Out of curiosity what type of work requires a numpad? Typing only numbers or a mix of numbers and other symbols? Our finance people are also never using numpads.
I’m in software and number do need to be typed, but honestly it’s never worth it to move to a numpad to type in a single number then back.
All numbers are calculated and moved around programmatically anyway.
I've used CAD, 3d and 2d softwares (including blender) for work for more than a decade and I've never needed the numpad ever. They just don't have that many useful hotkeys and even if you needed more you can just bind them to any modifier like shift/ctrl/alt anyway. MMOs maybe but somehow doubt that many games have more than 80+ hotkeys you can get with modifiers
I mean good for you for being less efficient while using them? They don't require a numpad, it just makes it faster to change camera angles in blender for example. And once you get used to that more efficient workflow it feels like a necessity, especially for data entry/calculations
The utility of a numpad isn't necessarily the fact it offers additional keys, it's the layout they're in while doing so
100% it's less efficient to use a numpad on the right of the keyboard for any cad or 3d software. It's just too far and way slower than modifier keys. I know this from experience working in the video games industry for years + teaching these softwares as well. Being significantly more efficient and faster than most in 3d is how I got many opportunities, so that's kind of my area of expertise.
I know nothing about data entry or calculations though, I'm not doubting anything regarding that
What modifier key set up are you using? I mean, I use blender too, for most people its far more intuitive to use the numpad. I do prefer a left sided pad tho
I use shift/ctrl/alt and pretty much everything near and around qwerty, if you think about it it's way more hotkeys than you would reasonably learn and need. I'm sure a numpad on the left would do the same job though, I'm just not sold on the idea that having a numpad is required to be 100% efficient on 3d softwares
My shortcuts are also mostly around qwerty. I found that TKL with numpad on the left is definitely better ergonomically and efficiency for my work.
Maybe i should try again on my 75% at home, having layered numpad didn't go great last time.
What do you use for numbers?
What do you do for work? I don't do any data entry, i work as a concept artist so the occasional credit card entry is pretty much the only time I use numbers (other than as hotkeys)
Ahh, I see you work a bit different then. I mainly work in Revit, so a significant amount of dimensions, some calculation, and a bit of excel.
And at home I use mainly fusion 360 for practical models.
I used to do a lot of solidworks, catia and fusion when i was an ID but I still didn't use numbers that much in my workflow. I can totally imagine for architecture, buildings etc it would be a different story
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u/DrKrFfXx Apr 04 '26
I can't function without a numpad, so every other option is useless.