Blender Basics

Blender 101 Quick Reference (pdf)

Modeling with Blender:   

1. Interface basics

   1. Maximize a window:  [Ctrl][Spacebar]

   2. Isolate an object:  [/]

      1. To bring it back, hit the same key again

   3. Hover over a menu and click [Ctrl]  allows you to scroll through menu and see visually the changes

   4. Search:  [F3]

   5. Lost?  Can't find objects?

      1. Click in the 'Scene collection' window; select an object, hit: [.]  *from the numberpad

      2. [Home]

      3. View -> 'Frame All'

   6. Want to only open 1 menu and close the rest?  [Ctrl][LMB]

   7. Move the 3D Cursor:  [Shift][RMB]

   8. Cursor to home:  [Shift][C]  or [Shift][S]

2. Navigation basics

   1. number pad 

   2. 'Walk' navigation: Search 'walk' - select and use WASD to move! (Scroll wheel gives speed) Fly through your world!

3. Setting the view in the 3D viewport

   1. use the numbers on the numpad [1] & [3] give side view; [7] is top view; [5] is perspective view

   2. What if you want the view relative to the face of an object?  Simply select the face, and use [Shift][number]

4. Choosing what you will be creating/modeling

5. Meshing basics

   1. Grab (move):  [G]

   2. Rotate: [R]

   3. Scale:  [S]

   4. Proportional falloff:  [O]  -or-  click tool on menu bar (multiple types)

      1. can increase/decrease falloff area with scroll wheel

   5. Checkered floor?  subdivide a square: go to "Select" menu -> "Deselect Checker"

6. Advanced Meshing:

   1. Architectural modeling - use archimesh and archipack plugins

   2. Spin

7. Selecting:

   1. [B]

   2. [C]

   3. Select Linked faces: [L]

   4. To 'deselect':  [Shift][L]

   5. Can specify what should be linked in the [L] select (limit by material, seams, etc)

   6. Need to select linked faces in a complex mesh?  'Select -> Select Linked flat faces'

   7. Expand / decrease selection:  [Ctrl][+] or [Ctrl][-]

   8. Switch between Vertex, Edge, Face mode (in edit mode) select:  [1][2][3]

   9. Layered objects?  Click: [Alt][RMB]

   10. Invert a selection:  [Ctrl][I]

   11. Resetting values:  Hover with mouse over settings and hit:  [Backspace]

   12. Reset position:  [Alt][G]

   13. Reset rotation: [Alt][R]

   14. Selecting multiple faces:  Select first face, then [Ctrl][RMB]

8. Draw mode:

   1. Start the mesh in Edit mode using:  [Shift][Ctrl][RMB]

   2. Add vertices with: [Shift][RMB]

9. Mesh modifying

   1. Extrude: [E]

      1. Extrude options:  [Alt][E]

   2. Smooth:  Select object in edit mode:  'Object -> Shade Smooth'

   3. Shrink/fatten:  [Alt][S]

   4. Inset:  [i]

      1. Inset individual faces (with multiple selected):  [i][i]

   5. Loop cut:  [Ctrl][R]

   6. Move vertices (or a loop cut):  [G][G]

   7. Bevel an edge or face edges:  [Ctrl][B]

   8. Bevel a vertice:  [Ctrl][Shift][B]

      1. Scroll mouse wheel to add additional vertices

   9. Fill: [F]  

      1.  Can also "fill" between vertices, but, if you fill within a face, all points don't connect 

      2. Want to fill an empty area inside a mesh?  Select all surrounding vertices and:  [Alt][F]

      3. Instead join using: [J]youtu.be/jHgT7VU5mD4 

   10. Shear:  [F3] and search for "Shear"

   11. Crease: [Shift][E]

   12. Snap to: [Ctrl]

       1. Can also snap to edge or vertex (top menu)

   13. Blow up an object?  Use 'Cell Fracture' addon

   14. Duplication:

       1. link to original:  [Alt][D]

       2. Copy (each is unique):  [Shift][D]  *in Edit mode, both become part of SAME object. Object mode makes them separate objects.

   15. Bridge Faces:  [W]  (select 'bridge faces)

   16. Repeat:  [Shift][R]

   17. Draw - Extrude: [Ctrl][LMB]

   18. Knife Cut  Knife mode: [K]  to cut through: [Z]

   19. Bisect (like knife, but cuts using a straight line on selected faces):  Mesh Menu -> Bisect (click and drag)

   20. Convert to cubes (voxel):  Add Modifier -> 'Remesh'

       1. can set mode to blocks and then set voxel size

   21. Lattice!  It's awesome!

10. Joining, separating, and parenting

    1. Separate  by 'lose' parts: select all, click [P] and select 'separate by lose parts'

11. Textures and materials

    1. Start with https://www.textures.com/

    2. Texture to Normal map (or bump map)

12. Lighting & Backgrounds

    1. HDRI textures (360 degree textures that contain lighting information) from:  https://hdrihaven.com/

13. Low Poly tricks:

    1. Voxel Remesh tool (converts mesh topology to quads - found under the 'Normals' tab)

14. Nodes:

    1. Eyedropper!  Hover over colour and click:  [E]

    2. Bevel Node:

    3. Select all:  [F]  (will automatically connect!)

    4. Can copy & paste parameters (such as colour)

    5. Ambient Occlusion node (cycles has no ambient occlusion checkbox, although Eevee does)

    6. Color ramp node - can greatly enhance colours (or ambient occlusion)

15. Camera

    1. Make current camera active:  [Ctrl][0]

    2. Set the camera to your view:  [Ctrl][Alt][0]

    3. Scroll in/out in camera view:  [G][Z][Z]

16. Rendering

    1. Denoiser #82

    2. Cell shading (outline edges):  Go to 'Render' tab and select, 'Freestyle'

17. Animating

    1. Physics - can add bounce or elastic quickly!  graph editor - select all - [T] -> 'Bounce'

    2. 'Pose Brush' in 'Sculpting mode' (3/4 of the way down)

    3. Follow path animating (#87)

18. Compositing (set background to transparent, etc.)

    1. Transparent background can be set for compositing

    2. Camera matching/calibrating - use 'fspy' application

19. Borrowing objects (blendshare)

20. Automatically create low poly clean meshes from 3D scans

    1. download and install 'instant meshes'

21. Interface:

    1. pinning menus

    2. pie menus addon (#76)

Want to really learn Blender?

1. 100 Blender 2.8 tips

2. Blender Secrets

3. CG Geek

4. Blender Documentation

5. Join a Blender community!  (pick your social media)

Other Stuff:

1. Backgrounds - either use HDRI files or go to  https://pixabay.com/

2. Textures - go to https://www.textures.com/

3. Reference images (can be used as colour guides)

4. Adobe Mixamo (mocap) it's awesome!

   1. Can also upload a character and have it rigged

   2. They can also provide free characters

5. Carnegie Mellon University motion capture library

6. 3d scans: