Blender Tutorial for Beginners

Introduction to Blender

• Blender is open-source 3D software for animations, visual effects, game assets, etc.
• It's 100% free and will always remain free.
• This tutorial is aimed at complete beginners.
• The goal is to learn core features and complete a donut animation project.

Blender's Development

• The tutorial is the fourth version, initially created in 2016.
• Updated to keep up with Blender's development.
• Notable mention: An artist featured their work in "Everything Everywhere All At Once."

Getting Started

• Download from blender.org or use the provided link.
• Windows: Double-click to install.
• Mac: Drag to Applications folder.
• Open Blender and close the splash screen.

Blender Interface & Basic Navigation

• 3D Viewport: Central window where most work is done.

  • Contains objects like the camera, a cube, and a lamp.
  • Selecting Objects: Click to select, indicated by a yellow outline.
  • Deleting Objects: Delete the default cube to start.

• Adding Objects:

  • Use the "Add" menu or shortcut Shift + A to access primitives.
  • Example: Adding the "Suzanne" monkey head primitive.

• Orbiting and Zooming:

  • Orbit: Middle mouse button (MMB) or gray circle on screen.
  • Zoom: Scroll wheel or magnifying glass tool.
  • Pan: Shift + MMB or move tool for laptop users.

• Viewport Shading:

  • Default shading is optimized for building scenes.
  • Switch to "Rendered View" for a prettier image.

Moving and Manipulating Objects

• Moving Objects:

  • Use the "Move" tool or shortcut G for grab.
  • Constrain movement using axes X, Y, Z or MMB.

• Camera Movement:

  • Select camera, press N for properties, and lock camera to view.
  • Use standard navigation shortcuts to position the camera.

Rendering

• Render images using F12 or "Render Image" menu.
• Always renders from the camera’s perspective.

Adding Color and Materials

• Use the properties section to add materials and change object colors.
• "Base Color" is the property for changing color.

Scaling and Rotating Objects

• Scaling: Use the "Scale" tool or shortcut S.

  • Constrain scaling with axes.

• Rotating: Use the "Rotate" tool or shortcut R.

  • Constrain rotation with axes.

Additional Resources

• Cheat Sheets:
  • Blender hotkeys PDF available via description link.
  • Industry-compatible keymap for users switching from other software.

Next Steps

• Introduction to core features in the next video.
• Begin building a donut project.

This lecture provides a comprehensive overview and sets the foundation for learning Blender's interface, basic navigation, object manipulation, rendering, and more.