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Introduction & Setup

TECHNIQUE
📖5 min read

Installation

Use Blender Launcher to manage multiple versions side-by-side.

Hardware

Visual investigation is resource-heavy: large datasets need 32GB+ RAM and a dedicated GPU.

Peripherals

A 3-button mouse and Numpad are mandatory for efficient navigation. Don't skip these.

Introduction​

Blender is a full 3D production suite: modeling, sculpting, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, video editing. For visual investigation you need a working subset of that, and this module teaches it.

The goal is fluency in the few things you do constantly: navigating a scene, moving and transforming objects, understanding what a camera is doing, and keeping a scene organized enough that your work survives a reviewer's pass.

Installing Blender​

There are two methods for installing Blender. For visual investigation work, use Method 2.

Method 1: Standard Installation​

  1. Download the latest stable release from blender.org
  2. Choose your operating system
  3. Install following the standard procedure

For professional workflows, use Blender Launcher V2.

Download: GitHub - Victor-IX/Blender-Launcher-V2

Why use it? Blender Launcher is a standalone client that manages stable, daily, and experimental builds of Blender 3D. Blender is community-driven and changes quickly: specific add-ons and forensic tools often work only on specific stable versions (e.g., Blender 3.6 LTS) and break in newer releases (e.g., Blender 4.2).

Benefit: Blender Launcher installs, manages, and launches multiple versions of Blender side-by-side without conflict, so you can match the version to the requirements of your tools or legacy case files.

Note: In Blender Launcher settings you can set file association so your OS will recognize to open .blend files via Blender Launcher.

Blender System Requirements​

Visual investigation often involves handling large datasets (point clouds, photogrammetry) and heavy rendering. The following specifications are recommended for a smooth workflow.

Minimum Requirements​

  • OS: Windows 10/11, macOS 11.0+, or Linux
  • CPU: 64-bit quad core CPU with SSE2 support
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • GPU: Graphics card with 2 GB RAM, OpenGL 4.3
  • Display: 1920×1080
  • CPU: 64-bit 8-core CPU (Intel i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen 7/9)
  • RAM: 32 GB or higher (Useful for photogrammetry and large scenes)
  • GPU: 8 GB VRAM or higher (NVIDIA RTX series recommended for CUDA/OptiX acceleration)
Performance Notes

For optimal performance with large forensic datasets:

  • RAM is often the most important factor for photogrammetry workflows
  • GPU acceleration speeds up rendering and viewport performance
  • Consider workstation-grade hardware for professional visual investigation work

Peripherals​

Blender is built around a specific input workflow. Without the mouse buttons and the numpad, navigation is slow and error-prone.

1. Three-Button Mouse​

A mouse with a clickable scroll wheel is mandatory.

  • Left Click: Select/Confirm
  • Right Click: Context Menu/Cancel
  • Middle Click (Scroll Wheel): Orbit Viewport (Essential for 3D navigation)

2. Keyboard with Numpad​

The Number Pad is hard-coded into Blender for precise view switching and camera control.

  • Numpad 1, 3, 7: Front, Right, and Top orthographic views
  • Numpad 5: Toggle Perspective/Orthographic
Important Recommendation

If using a laptop or Tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard, purchase a separate USB Numpad. While "Emulate Numpad" exists in settings, it conflicts with other standard modeling shortcuts and is not recommended for professional work.

What You'll Be Fluent In​

AreaWhy it matters for investigation
Viewport navigationYou'll spend most of your time looking at a scene. Smooth navigation is the baseline skill.
Object Mode & transformsPlacing evidence, positioning cameras, and aligning geometry all happen through transforms.
CamerasThe camera is how you prove a viewpoint. Its position, rotation, and focal length are data.
CollectionsA real case has dozens of objects. Collections keep the evidence, the environment, and the reference layers separate.
Add-onsInvestigation work depends on purpose-built add-ons. You need to know how to install and manage them.

The Evidence Mindset​

Two habits separate investigative use from casual 3D:

  1. Everything is a measurement. When you place an object or set a camera, you're recording a claim about the real world. Treat transforms as data, not as artistic choices.
  2. The scene must be reproducible. If you hand this .blend file to a reviewer, they should be able to understand what each object is and why it's where it is. Naming and collections are part of the method, not housekeeping.

These two ideas thread through the entire knowledge base. Keep them in view.

Exercise​

Open Blender and do this deliberately (not from muscle memory):

  1. Create a new scene. Add a cube, a camera, and a light.
  2. Rename the cube EVIDENCE_test-cube and move it to a new collection called Evidence.
  3. Position the camera so the cube fills the frame. Note its X, Y, Z position and its rotation from the Properties panel. Write them down.
  4. Now rotate the camera 10°. Re-read the position and rotation. Notice how a small rotation produces a different viewpoint.
  5. Save the file as foundation-02.blend.

The point: you just treated a camera's transform as data. That's the entire skill, in miniature.

Summary​

  • Blender for investigation is a working subset: navigation, transforms, cameras, collections, add-ons.
  • Everything is a measurement. Treat a transform as data, not as an artistic choice.
  • The scene must be reproducible. A reviewer must understand what each object is and why it sits where it sits.

Resources​

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Last updated on by blender-visual-investigation