Blender Tutorial for Complete Beginners

Introduction to Blender

• Blender is an open-source 3D software.
• Can be used for animations, visual effects, game assets, and more.
• Free and always will be!
• Tutorial designed for complete beginners.
• Instructor has 20 years of experience with Blender.
• Goal: Create a donut animation by the end of the tutorial series.

Getting Started with Blender

Downloading Blender

1. Go to blender.org to download.
2. Click on the download button.
3. Windows: Double-click the downloaded file and follow installation steps.
4. Mac: Drag Blender into the Applications folder.
5. Open Blender and click off the splash screen to access the interface.

Navigating the Interface

• 3D Viewport: Main workspace where you’ll spend most of your time.
  • Contains default objects: Camera, Cube, Lamp.
• Deleting Default Cube: Use the add menu or hotkey Shift + A to replace it with other primitives.
• Adding Objects: Use the Shift + A shortcut.
  • Common primitives: Cube, Cylinder, Monkey (Suzanne) for testing.

Basic Navigation

Orbiting and Panning

• Orbit: Middle mouse button (MMB) scroll wheel to drag.
• Panning: Shift + MMB drag or use the move tool from the right corner.
• Emulate 3-button Mouse: Enable in Preferences for laptop users.

Zooming

• Zoom in/out with the scroll wheel or:
  • Use the magnifying glass tool.
  • Hold Ctrl + MMB for smooth zooming.

Display Modes

• Viewport Shading: Basic view for scene navigation.
• Rendering: Switch to rendered view for a final image.
  • Access via the top right corner or by using the hotkey F12.

Rendering Images

• Take a photo by rendering, not just a screenshot.
• Renders from the camera's view, not the viewport's view.
• Use Numpad 0 to view from the camera.
• Moving the Camera:
  • Use G + MMB for moving.
  • Lock camera to view to move with the viewport (check 'Lock to Camera to View' in the properties).

Basic Object Manipulation

Moving Objects

• Grab/Move: Use G to grab and move objects.
• To cancel movement: Escape or right-click. To confirm: left-click.
• Move along axes:
  • Tap G then X, Y, or Z to constrain movement to a specific axis.

Scaling Objects

• Scale: Use S to scale objects up or down.
• Scale along an axis: S then X, Y, or Z.

Adding Materials

• Select an object, go to Properties panel.
• Add a new material and change its base color.

Creating New Objects

• Add a party hat or other shapes as needed.
• Move and scale it appropriately using the previously mentioned methods.

Finalizing the Scene

• Adjust camera positioning and angles for better views.
• Render final images to share on social platforms.

Conclusion

• Next step: Begin building the donut and learning core Blender features.
• Click to proceed to Part 2 of the tutorial.