Blender for Beginners Part 1 - Third Edition

Build real-world skills as you create top-tier animations and 3D models with professional lighting and camera setups, turning theory into a portfolio-worthy showcase

Please note: the Kindle version combines Parts 1 and 2 of the book

Key Features

• Learn 3D modeling fundamentals in Blender from an expert team of tutors who’ve taught over 250,000 students worldwide
• Start with the basics and build your skills through a series of projects to create a complex world
• Please note: the Kindle version combines Parts 1 and 2 of the book

Book Description

Blender for Beginners Part 1 is your hands-on visual introduction to Blender, brought to you by the educators at 3D Tudor, who’ve helped over 250,000 students worldwide master 3D design. Starting Blender can feel daunting, but this first part makes it approachable. You’ll develop smart habits and clean workflows to keep projects organized. From setting up a readable interface and clean navigation to mastering reliable modeling tools that create shading-friendly results, every lesson builds your foundation as a confident 3D artist.

Through easy-to-follow exercises, you’ll learn how to install Blender, navigate key menus and viewport modes, and use essential tools like Extrude, Bevel, and Loop Cut. You’ll build small assets and understand why seams, sharps, normals, and pivots matter for clean surfaces and predictable shading. Neil adds a touch of British humor that will keep you engaged throughout, even as you unwrap UVs using seams and projections, measure texel density, and explore trim sheets and UDIM basics. With principled PBR materials and Node Wrangler shortcuts, you’ll progress from flat clay to believable surfaces. Everything is taught step by step, with keystroke callouts and definitions.

By the end of this part, your models will look great under lighting, your topology will behave, and your files will be ready for 3D animation—setting you up for Geometry Nodes, rendering, and compositing in Part 2.

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What you will learn

• Customize Blender for speed by clearing workspaces, overlays, the Status Bar, and Outliner filters
• Model with precision using Extrude, Inset, Bevel, Loop Cut, Knife, Spin, Slide, Shear, and Rip
• Produce shading-friendly topology with bridges, fills, smoothing, Auto Smooth, and sharps
• Shape faster with curves, modifiers, lattices, and constraints and stay non-destructive
• Keep meshes clean with selections, transforms, normals, naming, and file organization
• Build principled PBR materials with Node Wrangler and Ambient Occlusion helpers

Who this book is for

If you’re a video game enthusiast looking to gain experience in 3D modeling, 3D rendering, game design, and animation for game props, assets, and environments, this Blender book is for you. It’s ideal for character artists, game designers, motion graphics designers, animators, environment artists, and other technical artists. No prior Blender experience is required, but a general understanding of digital art concepts will help you get the most out of this book.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding Camera Control and Viewport Navigation in Blender
2. Optimizing Workflow with the Status Bar, Workspaces, and File Options
3. Exploring Blender's Properties Panel for Optimal 3D Creativity
4. Unleashing the Potential of Blender's Outliner and Add-On Ecosystem
5. Going Over Proportional Editing, Transform Orientation, and Viewport Shaders
6. Discovering Essential Tools for 3D Modeling in Blender

(N.B. Please use the Read Sample option to see further chapters)

3D Tudor is an online course creator team publishing courses on 3D modeling, game design, and animation. Founded and led by Neil I. Bettison in 2019, 3D Tudor brings with it over 10 years of specialist experience. The focus of 3D Tudor is on teaching 3D modeling and animation through free and accessible software, including Blender and Unreal Engine 5, to over 250,000 students from all backgrounds. The team publishes courses, 3D models, and game props, and also runs a YouTube channel where free Blender-to–Unreal Engine 5 environment tutorials are posted. The 3D Tudor headquarters are in Paphos, Cyprus, and Neil holds a Computer Games Art BA (Hons) degree from the University for the Creative Arts.

Vanessa A. B. Haralambous is an academic writing specialist with over 10 years of experience. Since 2010, she has taught academic writing and proofreading techniques to university students from different levels and disciplines, including the humanities and arts. Between 2019 and 2020, Vanessa published two courses on academic writing for university students. Vanessa offers ad hoc copywriting support to 3D Tudor and holds a Psychology with Criminology BSc (Hons) degree and a Forensic Psychology MSc degree.