Learn 3D Modelling & Animation from Scratch with Blender 3D

In this lesson, we'll take our first look at the 3D view, and we'll learn the most important hotkeys and controls for navigating through any given blender scene. Take note of these, and practice them before you move on to the successive lessons.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to move, rotate and scale 3D objects in Blender.

The 3D cursor is a unique feature of Blender. In this lesson, we'll learn what it's for, why it's useful, and how to use it to good effect when working with our 3D creations in Blender.

Let's learn how to add various primitives to our Blender scenes.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to customize the creation of some of the more complex primitives, such as the torus, parametrically.

In this lesson, we'll learn how Blender handles units, and how to work with either the metric or imperial systems.

The properties editor is arguably one of the most important windows in Blender. Let's familiarize ourselves with its contexts.

So far, everything we have done in Blender has been in Object Mode. Now it's time to learn how access Edit Mode, as well as the differences between these two most important of all modes.

Polygonal extrusion is probably the most fundamental and ubiquitous technique in 3D mesh modelling. Let's learn how to use it. We'll also take a brief look at vertex and edge extrusion.

Used in conjunction with polygon extrusion, inset is a very powerful tool to add to our box modelling arsenal. In this lesson, we'll learn how to use it effectively in Blender.

To become an expert 3D modeller, you must have the knowledge, skill and tools to modify the topology and polygonal structure of your 3D models at will. Hence, loop and ring cutting is an important technique to master, and we'll learn all about it in this lecture.

The knife tool puts a huge amount of power in your hands as a 3D designer, as it allows you to cut any edges into your 3D mesh which you may desire. This is why it must be used intelligently, and with restraint. In this lesson, we'll learn how to properly utilize the knife tool in Blender.

As your 3D models and scenes become more and more complex, making selections can become your most tedious and laborious tasks. Thankfully, Blender has some amazing complex selection tools which, when understood and used correctly, make this process a doddle. One such selection method is Ring and Loop Selection.

In this lesson, we'll take a look at another extremely useful complex selection tool in Blender: Grow and Shrink.

When working with severe, or obtuse, angles in your geometry, you may find it necessary to extrude polygon regions by vertex normal, as demonstrated in this lesson. By end of this lecture, you'll have another, extremely valuable modelling tool to your Blender repertoire.

Don't forget to download the project files, which are attached to this lesson. In this project, we will model a science fiction themed spaceship, taking inspiration from other, related pieces of art work. By the end of this lesson, we will have learned how to set up mirror symmetry, and enable clipping.

In this lesson, we'll begin working on the general shape of our spaceships hull, using the box modelling techniques we learned in Section 3, along with a few new ones.

In this lesson, we'll continue to build out the hull of our spaceship.

In this lesson we'll learn how to use Boolean operations in Blender.

In this lesson we'll learn how to modify and/or hide the grid display in Blender viewports.

In this lesson, we'll learn how to model cylindrical objects, such as a tank.

In this lesson we'll learn how to use the Array modifier to duplicate an object according to a specific pattern.

In this lesson we'll learn how to create loft objects using shapes.

In this lesson we'll learn how to convert curve objects to mesh objects.

In this lesson we'll learn how to procedurally reduce polygon density in a mesh using the decimate modifier.

In this lesson we'll use our newly acquired modelling techniques to create a propulsion system for the ship.

In this lesson we'll use smart projection to create a UV map for the hull.

In this lesson we'll start working on our first texture in Photoshop.

In this lesson we'll continue working on our texture in Photoshop.

In this lesson we'll start working with Blender's built in painting tools.

In this lesson we'll start working on the tank texture.

In this lesson we'll continue our work on the tank texture.

In this lesson we'll use Blender's paint tools to create a frost effect on the cockpit windows.

In this lesson we'll continue our work on the tank texture.

In this lesson we'll continue our work on the tank texture.

In this lesson we'll bake an ambient occlusion map for the hull.

In this lesson we'll bake an ambient occlusion map for the tank.

In this lesson we'll start setting up materials using the node editor and the Cycles rendering engine.

In this lesson we'll create and integrate normal maps into our materials.

In this lesson we'll learn how to add an environment map to our Blender scene.

In this lesson we'll learn how to use child constraints to make one object follow another.