Have a custom shortcut we missed? Deswik users are a collaborative community. Share your .key file secrets in the comments below!

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 .

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. Deswik handles massive datasets—drillhole databases with millions of rows, triangulated surfaces with hundreds of thousands of triangles, and complex 3D wireframes. Navigating these with the mouse alone leads to "context switching fatigue." Every time you reach for the toolbar, you lose focus.

| Shortcut | Command Name | Mining Use Case | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Line | Drawing a crest or toe line. | | PL | Polyline | Creating a continuous string for a ramp centreline. | | A | Arc | Drawing curved haul roads. | | C | Circle | Defining a shaft or ventilation raise footprint. | | TR | Trim | Cutting strings at intersections (e.g., trimming drives against a fault). | | EX | Extend | Lengthening strings to a boundary. | | CP | Copy | Duplicating profiles along a drive. | | M | Move | Shifting a block model cell or string. | | E | Erase (Delete) | Removing bad vertices. | | O | Offset | Creating parallel strings (e.g., 5m offset for a buffer zone). | | RO | Rotate | Rotating a design around a point. | | X | Explode | Breaking a polyline into individual line segments. | | J | Join | Connecting multiple lines into a single polyline. | View & Inquiry | Shortcut | Command | Purpose | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Z + E | Zoom Extents | Faster than F2 for some users. | | Z + P | Zoom Previous | Return to last view after zooming in. | | DI | Distance | Measure between two points (e.g., drift width). | | ID | List Coordinates | Get the X,Y,Z of a point. | | LIST | Properties | Opens the object property table. | Part 4: Productivity "Chords" (Ctrl + & Alt + Combos) These are the shortcuts that separate the novice from the expert. They involve holding modifier keys while pressing another key.

| Shortcut | Module | Action | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 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. | Part 5: Deswik.SMD (Solid Modelling) Shortcuts Surface and solid modelling requires constant toggling between selection modes.