In this first tutorial, I will show you how to quickly and easily get started 3D modeling in Blender.
How to download Blender
To download Blender, go to blender.org/downloads
The download link for the latest version is at the top
Click on the button, download the file and run the installer
When you first open Blender, you will have a quick setup panel on the splash screen – this is a screenshot of an earlier version since I don’t have access to this because I’ve already installed Blender
I use left-select and the spacebar for search – this is entirely up to you
When you upgrade Blender, you will not see these options but you will see an option to import your starter file options from your previous version
When you start up Blender, you can simply click anywhere off the splash screen to begin working
If you are using a trackpad or a two-button mouse, it is important that you go into the preferences (found under the edit menu) and in the input section, activate “emulate 3 button mouse” – this means you can use ALT + LMB as a substitute for a middle mouse button
If you do not have a numpad, activate the “emulate numpad” option – this allows you to use the top-row numbers on the keyboard in place of a numpad
Remember to save your preferences
Blender’s interface
The top bar consists of the main menu, which is used for saving, importing and exporting files, configuring settings, accessing preferences, and rendering – along with other functions
The large central portion is the areas which are rectangular areas reserved for editors – some of these areas are grouped into workspaces (which we will explore later)
The status bar – located at the bottom of the window – is used to display contextual information such as statistics, messages, and keyboard shortcuts
Workspaces
Workspaces are predefined window layouts that consist of a set of areas that contain editors
Workspaces are geared toward specific tasks such as modeling, animation, UV editing, scripting, etc.
If you prefer to not use workspaces, you can also split the viewport by going to a corner, hold down your left-mouse button, and drag
You can then open an editor
If you want to close an editor, you can right-click on the divider between the two editors and choose “join areas” – the arrow will indicate which editor will be closed
Viewport
When you start up a new general project you will be in object mode and perspective view – this information can be seen in the upper-left of the viewport
Perspective view means that there is a vanishing point
Numpad 5 is the shortcut to change to Orthographic View – which means there is no vanishing point
The Tab key will allow you to switch between Object Mode and Edit Mode – if you are experiencing problems, make sure your cursor is in the viewport before using the TAB key
In the dropdown menu you can also change to Sculpt Mode, Vertex Paint Mode, Weight Paint Mode, and Texture Paint Mode
The A key selects everything in the scene and either using ALT + A or clicking anywhere away from the scene objects deselects the mesh
Navigation
Blender is very dependent upon hotkeys
For navigation you have multiple means of navigating but using hotkeys will help increase your speed throughout your workflow
The red line in the viewport indicates the X-Axis
The green line indicates the Y-Axis
The blue line indicates the Z-Axis
In the upper-right of the viewport, you will see the navigation gizmo which shows the current orientation of the view
If you click on any of the Axes, you can change your view to coordinate with that particular axis
The circles with the similar color are the negative axes – i.e. negative X, negative Y, and negative Z
You can access these same options under the view menu, under the viewport options
As I’ve mentioned, Blender is dependent upon hotkeys and this is true for navigation
Front view can be accessed by using Numpad 1
Back view can be accessed by using CTRL + Numpad 1
Right side view can be accessed by using Numpad 3
Left side view can be accessed by using CTRL + Numpad 3
Top view can be accessed by using Numpad 7
Bottom view can be accessed by using CTRL + Numpad 7
CTRL + TAB will bring up the pie menu that allows you to change between the various modes
The LMB is used to select objects
The RMB is used to access quick menus
Holding down the MMB allows you to pan around the object
Using G + Axis allows you to move only along that Axis
CTRL + Z is the universal undo action
Holding down CTRL + MMB will allow you to move the mouse to zoom in and out – you can also just use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out
Viewport shading options
There are four viewport shading modes that can be access via the icons in the upper-right of the viewport
The first mode is wireframe which will show your mesh in wireframe mode
Next is solid which shows the mesh in solid mode without any texture or material
Third is material preview mode allows you to see colors, materials, and textures
Fourth is the rendered mode which allows you to see what your scene will look like when it is rendered
The Z-key will bring up the pie menu that allows you to change between the shading modes
Useful add-ons
There are a couple add-ons that will help your workflow
The add-on options can be accessed under the edit menu and the preferences option
You can access the add-ons section in the left-hand menu
The first add-on I recommend is the Import-export images as planes – this add-on allows you to import images that are automatically placed on planes
The second add-on I recommend is node wrangler which provides various tools that assist you in using nodes – especially for the shaders
Startup file
Blender allows you to change your startup file
I recommend selecting the light and SHIFT-selecting the camera and use the M-key to move them to their own collection – this allows you to hide these objects to make the scene less cluttered
I would also recommend under the shading options, turn on the cavity option – this will allow you to more easily view your objects while modeling
Lastly, under the color panel of the shading options, I would choose “random” – this will give you a random color for each individual object while in solid mode which helps with viewing and distinguishing between objects in your scene
I also close the timeline since I don’t need it very often
Once you have made all of the changes you want, you can save this startup file by going to the file menu and under the defaults section, choose “save startup file” – this will save your changes for the next time you start up Blender