Learn Blender 3D - Become a 3D artist today

Learn how to download Blender, open it for the first time, and tailor the interface by resizing panels, configuring workspaces and editors, and changing color schemes.

Visit blender.org and download the stable Blender release for your OS, then explore experimental builds and older versions, including branches for geometry nodes, tracking, proportional editing, and the compositor workflow.

Open Blender and explore the splash screen to access templates for modeling, 2d animations, sculpting, vfx, and video editing, while managing recent and older files and recovering previous sessions.

Explore how Blender templates set up distinct workspaces, each with panels and editor types, guiding layout, scripting, and 3D modeling in the 3D viewport.

Explore Blender workspaces arranged for a 3d modeling workflow, from layout and modeling to sculpting, uv editing, texture paint, shading, animation, rendering, compositing, and scripting.

Navigate Blender's interface across layout, modeling, sculpting, and animation workspaces, using editors and panels such as the Fredi viewport, outliner, properties, and timeline to manage objects, modifiers, and scenes.

Learn to customize Blender’s interface by editing, renaming, and restructuring workspaces, and switching editors in panels via the header drop-down, with examples like 3D viewport, video sequencer, and image editor.

Explore how Blender workspace panels resize with vertical and horizontal splits, add and configure editors, and join areas to set a primary layout across multiple viewports.

Learn to add and duplicate workspaces using the plus option, apply templates like video editing or masking for vfx, and delete and easily restore workspaces from the list.

Explore Blender preferences to customize the interface, resolution scale, line width, and add-ons, and learn how autosave and file paths support your workflow.

Explore how to customize Blender's color theme by selecting presets, adjusting the user interface colors with the color wheel, and saving your own presets for a consistent look.

Rename objects across the outliner, viewport, and properties panel to maintain consistent naming for large scenes. Double-click the outline to rename, and see changes reflect everywhere.

Navigate the three-d space with screen zoom, pan, and camera snap buttons, compare perspective and orthographic views, and preview renders inside the camera border to guide your composition.

Navigate 3d space by orbiting around a selected object with the middle mouse button, zooming with the scroll wheel or dolly zoom via control, and panning with shift.

Save your Blender project and set up a dedicated directory with subfolders for mini challenges, single projects, larger projects, and resources, then learn to open recent files.

Learn to use Blender's side panel and layout, toggle visibility with N, adjust transform values (location, rotation, scale, dimensions), and tailor tool options and add-ons for efficient viewport workflows.

Explore the operator panel in viewport to add a mesh, snap the Fredi cursor, and rotate with modifiers. Adjust major and minor segments and align to world, view, or cursor.

Explore methods to rotate objects in Blender, from trackball rotation and axis-specific with R, X, to fine control with Shift and Ctrl. Practice by placing Suzanne atop a cube.

Master the scale transform in Blender using the scale tool, white circle for uniform scaling, and red, green, and blue handles to scale along the x, y, and z axes.

Master the scale cage tool in Blender to scale objects on x, y, and z axes with anchored points, and switch to scale cage tall via a left-click hold.

Explore Blender's 3D viewport annotations, including annotate all, erase, line, and polygon tools. Create, color, and organize annotations across layers with adjustable thickness to aid scene planning.

Discover Blender object types, from mesh, camera, and light to curve and metal ball, with mesh as the primary modeling workflow; also note grease pencil and empties.

Compare Blender's object mode and edit mode transforms, showing how location, rotation, and scale relate to the object origin versus geometry, and how global versus local data affects behavior.

Explore how object data, mesh data, and material data define transforms, geometry, and surfaces in Blender. Learn their interactions in object mode and edit mode.

Explore moving an object's origin in Blender to control rotation and scale, using the origin gizmo, options menu, and snap operations to align the origin with geometry or cursor.

Explore Blender geometry in edit mode, learning vertices, edges, and faces, their roles in building objects, and how to switch between vertex, edge, and face selection.

Explore how mesh objects use multiple interaction modes—object, edit, sculpt, vertex painting, white painting, and texture painting—for transforming geometry and detailing.

Select multiple mesh objects and enter edit mode to edit both objects at once, grabbing, rotating, and scaling geometry to shape a pyramid. Lights and cameras stay in object mode.

Compare appended and linked duplicates in Blender, showing that linked duplicates share mesh data and edit together in edit mode, while appended duplicates have separate mesh data.

Learn how to create and edit materials in Blender, adjust base color and properties like metallic, roughness, transmission, and emission, and preview changes in material preview and render view.

Learn how to assign multiple materials to a single Blender object by creating material slots, naming materials (blue), and selectively assigning them to faces or islands like the eyes.

Master assigning multiple materials to objects and applying existing materials across meshes; understand material data separation, and duplicate materials to create unique variations without altering other objects.

Join multiple objects into a single mesh in Blender by selecting an active object and using the join command (ctrl+J). Non-active objects merge into the active mesh, preserving their geometry.

Move to the older Blender content to understand shifting from the latest versions to 2.7. Maintain core functionality while new tools and workflows differ between 2.9 and 2.7.

Explore Blender's interface and navigation, master 3D modeling, apply materials and textures, rig and animate, and render with Blender Render or Cycles.

Explore Udemy tools to ask questions in the Q&A, search existing discussions, and manage video playback with bookmarks, captions, transcripts, and adjustable playback speed.

Learn to use and manipulate blender's interface and navigate the blender world, including the 3-D viewport panel, customizing layouts, and zooming and panning with a two-button mouse.

Explore Blender's pre-made layouts, switch between default and specialized screens, and learn how each layout supports animation, compositing, game logic, motion tracking, scripting, and video editing.

Resize and rearrange Blender’s panels by dragging the split lines, enlarging the timeline, and linking panels like the outliner and properties; duplicate, add, and delete panels to tailor your layout.

Learn how to customize Blender's panel layout by changing panel content, switching to file browser, image editor, and properties, and managing info panel for efficient workflow.

Save your startup file to preserve your custom Blender layout and user preferences, then load factory settings to revert to defaults; save startup file again to keep the changes.

Learn to navigate the Blender viewport with the middle mouse button and scroll wheel to pan and zoom, and see how a multi-button mouse and a mouse emulator can help.

Learn to pan the 3d view in Blender using shift plus the middle mouse button, and zoom with control/command plus middle mouse or scrolling, distinguishing pan from standard navigation.

Master Blender navigation with the number pad to switch between perspective and orthographic views, and view objects from top, bottom, front, back, left, and right to build a two-dimensional workspace.

Switch from walk mode to fly mode in Blender using shift+f and a target box, pan with the mouse, and navigate with w a s d for animation and games.

Learn how to use object mode in Blender to select objects, move, rotate, and scale them, and explore the six options.

Explore how a mesh is built from vertices, edges, and faces in Blender. Learn to switch between vertex, edge, and face selection modes in edit mode.

Learn how to reset and center the 3d cursor in Blender using hotkeys Shift+C and Shift+S, including cursor to center and cursor to selected options.

Explore Blender primitive meshes, from plane and cube to circle, UV sphere, icosphere, cylinder, cone, torus, and Suzanne the monkey, using a keyboard shortcut to add them.

Learn how to set an object's origin in Blender using the 3D cursor, geometry to origin, and origin to center of mass for precise rotation and scaling.

Learn to grab, rotate, and scale objects in Blender using the gizmo, switch between translate and rotation modes, and complete a cube-based practice challenge along the axes.

Discover global and local axis forms in Blender, and practice translating, rotating, and scaling with each orientation. Tackle the hands-on challenge to manipulate objects along global and local axes.

Learn to use the lock tool in Blender to constrain movement, rotation, and scale along specific axes, and practice locking axes during transforms.

Learn how to perform advanced selections in Blender by making objects translucent for selection, using circle select and box select with hotkeys, and switching among vertex, edge, and face selection.

Learn how to rename objects in Blender to better identify them, using the scene properties panel and the outline panel, with examples like naming a plane, cube, house, and car.

Celebrate completing the first section by reviewing the blender interface basics and how to navigate a 3D scene, then preview the next section on Fredy Maudling.

Learn Blender modeling basics by exploring object mode and edit mode, mastering extrusions, modifiers, and essential tools to turn a cube into a detailed 3D model.

Master duplicating objects in Blender by creating regular duplicates and linked duplicates, compare behavior in object mode versus edit mode, and use Shift-D for quick duplication.

Learn the difference between smooth and flat shading in Blender and how shading alters a mesh's appearance without adding geometry, plus when to use each during modeling and texturing.

Learn to use Blender's loop cut and slide to add edge loops, adjust cut count, and control smoothness and falloff for center-aligned geometry.

Master the extrude tool in edit mode to create new geometry from existing meshes, using snapping and edge loops to model a human.

Learn to select multiple edges, faces, and vertices using shift and ctrl/cmd click, with alt click for loops; explore edge loops, edge rings, and extrusion to shape a uv sphere.

Identify and fix normals in Blender by recognizing outside vs inside faces, recalculate outside normals, and flip normals when needed to ensure proper lighting in Unity and Unreal Engine.

Master Blender subdivision by learning how to subdivide a mesh, control geometry, and adjust smoothness, while avoiding overuse to prevent memory strain.

Master deleting and dissolving in edit mode to reshape a Blender mesh by removing vertices, edges, or faces, and learn how these actions affect topology.

Learn to join two or more meshes into a single object, edit joined parts in edit mode, and prepare to separate them in the next lecture.

Separate parts of a Blender object by entering edit mode, selecting by linked, and using separate by selection to create independent meshes while keeping origins set to geometry.

Create and manage parent and child objects in Blender, set parent relationships to affect children with the parent’s transforms, and detach children when needed.

Learn how Blender's pivot point controls how objects scale and rotate, focusing on the median point, freddy cursor, and individual origins to animate separate elements or create a solar system.

Learn how the subdivision surface modifier in Blender smooths geometry without changing the mesh, compare it to direct subdivision, and apply it to create curved edges.

Use the bevel tool and bevel modifier in Blender to smooth edges, creating lifelike materials by adding geometry, adjusting width and segments, in edit mode or on selected mesh parts.

Create and manipulate 3d shapes in Blender using the boolean modifier to intersect, union, and difference two objects, with an emphasis on applying in object mode and previewing results.

Learn to use Blender's array modifier to create multiple copies with constant, relative, and object offsets, adjusting count, origin, and axis control for stairlike or curved arrangements.

Learn how to switch between Blender layers, move objects to different layers using the M key, and control visibility by shift-clicking multiple layers, plus a hands-on four-layer challenge.

Explore materials and textures, and learn to apply them to objects in Blender. Compare Blender Render and Blender Game Engine to build realistic scenes and high quality animations.

Create models using the Blender render engine, including a battery, house, ladder, hammer, nail, storage shelf, plug, and plug socket, then apply textures to develop modeling and texturing skills.

Learn how the diffuse shader defines base color and light scattering in Blender, then complete a hands-on task assigning different diffuse materials to cubes using Cycles for export to Unity.

Explore Blender's glossy shader to create reflective materials by adjusting Beckmann distribution, roughness, and color, and preview reflections in render mode for realistic metals and surfaces.

Explore the glass shader in Blender, adjusting transparency, color, and Beckmann distribution to observe light refraction, reflections, and how diffuse and glossy settings shape realistic glass.

Create a ceramic material in Blender by blending diffuse and glossy shaders with a mix shader, tweak the factor to about 0.1–0.15, and adjust roughness for a ceramic shine.

Master emission material by combining shaders to emit light and influence shadows. Adjust emission strength and base color, and see how a backdrop and reflective surfaces reveal light interaction.

Explore how transparent, translucent, and glass shaders combine with mix shaders to control transparency, lighting, and reflections, and learn practical tips for creating plastic and window materials.

Explore how the velvet shader in Blender emulates a soft, diffused texture with reflective capabilities, showing how light angles shift the color on cloth-like surfaces.

Explore the anisotropic shader, a metal-like texture that directs light toward the center for directional reflections, and mix it with a glossy shader to enhance metallic realism.

Apply an image texture to a Blender object via the texture panel, unwrap the model, and view the result in texture mode to see how lighting affects the texture.

Mark seams to control uv maps and unwrap objects, using selected edges to define seams on a cube and cylinder, resulting in evenly distributed uv coordinates for textures.

Explore Blender modeling with Cycles render using real-world objects. Build a metal bed frame, open cardboard box, lamp post, traffic light, and light bulb, applying materials and booleans.

Learn how to hide the Blender grid in your scene by adjusting scene properties, turning off grid lines, and adjusting subdivisions to keep your objects in focus.

Learn to UV map two objects in Blender by temporarily joining them, unwrapping each object differently, and placing all faces on a single UV map for export without overlap.

Learn two hotkeys to rapidly scale and arrange UV islands in Blender, averaging island scales to fit the UV map evenly and prevent overlaps.

Learn how to use the stitch tool in Blender to join UV map edges and align them, ensuring textures flow cleanly across your model.

Learn u-v mapping in Blender using project from view and project from bounds to map the viewport onto the UV map, unwrap faces in 2d.

Practice applying materials and textures to models, focusing on UV mapping and unwrapping to avoid stretching and seams, and take the end of section challenge to reinforce these skills.