Blender Tutorial for Beginners

If you like 3D computer graphics or animation and are looking for 3D modeling software, you've come to the right place. There are many 3D modeling software programs; many are excellent and effective at what they do, but they are all expensive and have steep subscription costs. When you have a Blender, a free and capable 3D creation tool, at your disposal, there is no need to pay hefty subscription fees. Popular open-source 3D modeling program Blender can be used in 3D printer designs. The entire 3D creation pipeline, including modeling, shading, rigging, animation, and rendering, is supported by this powerful program. Because Blender allows you to create games and edit videos, you don't need to purchase any additional programs.

Blender is straightforward to learn and has a fantastic community to back you up. Beginners can learn the fundamentals of the Blender software from this article. We'll talk about the Blender user interface and a few key shortcuts. This article is for you if you want to start 3D modeling in Blender but are a beginner.

Installation

The first step is obtaining the most recent version of Blender from the website. Blender can be downloaded for Windows, Linux, and macOS computers. Blender portable, a portable version of the software, is also available for Download. Install Blender

To download the Blender software, click Download.

The software installation procedure is simple after downloading. You will receive a ".msi" file for the Windows operating system; simply double-click the file to finish the installation.

After the installation process is finished, start the program. The window depicted below will appear. A standard cube, camera, and light will be in the window.

User Experience

The user interface may appear intimidating initially, but it is pretty simple to understand, and you can pick it up quickly. Blender has a navigation bar, toolbar, etc. like other software. Let's examine the user interface in great detail.

The following image has been cropped to emphasize the essential elements of the user interface:

Bar for Navigation

The top of the interface's navigation bar is made up of buttons that offer quick access to various features. The most recent Blender versions conveniently include this bar. The user interface can be quickly changed by using windows along with standard navigation buttons. For instance, if you are working in Layout mode and want to add some shaders, click the "Shading" button, and the interface will adjust to the workspace for shading.

Blender Toolbar

Version 2.80 saw a redesign and reintroduction of the toolbar. This toolbar is very helpful for new users who need to know the shortcut keys. Because you can view a brief description of each tool by hovering the mouse over its icon, the toolbar is simple to access and use.

Blender Timeline

Check out the timeline at the bottom of the user interface before navigating to the left side. The timeline is a window that can be collapsed when it is not being used. However, a timeline can be helpful if animating something because you can keyframe objects in layout mode.

The window for Scene Collection

This window is crucial because it displays the props that were used in the scene. Every collection of objects is referred to as one. For instance, this scene has a camera, a cube, and a light. If your scene has a lot of objects, this window can be handy. You can look for, hide, or reveal the object in this window. A scene can have multiple collections added to it.

Object and Scene Settings

This window, which is part of the user interface and is used to change scene settings, contains several options (e.g., renderer setting, output setting, etc.). The object and material settings for the chosen item are also displayed in this window. In the layout mode, for instance, if you select a camera, cube, or light, the setting for that chosen item will show up in this window. In this window, you can add "Modifiers" and "Constraints" to the object.

Browse the Navigation Bar

For beginners, version 2.80's addition of the navigation bar is helpful. You can move around the scene by pressing these buttons. It has four buttons: a camera view button, zoom, pan buttons, and an orthographic/perspective view button.

Camera

Every scene must have a camera because the renderer can only produce what is visible to the camera. Outside of the camera, no object will be rendered.

In the creation of 3D models, lighting is crucial. The scene appears dark and lacks details in the absence of light. You can add additional lights to add more detail and clarity to your scene.

Cut-off Keys

Unlike earlier versions, Blender now has an excellent user interface and is very user-friendly. However, not all necessary items can be displayed on the home screen. Second, the 3D modeling process is time-consuming, but you can speed it up if you keep a few straightforward shortcut keys in mind. In Blender, there are shortcut keys for almost every task. Always remembering the shortcut keys is good practice.

Now let's examine some of Blender's most popular shortcut keys.

Tool Bar and Hiding/Revealing Properties

"T" and "N" are the first two shortcut keys to remember. You can hide the toolbar if you need more room for your work by pressing "T." To display the toolbar, press the same key. "N" is a further significant shortcut key. The Properties tab will become visible by pressing the "N" key.

Changing, scaling, and rotating

Use the "Properties" panel to rotate, scale, and resize objects (press "N" to reveal it). However, a better strategy for transformation is to use the shortcut keys.

To freely move an object, press the hotkey "G." By selecting the object with the "G" key and then selecting "X, Y, or Z," you can clip an object along one axis. Use the "R" key to rotate an item. The same procedure should be followed to rotate an object along an axis: press "R" and then "X, Y, or Z." Use the "S" key to scale.

Changing Objects

Simple shape models can only be used to create a partial 3D model; in order to achieve the desired result, an object must always be modified. In Blender, any object can be modified.

Then, as shown in the following image, select "Edit Mode" from the object interaction mode menu in the top right corner after selecting the object you wish to change:

A shape's vertices, edges, and faces can all be changed in the "Edit Mode." Most object modifications are done in "Edit Mode." The "Tab" key is used as a shortcut to switch between "Edit Mode" and "Object Mode."

Inserting Objects

A 3D model can include a variety of different objects. Click "Add>Mesh>Object" to add an object. A cone, a cylinder, a sphere, a plane, a torus, and many other objects that can be added to the scene will be offered to you as options.

"Shift-A" is the shortcut key combination for adding an object.

Adding Resources

The final Blender skill you should master as a beginner is adding materials. A model's material is something you add on top of it; it could be a texture or color.

When adding new material, select the object, go to the material menu, and click "New."

Now there is a default material added. You can change the material's color by selecting the "Base Color" option.

Change the display mode to "Look Dev" or "Rendered," as shown in the above image, to see the object color.

Conclusion

Some fundamental Blender features that can be very helpful for beginners were covered in this article. Blender is still a very sophisticated piece of software with a wealth of features, though. It also includes a ton of add-ons created by community members to streamline the workflow. Add-ons are generally free. Blender is the best option if you're a beginner and want to learn 3D modeling. A large community supports Blender, a fully featured 3D modeling program that is also free.