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Blender 3D: Noob to Pro

The latest reviewed version was checked on 20 November 2023. There is 1 pending change awaiting review.
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About This Book

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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:

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

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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:
  • 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

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Unit 1: Background

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Unit 2: Basic Modeling and Shading

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Unit 3: Broadening Horizons

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Unit 4: Taking Off with Advanced Tutorials

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Appendices

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Reference Material

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Advice

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General advice:

Performance tips (for making Blender run faster):

Miscellaneous Tutorials

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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!

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

Additional Resources

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