Working with Blender
Introduction​
It's an understatement to say that Blender is packed with features, which is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing? It can do almost everything, meaning we theoretically never have to leave the program. We can work through a complete workflow from modeling to final presentation. The curse? All these functionalities are crammed into one single UI, which can feel intimidating at first.
The main idea behind this series is to quickly establish a base camp, a place from where we can discover all the different branches and workflows that interest us, separately and on our own terms. We'll discover Blender by starting from scratch, beginning with a stripped-down version of the UI. From that point, we'll progressively turn on different features, areas, and editor types, explaining what specific options do and what different areas can be used for.
By following along, we'll build up Blender together. You'll gain a basic understanding of how its UI works, how to customize it to your needs, and get a global idea of some core functionalities. Most importantly, you'll see one of Blender's biggest powers: its customizability.
This series is by no means exhaustive. I'll briefly touch on more advanced concepts like Geometry Nodes, and leave out many others, things like Grease Pencil, video editing, and so on. These are niche for our purposes here. Our purpose is to navigate the 3D viewport confidently, understand the Blender UI in general, and recognize that many options and menus contain similar patterns and elements.
In most cases, I just want to show you THAT things can be done, not specifically HOW to master them. I'll use practical examples and tips that will help us establish a template file we can use as our default startup file, giving us a solid foundation and the knowledge to discover further on our own.
Series Overview​
This module is divided into three parts, designed to guide you from a blank slate to a basic configured template and/or default startup file.
Part 1: Viewport & Object Mode​
Focus: Navigation, Geometry, Manipulation.
In this first part, we focus on the most fundamental skill: moving around. We will learn how to navigate the 3D viewport, how to add new geometry to the scene, and how to manipulate objects in 3D space.
Part 2: Workspaces, Outliner, Properties & Shading​
Focus: Workspaces, Outliner, Properties, Shaders.
Here we start to organize our work. We will look at setting up custom workspaces and understanding how to structure a scene using the Outliner. We will explore the power of the Properties Panel and dive into the Shader Editor to learn the basics of setting up materials.
Part 3: Extending Functionalities, Refinement & Customization​
Focus: Themes, Addons, Shortcuts, Appending & Linking, Reference Setup.
The final part is about adding the details that make the software yours. We will adjust theme settings for better visibility, install essential Addons, and look at tips for setting up custom shortcuts. We will also cover "Appending & Linking" (importing from other Blender files) and setting up reference images to aid your work.