its properties (Layer, Length, Area). |
| Delete | Delete Selected | Permanently removes selected geometry. |
Efficient 3D navigation is critical in mine design. Deswik uses a hybrid of AutoCAD-style view controls and proprietary orbit tools.
| Shortcut | Command | Function |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Mid-Mouse Drag | Pan | Moves the view laterally. |
| Shift + Mid-Mouse Drag | Dynamic Orbit | Rotates the 3D view around a pivot point. |
| Mouse Wheel | Zoom In/Out | Scales view relative to cursor position. |
| Double-Click Wheel | Zoom Extents | Zooms to display all visible objects. |
| Ctrl + 1 through 6 | View Presets | Cycles through Top (1), Front (2), Right (3), Isometric (4), etc. |
| Ctrl + E | View Previous | Returns to the previous view orientation (undoes orbit/pan). |
| Ctrl + R | Refresh Display | Redraws the screen, clearing graphical glitches. |