An apparatus and a method for using 3D animated icons to preview transformations related to 3D models are disclosed. The apparatus includes a graphical user interface (GUI) which includes a visual depiction of the 3D model as well as a cursor and 3D animated icons which are representative of various transformations that may be performed on the model. The animation of the 3D icons provides the user with a preview, before selecting the icons, of what will happen to the 3D model depicted in the GUI if the transformations are in fact applied by user-selection of the icons. The method includes displaying, on a GUI, a 3D model as well as a cursor and at least one 3D animated icon which displays a representation of a respective transformation. The method further includes changing the state of an animated icon from static (i.e., a still frame) to animated when the user positions the cursor in the neighborhood of the icon, thereby illustrating the effect of the transformation. The method further comprises changing the icon to a different static state whenever the user selects the icon, at which point the icon will be displayed as a still frame that indicates that the icon has been selected.