Chapter 1: Blender Basics

Learning Objectives

• Understand the overview and application areas of Blender software
• Master the Blender interface layout and basic operations
• Learn basic navigation and view control
• Understand the Blender workflow concept
• Master file management and project setup

Detailed Knowledge Points

1.1 Blender Software Overview

1.1.1 What is Blender

Blender is a fully-featured open-source 3D creation suite that supports the entire 3D pipeline: modeling, sculpting, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, and motion tracking. It also has video editing and game creation capabilities.

Core Features:

• Completely free and open-source
• Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Active development community
• Regular updates and feature improvements
• No restrictions on commercial use

1.1.2 Application Areas

Application Area	Specific Uses	Examples
Film & TV Production	Special effects, animation, modeling	Some scenes in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Game Development	Character modeling, environment creation, animation	Indie game development
Architectural Visualization	Architectural rendering, interior design	Architectural design previews
Product Design	Industrial design, product presentation	Product prototype showcases
Education & Training	3D teaching, scientific visualization	Educational animation production

1.2 Blender Interface Layout

1.2.1 Default Interface Components

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Menu Bar │
├─────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┤
│ │ │ │
│ Outliner │ 3D Viewport │ Properties Panel │
│ Editor │ (3D Viewport) │ (Properties) │
│(Outliner)│ │ │
│ │ │ │
├─────────┼─────────────────┤ │
│ │ │ │
│ Shader │ Timeline │ │
│ Editor │ (Timeline) │ │
│(Shader) │ │ │
└─────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

1.2.2 Introduction to Main Editors

3D Viewport:

• Main working area
• Displays the 3D scene
• Supports multiple shading modes
• Provides various selection and transformation tools

Outliner Editor:

• Displays the scene hierarchy
• Manages object visibility and selection status
• Organizes scene elements

Properties Panel:

• Displays detailed settings for the selected object
• Contains multiple sub-panels (object, material, render, etc.)
• Provides parameter adjustment functions

Shader Editor:

• Creates and edits materials
• Node-based workflow
• Supports complex material creation

1.3 Basic Navigation and View Control

1.3.1 Viewport Navigation

Mouse Operation Rules

Blender uses a three-button mouse operation mode:

• Left-click: Select object
• Middle-click: Viewport navigation (rotate, zoom, pan)
• Right-click: Pop-up context menu

Basic Navigation Operations:

View Rotation: Middle-click drag
View Zoom: Scroll wheel
View Pan: Shift + Middle-click drag

Numpad Shortcut Operations:
- 1: Front View
- 3: Right View
- 7: Top View
- 0: Camera View
- 5: Orthographic/Perspective Toggle
- . (period): Focus on selected object

1.3.2 Selection Operations

Selection Methods:

• Click Select: Left-click on an object
• Box Select: Press B to activate, drag to select an area
• Lasso Select: Ctrl + Left-click drag
• Select All/Deselect All: A / Alt + A

Multi-selection Operations:

Shift + Left-click: Add to selection
Shift + Right-click: Remove from selection
Ctrl + I: Invert selection

1.4 Basic Object Operations

1.4.1 Adding Objects

Adding Basic Primitives:

Shift + A: Open the Add menu
- Mesh
  - Cube
  - UV Sphere
  - Cylinder
  - Plane
  - etc...

1.4.2 Transformation Operations

Basic Transformation Tools:

Operation	Shortcut	Description
Grab	G	Move object position
Rotate	R	Rotate object
Scale	S	Change object size

Constraining Axis Operations:

# Example: Precise move operation
G + X + 2  # Move 2 units along the X-axis
R + Z + 45 # Rotate 45 degrees around the Z-axis
S + Y + 2  # Scale 2 times along the Y-axis

# Constrain to a plane
G + Shift + Z  # Move on the XY plane (excluding Z-axis)

1.4.3 Deleting and Undoing

Delete Operation:
- Delete/X: Delete selected object
- Ctrl + Z: Undo
- Ctrl + Shift + Z: Redo

1.5 Edit Mode Basics

1.5.1 Toggling Edit Mode

Tab: Toggle between Object Mode and Edit Mode
Ctrl + Tab: Quickly switch between edit mode types

Selection Types in Edit Mode:

• Vertex Mode: Select and edit vertices
• Edge Mode: Select and edit edges
• Face Mode: Select and edit faces

1.5.2 Basic Editing Operations

Extrude Operation:

# Extrude selected face
E  # Activate extrude tool
# Then move the mouse to position the new location
# Left-click to confirm, right-click to cancel

# Example: Create a simple house
# 1. Add a cube
# 2. Enter Edit Mode (Tab)
# 3. Select the top face (Alt + 3 to switch to face select mode)
# 4. Press E to extrude the top face
# 5. Press S to scale to a suitable size for the roof

1.6 Workspaces and Interface Customization

1.6.1 Preset Workspaces

Blender provides several preset workspaces:

Workspace	Purpose	Main Editors
Layout	General layout	3D Viewport, Outliner, Properties
Modeling	Dedicated for modeling	3D Viewport, Modifier Properties
Sculpting	Dedicated for sculpting	3D Viewport, Sculpting Tools
UV Editing	UV editing	UV Editor, 3D Viewport
Texture Paint	Texture painting	3D Viewport, Image Editor
Shading	Material creation	3D Viewport, Shader Editor
Animation	Animation creation	3D Viewport, Timeline, Dope Sheet
Rendering	Render settings	3D Viewport, Render Properties

1.6.2 Interface Customization

Splitting Editors:

Right-click on editor border → Split Area
Drag to create a new editor area

Joining Editors:

Right-click on editor border → Join Areas
Select the editor to keep

1.7 File Management

1.7.1 File Operations

Basic File Operations:

Ctrl + N: New File
Ctrl + O: Open File
Ctrl + S: Save File
Ctrl + Shift + S: Save As
Ctrl + Z: Undo

1.7.2 Project Management Best Practices

Project Organization Suggestion

Project Folder Structure:
MyProject/
├── Blends/          # Blender files
├── Textures/        # Texture files
├── References/      # Reference images
├── Renders/         # Render outputs
└── Assets/          # Other assets

File Save Settings:

# Enable auto-save (in user preferences)
File → Preferences → Save & Load
- Auto Save Temporary Files: Enable
- Timer (minutes): Set auto-save interval

1.8 Preferences

1.8.1 Important Settings

Input Settings:

Edit → Preferences → Input
- Select With: Choose left or right mouse button
- Emulate 3 Button Mouse: Emulate a three-button mouse
- Emulate Numpad: Emulate a numpad

Theme Settings:

Edit → Preferences → Themes
- Choose different interface themes
- Customize color schemes

Add-on Management:

Edit → Preferences → Add-ons
- Enable/disable built-in add-ons
- Install third-party add-ons

1.9 Practical Exercises

Exercise 1: Interface Familiarization

Exercise Steps

1. Open Blender and familiarize yourself with the default interface
2. Try using mouse navigation (rotate, zoom, pan)
3. Use the numpad to switch between different views
4. Practice selecting and deselecting the default cube
5. Try switching between different workspaces

Exercise 2: Basic Modeling Exercise

# Make a simple snowman
# Steps:
# 1. Delete the default cube (Delete key)
# 2. Add a UV sphere for the body (Shift + A → Mesh → UV Sphere)
# 3. Duplicate the sphere for the head (Shift + D)
# 4. Scale the head and move it to a suitable position (S to scale, G to move)
# 5. Add smaller spheres for the eyes and nose
# 6. Save the file (Ctrl + S)

Exercise 3: Basic Editing Exercise

Important Notes

In Edit Mode:

• Make sure to select the correct component type (vertex/edge/face)
• After extruding, you need to move to a new position
• Frequently use the Tab key to switch between Object Mode and Edit Mode

# Make a simple house model
# 1. Start with a cube
# 2. Enter Edit Mode (Tab)
# 3. Select the top face
# 4. Extrude the top face (E)
# 5. Inset the face (I) to create the roof edge
# 6. Extrude to create the roof
# 7. Add doors and windows (delete faces, extrude inwards)

Common Shortcut Summary

Function	Shortcut	Description
Select All/Deselect	A / Alt+A	Select all or deselect
Delete	X / Delete	Delete selected object
Grab/Move	G	Grab and move
Rotate	R	Rotate object
Scale	S	Scale object
Extrude	E	Extrude face/edge
Toggle Edit Mode	Tab	Object Mode ↔ Edit Mode
Add Object	Shift+A	Add menu
Undo/Redo	Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z	Undo and redo
Save	Ctrl+S	Save file

Learning Suggestions

1. Practice Navigation: Fluent viewport navigation is the foundation of 3D work
2. Memorize Shortcuts: Shortcuts significantly improve work efficiency
3. Understand Mode Switching: The difference between Object Mode and Edit Mode is important
4. Build Good Habits: Save regularly, organize file structure reasonably
5. Proceed Step by Step: Don't rush, build a solid foundation

By completing this chapter, you should be able to:

• Navigate the Blender interface fluently
• Understand basic 3D operation concepts
• Complete simple object creation and editing
• Establish good work habits

These basic skills will lay a solid foundation for more advanced learning.