In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between Shift+D and Alt+D in Blender — two powerful duplication tools that every 3D artist should know.
Shift+D – Duplicate (Independent Copy)
When you press Shift+D, Blender creates a completely independent copy of the selected object.
1. You get a new object with its own mesh data.
2. Changes made to one object do not affect the other.
3. Great for creating variations or editing objects individually.
Alt+D – Linked Duplicate (Instance Copy)
Pressing Alt+D creates a linked duplicate of the original object.
1. The copy shares the same mesh data as the original.
2. You can still move, rotate, and scale each object independently.
3. Changes to the mesh (edit mode) affect all linked duplicates.
4. Useful for instancing multiple objects with the same shape to save memory and improve performance.
When to Use Shift+D vs Alt+D?
- Use Shift+D when you want full freedom to edit each copy separately.
- Use Alt+D when you need identical geometry but want to manage transforms (location/rotation/scale) individually.
Watch Our Tutorial
Still unsure about the difference between Shift+D and Alt+D?
We’ve got you covered with a step-by-step video tutorial that visually explains everything in this article.
👉 Click here to watch the tutorial on YouTube
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Article by Padmasri