
Explore Blender fundamentals, from UI and navigation to 3D modeling, materials, texturing, and UV mapping, then master Cycles rendering, lighting, cameras, and post-processing to create high-quality product renders.
Explore how to access the exercise files, follow the course in order, and practice with Blender 4.x on a PC using a full-size keyboard and a scroll wheel.
Explore how a mesh uses vertices, edges, and faces to form 3D models, including triangles, quads, and n-gons, and how curves require more edges, vertices, and faces.
Explore Blender’s user interface, learn how to customize workspaces and layouts, save preferences, and navigate editors—viewport, outliner, properties, and timeline—using context-aware shortcuts.
Explore blender editors and four areas in the default layout, switch editors via the header, resize borders, and use the right-click method to split or join areas (undo isn’t available).
Learn to navigate the Blender 3D viewport with mouse and keyboard, mastering rotate, zoom, pan, and focus shortcuts like Home and numpad dot, plus essential navigation settings.
Master Blender's orientation conventions and axis viewpoints, including x, y, z axes, their colors, and front, top, right, and left views; learn shortcuts and tools to switch views.
Explore Blender's 3D cursor, a pointer in 3D space for placing objects. Position it with Shift+Right-Click, the cursor tool, or the side panel, and snap to vertices, edges, or faces.
Learn to select and deselect objects in Blender using click, shift, A, double A, and Ctrl I to invert; master select box, circle, and lasso tools.
Master basic object selection in Blender, using A to select or deselect, Ctrl I to invert, and explore box, tweak, circle, and lasso tools.
Master Blender's four viewport shading modes—wireframe, solid, material preview, and render preview—and learn quick switches (Z and shift Z) while optimizing render devices for GPU compute.
Blender uses collections as folders to organize objects with the outliner, while you rename, create new collections, move objects with M, and search or frame to locate items.
Master blender visibility by hiding and showing objects at the object and collection levels using eye and camera icons. Use local view to isolate selected objects without altering overall visibility.
Master moving, rotating, and scaling objects in Blender using the transform tools and gizmos—axis arrows, plane constraints, and the scale cage—and learn to avoid spacebar playback interruptions.
Master Blender's transform parameters to input location, rotation, and scale using scene units. Learn to manage the object's origin, apply resets, and use origin to geometry or 3D cursor.
Master Blender transformation shortcuts with G, R, and S to move, rotate, and scale, using axis constraints with x, y, z and confirm or cancel with enter or escape.
Learn how Blender differentiates the active object and how transform pivot points guide object transformations using median point, bounding box center, 3d cursor, individual origins, and active element.
Explain the difference between global and local transform orientation and coordinate systems in Blender, showing how the transform gizmo aligns with an object's orientation.
Learn blender's add object tools for placing cube, cone, cylinder, uv sphere, and ico sphere on surfaces, using shift and alt, and apply flat, smooth, and auto smooth shading.
Create a snowman in Blender by building from simple shapes: a plane, UV spheres, a cone, and cylinders, then smooth shading, tweak positioning, and mirror arms for a complete model.
Learn to install and manage blender extensions, including the extra mesh objects add on, via the online extensions repository and preferences, with search, install, and activation steps.
Explore blender snapping basics with snap commands and the 3d cursor, including origins, selection to active, and copy all to selected for precise alignment.
Master Blender's snap mode to origin-to-vertex snapping and origin-to-edge snapping, practice axis-constrained snapping with Ctrl and move tool, and navigate the snap panel options.
Explore Blender 4 snapping essentials: bounding box to vertex, vertex to vertex, and origin to face snapping, with snap base and orientation to surface normals.
model a simple side table in blender with cube primitives, set to 65 by 45 by 60 units, and apply a bevel modifier for realistic edges.
Master Blender interaction modes, from object mode to edit mode, sculpt mode, vertex paint, and texture paint, and switch between them via dropdown, tab, or modeling workspace.
Master mesh element selection in Blender edit mode by switching between vertex, edge, and face modes with keys 1, 2, and 3. Enable multiple selections with shift.
Fix Blender's 1 2 3 shortcuts so they always switch to vertex, edge, or face mode in both object and edit modes by disabling collection shortcuts and reassigning key bindings.
Master loop and ring selections in Blender by using quad-face topology, and alt-click in edge or face mode with shift-alt to add or subtract and select edge loops and rings.
Master basic blender mesh editing by transforming selected vertices in edit mode, adding new mesh parts, and using the symmetrize command to mirror geometry.
Master Blender extrude commands, focusing on extruding faces and along normals for multiple faces using axis constraints, negative values, and precise values via the bottom panel.
Learn to inset in Blender to offset selected faces inward and create a frame. Bevel edges or vertices, adjust width and segments, and use individual insets via last action panel.
Master the bridge command in Blender to connect selected faces or groups within the same object, join objects with Ctrl J, and create holes by bridging faces or edges.
Master normal direction in Blender to prevent backface issues and normal map glitches, and learn three techniques: toggle the face orientation overlay, recalculate outside, and flip normals.
model a two-sash window in a wall with blender, using origin placement, snapping, loop cuts, and separate objects to set frames, thickness, and mullion positions.
Model a door with knob in Blender 4 for 3D modeling, by building wall and frame, applying loop cuts, bridge faces, extrude, bevels, and mirroring a sized knob.
Model a classic arch in Blender by extruding, beveling, and merging edges from a cube, then add wall thickness and apply the cornice molding preset for a detailed profile.
Learn point to point modeling by editing vertices, extruding and beveling, and using auto merge to rapidly create edges and faces for a star-shaped Blender model.
Master the spin command in blender to create bowls and vases by forming a profile with point-to-point modeling, extruding, beveling, aligning to the 3D cursor, and adding thickness with solidify.
Master the mirror modifier to create non-destructive symmetrical geometry, control visibility, and use bisect, flip, and mirror along local x, y, or z directions with an origin or reference object.
Master edge properties in blender, mark edges as sharp, adjust crease and bevel weight, and see how bevel modifiers, subdivision, and freestyle overlays shape your model.
Model a modern curved nightstand in Blender 4, using exact dimensions 54.5 cm high, 43 cm wide, 35 cm deep, with bevels and extrudes to shape the drawer and handle.
Learn how to manage materials in Blender by replacing, creating, and organizing materials, understanding users, and using purge and outliner manual methods, plus how to preserve materials with fake users.
Explore color models in Blender, including RGB and HSV light-based models with hue, saturation, and value; contrast with the pigment-based CMYK, and understand alpha and practical use across 3D graphics.
Explore roughness, transmission, alpha, and IOR to control reflection, transparency, and refraction in Blender 4 materials, including dielectrics, metals, and tinted glass.
Explore specular highlights and anisotropy in Blender 4, learning how algorithm, level, and anisotropy orientation shape reflections on test objects, and how local coordinates drive highlight direction.
Explore emission and subsurface parameters in Blender 4 with a glow material to see emission strength and color. Learn about cycles versus workbench engines and radius, scale, and anisotropy adjustments.
Apply wall and window materials in blender: create wall base with roughness for a matte look, build black aluminum frame, use glass with full transmission, and add a rubber seal.
Explore Blender 4 shader editor basics for building materials with shader nodes and the principled bsdf. Learn navigation and essential node operations like add, move, and delete.
Explore textures in Blender, comparing procedural and image textures, and learn how UV mapping and node-based shaders control color, metalness, roughness, and transparency.
Learn how to apply image textures in Blender by loading images, connecting the image texture node to the base color, and adjusting placement with mapping and texture coordinate nodes.
Learn to manage PBR textures in Blender with the Node Wrangler addon, importing full texture sets and assigning color, normal, and roughness maps via shader nodes.
Learn the three basic PBR textures: color, roughness, and metalness, and how they map to base color, roughness, and metallic slot. Understand when to use metallic versus specular workflows.
Explore displacement textures and heightmaps to create real geometry, comparing displacement with normal and bump maps. Enable displacement mode, adjust the scalar height, and subdivide geometry for believable results.
Emissive textures in Blender 4 control surface light emission with color textures or separate textures. Use for displays, neon signs, and sci-fi panels; adjust strength and color input, cycles required.
Explore ambient occlusion textures and channel packed arm textures, and learn to split red, green, and blue channels for ambient occlusion, roughness, and metallic in Blender.
Apply a 3d gabour procedural texture to a vase base model, using a new material, mapping nodes, a color ramp, and a bump-driven normal map.
Apply procedural textures in Blender to texture a snowman, creating materials for hat, eyes, body, nose, and arms with controlled roughness, color, and displacement for render-ready results.
Learn dynamic projection mapping without UV maps using object, generated, and camera methods via the shader editor and mapping nodes, including box, sphere, and tube projections.
Explore Blender UV projection to bake textures into UV maps and export models; master five methods: project from view, project from view bounds, cube, cylinder, and sphere projections.
Learn manual uv unwrapping in Blender, using angle based, conformal, and minimum stretch methods via defined seams, edge mode, and pathfinding to create efficient uv islands.
Learn uv editing basics: navigate, select, and transform uv islands in the uv editor using mouse and keyboard shortcuts such as g, r, s with x and y constraints.
Learn UV editing in Blender by tweaking, splitting, and stitching UVs with grab, relax, pinch, and UV sculpting tools; split and stitch islands using rib region, stitch, and merge commands.
Learn five techniques to straighten UV maps in Blender: manual scale, align commands, straighten, pin, and follow active quads, plus tips for vertical, horizontal, and diagonal alignments.
Create a wood walnut material and apply a walnut texture from blender kit to the side table, then adjust UV mapping by rotating top and sides 90 degrees.
Texture the floor lamp with copper shade arms, stone base, and wood rod using terrazzo, wood, and fabric textures; then set glow emission with a Kelvin-based color for realism.
Learn how to use the blackbody node in Blender to control light color with kelvin temperatures, enabling photorealistic or stylized lighting from 3000 to 8000 kelvin.
Learn to use IES photometric files in Blender to create realistic caustics by applying external IES data to a point light, adjusting radius and strength for accuracy.
Learn to light scenes with materials in Blender using emission shaders and principled bsdf shaders, with holographic effects, LED behind glass, and emissive textures.
In Blender, set a global output resolution for all cameras, experiment with presets like 1080p and 4k, and learn to designate the active camera for final renders.
Explore camera types in Blender 4: perspective, orthographic, and panoramic, and master focal length, field of view, clipping, and two-point perspective for accurate framing.
Explore film and performance settings in cycles render, including film exposure, anti-aliasing with pixel filter, transparency, and memory tiling, and learn how these options affect render brightness and texture details.
Learn how color spaces and display transforms govern rendering in blender, from sRGB limitations to 32-bit linear HDR workflows and view transform for accurate output.
Explore popular image formats for rendering—JPEG, PNG, EXR, and WebP—covering bit depth, compression, and alpha transparency. Use PNG for backups, EXR for HDR editing, and JPEG for web publishing.
Learn Blender's compositor, a node-based post-processing tool that requires an initial render, builds from render layers to the final image, using color ramp and viewer node.
Explore Blender cycles render passes via view layers, including combined rgb/alpha, z-depth, diffuse, glossy, ambient occlusion, and crypto matte data. Use crypto math node for pixel selection in the compositor.
Create two renderings in a 3D environment, focusing on lighting and rendering with prepared models, textures, an HDR evening sky, and day‑night lighting control.
Finish the furniture product rendering by placing a point light using the 3d cursor, then add a blue area light and gobo shadows to create day and night scenes.
This course was originally 3 courses combined into 1. In the first course, you will learn all the fundamentals of Blender and then move on to 3D modeling techniques. In the second course, you will learn how to use materials, PBR textures, and UV mapping. And, in the third course, you will learn all aspects related to the Cycles rendering engine, including lighting, camera, render settings, and post-processing. I have carefully crafted the curriculum so that students can gain the skills gradually with no friction at all. After this course, in sha Allah, you will be able to create sophisticated 3D models, apply complex textures through UV editing, and be able to optimize Cycles to render high quality images.
About the instructor
My name is Widhi Muttaqien, founder of Expose Academy, Expose Studio and Edutalenta. For more than 20 years, I have created thousands of 3D renderings, for architectural, interior, and master plan projects. I have worked with many clients all over the world. I have clients on almost every continent in the world. Besides doing projects, I have also been teaching 3D and computer graphics academically at various schools since the year 2000. In short, I have real-world professional expertise in 3D and teaching experience.
The curriculum
You will learn a lot in this course. In short, the course has nine chapters, not including the introduction chapter.
In the first chapter, you will learn all the fundamentals of working with Blender, such as the UI, navigation, viewport settings, object creation, selection, and so on. In the second chapter, we will focus on different object transformation techniques, and also the snapping features. In the third chapter, you will learn 3D modeling techniques. These include loop selection, extrude, inset, bevel, bridge, spin, and so on. You will model a lot of 3D objects along the way. By the end of the third chapter you should be able to model a modern curved nightstand product.
In the fourth chapter, you will learn all the basics of working with materials in Blender. From assigning and managing materials. Learn some CG fundamentals such as color models and color codes. Learn the differences between "Metal" and "Dielectric" materials. And learn all the features and potentials of the “Principled BSDF” shader. By the end of the chapter, you will have hands-on projects composing materials for a nightstand product and also some architectural objects.
Next, in chapter 5, you will learn the fundamentals of shader and texture. You will understand the difference between procedural and image textures, and know how and when to use both. We will then cover PBR textures in detail. At the end of the chapter, you will have hands-on projects where you create texture for a vase model completely procedural. After that, you will create materials for a snowman model, also completely procedural.
In chapter 6, you will learn UV mapping in depth. You will learn different techniques of UV mapping and know how to use them and when to use them against different scenarios. You will also learn UV editing such as tweaking, splitting, stitching, UV sculpting, straightening, and so on. By the end of the chapter, you will have 4 hands-on projects. First, you will add a texture to a side table product. Then you will work on the previous nightstand model, but this time with a wood texture. And then you will add textures to this floor lamp 3D model. And finally, you will work on UV mapping a lounge chair product.
In the seventh chapter, you will learn how to use various light sources inside Blender. We will start with the world background and the sky texture. Then, you will learn how to use HDR or EXR files. And then learn to use light objects, such as point light, sunlight, spotlight, and area light. You will also learn how to create caustic effects, learn how to make lighting more realistic using IES files, and learn how to make material emit light using the “Emission” shader.
Next, in chapter 8, you will learn how to easily set up cameras using different manipulation techniques. Then, you will learn the ins and outs of Cycles render settings such as samples, denoising, clamping, color spaces, view transform, white balance, and so on.
In the final chapter, you will learn how to perform post-processing to the rendered result using the “Compositor”. Everything is done non-destructively via nodes. And then, you will learn how to easily isolate pixels for compositing using “Cryptomatte”. Besides the small exercises throughout the course, you will be given a final project at the end. Basically, you will create product renderings of a lounge chair set in 3 different styles. First, with a transparent background but with shadows that can fit into any color or background. Second, with a 3D environment and an evening sky. And third, using the same 3D environment, but now with a day or afternoon sky.
So join now and master all the essentials 3D skills using Blender!