Are you at my Blender talk? Welcome! Here’s notes, follow along.
Thesis
3D is gigantic. Although you can spend a lifetime on it, anyone can get enough 3D chops to print a 3D model, render something, or have fun. However, the first 30 minutes are truly, horrifically painful if you’re diving in blind. Let’s get your first 30 minutes out of the way!
Intro–Blender? I hardly knew’er!
- Go get Blender! http://blender.org
- Support Blender’s new movie, Project Gooseberry! http://gooseberry.blender.org
- Shameless plug: Support Giant Vs. Horde! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/impossibleobject/giant-vs-horde-battle-a-real-human-without-limits?ref=live
- Learn from others in the Commons! http://blendswap.com
Setup
- 3 button mouse, number pad. Nvidia?
- Ubuntu: reclaim your Alt key.
- Apple: Reclaim your F keys.
- Rule of 3s
Starting interface
- Timeline, Properties, Outliner. Don’t sweat it!
- Tools (T) and Properties (N)
- 3D view. We’ll stay here!
3D Navigation & Mouse Button Basics
- XYZ = RGB = Left/Right, Forward/Back, Up/Down
- 3 Mice buttons. Middle mouse= Navigation! Rule o’ 3: Orbit, Pan, Zoom
- MMB click drag: Orbit
- Shift MMB: Pan
- Ctrl MMB: Zoom. Middle Mouse wheel also.
- Other nav tools:
- period key: zoom to selection.
- Numpad 5: orthographic vs perspective
- 4/6, 8/2:, +/-: rotate
- 0: Camera
- Right mouse = Selection!
- Shift RMB: Add to selection
- Within tools: Cancel (also Escape)
- Left mouse = 3D cursor. Whaaaa?
- Within tools: Execute (also Enter)
- Ctrl LMB: Lasso select
3 Basic transforms: Move, Scale, Rotate!
- G: Grab/move/Translation
- X, Y, Z: set an axis
- Alt XYZ: restrict an axis
- Numbers: add specificity
- R: Rotate
- Same as Grab!
- RR: Joystick vs. Trackball
- XX, YY, ZZ: Global vs. Local transforming
- S: Scale
- Same! But default is 1/1/1
- Scale + LMB 3D Cursor = Hey, LMB isn’t silly!
- Comma, period: change transform origin
Edit Mode!
- 3 mesh components: vertex, edge, face, each with a menu!
- 3 step process: View, selection, tool
- 3 menus: Add, Specials, Spacebar. (W, Ctrl A, Spacebar)