Blender 3D: Noob To Pro - Wikibooks, Open Books For An Open World

Blender 3D: Noob to Pro is a featured book on Wikibooks because it contains substantial content, it is well-formatted, and the Wikibooks community has decided to feature it on the main page or in other places. Please continue to improve it and thanks for the great work so far! You can edit its advertisement template. This book is also available as a PDF version.

About This Book

[edit | edit source]

Blender 3D: Noob to Pro is a product of shared effort by numerous team members and anonymous editors. Its purpose is to teach people how to create three dimensional computer graphics using Blender, a free software application.

This book is intended to be used in conjunction with other on-line resources that complement it:

• Other Blender-related Wikibooks on topics such as scripting and creating games;
• The Blender Wiki for technical documentation;
• User forums, such as the Blender Artists Forum.

While you can learn simply by reading the book, you'll get more out of the tutorials if you follow along. In order to do this, you'll need access to a computer with Blender installed. You can download Blender from the Blender Foundation's website; more detailed instructions are in the first module.

Version compatibility: Blender is under continuous development, and most of the following tutorials do not apply to the current version of Blender. While you might find some individual tutorials still useful, this book should no longer be used as a general guide for learning Blender.

Version-specific content should be tagged with a note that looks like this:

Applicable Blender version: 2.75.

Overview

[edit | edit source]

This book has a collection for ordering a printed copy of this book for a fee. (edit) (help)

The core of this book is a series of tutorials that increase in complexity, with later tutorials building on the preceding ones. While experienced users can skip ahead, beginners are urged to proceed through the tutorials in sequence.

The tutorials in the core series are grouped into four units:

1. Background — A basic orientation regarding:
   • Computer graphics
   • The Blender user interface (UI)
2. Basic Modeling and Shading — Basic techniques for building and rendering 3D models
3. Broadening Horizons
   • Alternative modeling and rendering techniques
   • Introductions to lighting, animation, and game creation
4. Taking Off
   • Scripting
   • Advanced techniques for modeling, animation and game creation (Note: the Blender Game Engine is not available as of 2.8x onwards)

Each unit is subdivided into sections, which are made up of modules.

Three appendices are also provided:

• Reference Material — including:
  • Frequently-Asked Questions
  • Glossary
• General Advice — Tips to help you get the most out of Blender
• Miscellaneous Tutorials — Tutorials that aren't part of the core series

You Can Help!

Click "show" for details.

You are strongly encouraged (read as begged) to contribute to this book! There are many things you can do to help:

• edit existing modules (to correct errors, improve the writing, or make additions)
• add new modules (tutorials or reference material)
• upload new images (screen shots or sample renders)
• join the team responsible for this WikiBook

How to Edit a Module

To edit any wiki page (including this one):

1. Click on the Edit tab at the top of the page.
2. Make your change in the large text box.
3. Type an explanation of your change in the Edit summary text box below.
4. Click on the Show preview button below the edit summary to preview your change.
5. If you're satisfied with the result, click on the Save page button.

Your contribution will be reviewed before it is officially published.

Things you shouldn't add to modules:

• external links that are not directly related to the module
• comments or questions regarding the text

To ask questions and make comments about any module:

1. Click on the Discussion tab at the top of the page. This will take you to the corresponding talk page. Note that the talk page name begins with the "Talk:" prefix.
2. If the topic of your question or comment is under discussion, edit the relevant section.
3. If it's a new topic, click on the Add topic tab at the top of the talk page to start a new discussion.
4. Sign your message by typing ~~~~ at the end. (This will expand to your username and the date.)
5. Remember to save your edit when you're done!
6. To return to the WikiBook, click on the Book tab at the top of the talk page.

How to Add a Module

To add a module (such as a tutorial or reference page) to this book:

1. Edit the Table of Contents section (below) and add a list item with a descriptive wikilink. (If you're creating a tutorial and are unsure where it belongs, put it in the Miscellaneous Tutorials section.)
2. After saving your edit, follow the redlink to create the module and begin adding content to it.
3. To make it easy to read the book in sequence, each module should have navigation links to the previous module and the next module. Provide these links by transcluding the NAV template at the top and bottom of the page, as shown on the demo page. (If you expect the module to be moved elsewhere in the sequence, you can skip this step.)
4. Preview your work. When you're satisfied with it, use the Save page button to add your new module to the wiki.
5. If you provided navigation links, update the NAV templates on the previous and next modules, if they exist.
6. If you didn't provide navigation links, please ask someone to insert your new module in an appropriate place. One way to do this would be to create a talk page for your new module and type your request there.

Images

Images are a vital part of Blender tutorials. They clarify instructions, provide a point of reference, and improve the teaching process. However, if the image's copyright is not attributed correctly, we must remove it. This can make a once-great tutorial useless. Even if you believe you know what copyright to use, please check the proper Blender images copyright page to see how and where you should add copyright information. Please make sure every image you use is not copyrighted or that you have permission to use it.

Before uploading an image:

• Search Wikimedia Commons or look in the appropriate Commons category to see if the image you want to use already exists. (Uploading duplicate images is wasteful.)
• Before uploading a general image (such as an icon or button) or if you want an image to use as an example, look in our image portfolio. Remember to attribute the work of others.

If you use a Commons image in this WikiBook, please use one of the categories shown in the templates on proper Blender images copyright to make it visible from the category links in the image portfolio.

How to Join the Team

If you want to join our WikiBook team, go to the team page for information and advice.

Table of Contents

[edit | edit source]

Unit 1: Background

[edit | edit source]

• Knowing before Making  ⇐ START HERE
• What Blender Can Do

• Section 1A: 3D Concepts
  • 3D Geometry
  • Coordinate Transformations
    • Orthographic Views
    • Perspective Views
  • Coordinate Spaces in Blender

• Section 1B: User Interface (UI.)
  • Overview
  • Keystroke, Button, and Menu Notation
  • Non-standard Input Devices
  • Operating System-specific Issues
  • Blender User Interface
  • Blender Windowing System
  • User Preferences Windows
  • Properties Window
  • 3D View Windows
  • Object Mode

Unit 2: Basic Modeling and Shading

[edit | edit source]

• Section 2A: Your First Mesh Models
  • Meshes and Edit Mode
  • Normals and Shading
  • More Mesh Editing Techniques
  • Quickie Lighting
  • Quickie Model
  • Quickie Render
  • Enter the World
  • Understanding the Camera
  • Improving Your House

• Section 2B: Smooth Meshes (Simple Person with a Hat)
  • Extruding a Simple Person
  • Smoothing Your Simple Person
  • Improving Your Simple Person
  • Spinning a Simple Hat
  • Putting the Hat on the Person

• Section 2C: Materials and Textures
  • Overview
  • Quickie Material
  • Multiple Materials per Object
  • Metal Versus Plastic
  • Texture Settings
  • Image Textures
  • Procedural Textures
  • Quickie Texture
  • Halo Materials

• Beyond Basics
  • Blender Memory Management
  • Using Bones
  • Mountains out of Molehills
  • Modeling a Volcano
  • Penguins from Spheres
  • Dicing With Depth (Dice Modeling)
  • Model a Goblet
    • Model a Silver Goblet
    • Model a Silver Goblet Another Way
    • Spin a goblet
    • Light a Silver Goblet (Early look at lighting)
  • Simple Vehicle
    • Simple Vehicle: Wheel tutorial 1
    • Simple Vehicle: Wheel tutorial 2
    • Simple Vehicle: Seat
    • Simple Vehicle: Rocket Launcher
    • Simple Vehicle: Another Shooting Machine
    • Simple Vehicle: Body
    • Simple Vehicle: Some Assembly Required
  • Modeling a 3D Parachute in Blender
  • Model a Low Poly Head
  • Building a House
  • Pipe joints
  • Lighting Suzanne: Introductory one lamp lighting

• Curve and Path Modeling
  • Overview
  • Intro to Bézier Curves
  • Bevelling a Curve
  • NURBS Patches
  • Deforming Meshes using the Curve Modifier

• The Empty Object

• Using Reference Photos
  • Background Images
  • Aligning Vertices with a Guide Image
  • Modeling a Wolf from Guide Images
  • Using Bézier Curve to Model a 3D logo from a 2D logo

• Further Materials and Textures
  • Subsurface Scattering
  • Ray Tracing
  • Using Textures
  • Using a texture to make a material partially transparent
  • Creating Basic Seawater
  • Mountains Out Of Molehills 2
  • Basic Carpet Texture
  • The Rusty Ball
  • Creating Pixar-looking eyes
  • Procedural Eyeball
  • Putting It All Together: A Dragon!

Unit 3: Broadening Horizons

[edit | edit source]

• The UV/Image Editor

• UV Maps - Pasting photos to 3D surfaces
  • UV Map Basics
  • Realistic Eyes In Blender

• Lighting
  • Beginning Lighting
  • Understanding Real Lights
  • Understanding Blender Lights
  • Basic Lighting Rigs
  • Faked Global Illumination with Blender internal

• Practicing Good Parenting

• Basic Animation
  • Overview
  • Introduction to Keyframing
  • The Ways of the Animator
  • Animation Editors
  • Introducing the Graph Editor
  • Animation Rendering
  • Lattice Modifier
  • Bouncing Ball with Lattice
  • Creating Basic Water Animation
  • Flying Through a Canyon
  • Using the Sequencer to Compile Frames into an Animation

• Further Rendering Options

• Particle Systems
  • Overview
  • Fire
  • Fur
  • Fireworks
  • Particles forming Shapes
  • Billboard Animation

• Soft Bodies
  • Soft Body Animation
  • Simple Cloth Animation
  • Soft Body with Wind

• Blender Game Engine
  • Blender Game Engine Basics- Rolling Ball
  • Platformer: Controls and Movement
  • Maze: Force and Multiple Levels
  • Platformer: Improving the Physics
  • How to Make an Executable
  • Build a Skybox
  • Basic Mouse Pointer
  • Text in BGE
  • Platformer: Creating the Engine with Python

Unit 4: Taking Off with Advanced Tutorials

[edit | edit source]

• Python Scripting
  • Introduction
  • Anatomy Of An Addon
  • A User Interface For Your Addon
  • Adding A Custom Property
  • A Separately Installable Addon
  • Object, Action, Settings

• Advanced Modeling
  • Overview
  • High Dynamic Range imaging (HDRi)
    • Creating a Light Probe
  • Landscape Modeling with Heightmaps
    • How to Do Procedural Landscape Modeling
    • Landscape Modeling I: Basic Terrain
    • Landscape Modeling II: Texture Stenciling
    • Landscape Modeling III: Exporting as a Heightmap

• Advanced Materials and Textures
  • Bump Mapping
  • Normal Mapping
    • Texture Normals
    • Color Map Normals

• Nodes
  • Introduction
  • Texture Nodes
  • Material Nodes
  • Compositing
  • Further Compositing: A Portal Effect

• Advanced Rendering
  • Introduction to Cycles
  • A Glass Material in Cycles
  • Dealing with Fireflies in Cycles
  • Fireflies in Cycles, Continued
  • Procedural Eyeball in Cycles
  • Introduction to Freestyle

• Advanced Animation
  • Overview
  • Introduction
  • Guided Tour:
    • Armature Object
      • Armature Object in Object Mode
      • Armature Object in Edit Mode
      • Armature Object in Pose mode
    • Mesh Object
      • Connection between Armature and Mesh
      • Envelope
      • Vertex Groups & Weight Paint
      • Shape Keys
        • Lip-Sync with Shape Keys
    • Constraints
      • Copy Location
      • Copy Rotation
      • Track-To
      • Floor
      • Locked Track
      • Follow Path
      • Stretch-To
      • IK Solver
    • Timeline Window
    • Graph Editor
    • Dope Sheet
    • NLA Editor
      • Introduction To NLA Editor
  • Working Example: Bob
    • Building the Rig
    • Deform the Mesh
    • Create a Walk Cycle
  • Working example: Piston, Rod and Crank
  • Working example: Cutting Through Steel

• Advanced Game Engine
  • Overview
  • Advanced Game Engine Techniques (GUI)
    • Creating Pop-Up Menus
    • Creating Dropping Menus
    • The "5-Layer" Button
    • Creating Object Outlines
  • Advanced Game Engine Techniques (Python)
  • Creating A "HUD"
• Hacking Blender
  • Introduction to Game Engine Source

Appendices

[edit | edit source]

Reference Material

[edit | edit source]

• Glossary
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Tutorial Links List
• Hotkeys
• Output Formats
• Image Portfolio
• Blender Glossary
• Materials Directory: Every Material Known To Man
• Sources of free 3D models - Sources of free 3D models for additional study
• All Blueprints Links – blueprints from all over the Web
• Materials, Textures, Photos - Sources of free materials, textures and photos

Advice

[edit | edit source]

General advice:

• Asking for Help
• Tips for a Successful Project
• Modeling Realistically
• Modeling tips

Performance tips (for making Blender run faster):

• Cheat the 3D
• Performance vs. Quality

Miscellaneous Tutorials

[edit | edit source]

This is our attic, mostly tutorials that could be useful to some extent if they would be revamped completely, but are of little use at the moment. If you can contribute to some of them, go ahead and rewrite them to your liking!

• Modeling a Gingerbread Man
• Modeling a simple space-ship
• Create an animated GIF wallpaper (Blender/GIMP)
  • Part 1 - Preparing the Scene
• Creating Weapons based on 2D Images
• Modeling with Meta Balls
• Match Moving
• Match Moving/Motion Tracking with Icarus and Blender
• Create a Clayman
• Organic Modeling
• Understanding the Fluid Simulator
• Creating a jewel in Blender
• Modeling a picture
• Modeling with the Spin Tool
  • Spin Tool Introduction
  • Illustrative Example: Model a Wine Glass
• Creating Ogg-Theora movies using Blender
• Creating animated GIFs using Blender and Gimp
• 3D Tiling Backgrounds For The Web
• Cool Things That Aren't That Obvious in Blender
• Troubleshooting Common Technical Issues and What to do About Them
• Creating Blender Libraries
• Add some depth with stereo
• Ways to create a "fluffy" effect (materials and lights)
• Human Body
• Rendering Information
• Using Blender Libraries
• Beginning Modeling Final Project
• Using Inkscape to make advanced Bezier curves
• Light Mapping
• Platonic Solids
  • Polygonal Modeling
    • Box Modeling
      • Illustrative example: Model a Chair (Swan Chair)
        • Model a Chair-Preparations
        • Model a Chair-The Seat
        • Model a Chair-The Feet
      • Illustrative Example: Modeling a Simple Human Character
        • Modeling a Human Character - Preparations
        • Modeling a Human Character - Modeling
    • Polygon by Polygon modeling
• Animation Notes and FAQ
• Customization
• Mist - Make Objects Opaque

Wikibook Development Stages
Sparse text	Developing text	Maturing text	Developed text	Comprehensive text

Additional Resources

[edit | edit source]

• The Blender Reference Manual for the latest release

A Wikibookian suggests that Blender 3D: MemoBook be merged into this book.Discuss whether or not this merger should happen on the discussion page.