Blender Learning Units 1 - 5

Learning Unit #1 provides an introduction to the basic Blender interface and demonstrates some of the tools used to maneuver about in 3D space and create primitive mesh objects.

1. View the 14 video tutorials. You may want to have your Blender application open to practice the tools or techniques demonstrated in each video tutorial.Click on the Alternate Flash Stream Link to view Flash video

2. Complete the Learning Unit #1 Exercise.

3. Complete the Learning Unit #1 PDF Tutorial (Yellow submarine). Click on the PDF tutorial link to view the tutorial. Any files you might need are located in the Yellow Submarine ZIP file which you can download by clicking on the link. Work through the tutorial with your copy of Blender open. The Yellow Submarine tutorial is quite long. It is very detailed and is designed for beginning students creating their first animated Blender model.

Learning Unit #1 - Exercise

Make your Blender Front Viewport look like this:

First Animated Model - Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine PDF Tutorial
Yellow Submarine ZIP File
Yellow Submarine Animation

Yellow Submarine PDF Tutorial in German (Andreas Czerney)

Learning Unit #2 continues the examination of Blender's interface and begins to focus on manipulating objects and understanding 3-Dimensional space. here is also and introduction to the camera view.

1. View the 11 video tutorials. You may want to have your Blender application open to practice the tools or techniques demonstrated in each video tutorial.Click on the Alternate Flash Stream Link to view Flash video.

2. Complete the Learning Unit #2 Exercise.

3. Complete the Learning Unit #2 PDF Tutorials (Castle Modeling & Castle Texturing). Click on the PDF tutorial link to view the tutorial. The tutorials are very long and very detailed. You may either follow them step-by-step or read through them and execute only those portions you need to understand. Any files you might need are located in the Castle Modeling ZIP file or the Castle Texturing ZIP file, which you can download by clicking on the link. There is a completed copy of the modeling tutorial .blend file named "TheCastleModelingComplete.blend" located in the "CastelModeling.zip" file. There is a completed copy of the texturing tutorial .blend file named "CastleTexturingComplete.blend located in the CastleTexturing.zip file.

The Castle modeling and texturing tutorials are quite long but provide a good introduction to basic modeling and texturing.

Learning Unit #2 - Castle - Modeling

Castle Modeling PDF Tutorial
Blenderik's YouTube Video of Castle Tutorial
Castle Modeling ZIP File

Learning Unit #2 - Castle - Texturing

Castle Modeling PDF Tutorial
Castle Modeling ZIP File

Learning Unit #3 focuses on many of the basic edit mode tools used in mesh modeling. It provides a good introduction to the sub-object components of Blender meshes.

1. View the 10 video tutorials. You may want to have your Blender application open to practice the tools or techniques demonstrated in each video tutorial.Click on the Alternate Flash Stream Link to view Flash video

2. Complete the Learning Unit #3 Exercise.

3. Complete the Learning Unit #3 PDF Tutorials ("The Rocket" - Steam Locomotive - Modeling & "The Rocket" - Steam Locomotive - Animation). The tutorials are very long and very detailed. You may either follow them step-by-step or read through them and execute only those portions you need to understand. Click on the PDF tutorial link to view the tutorials. Any files you might need are located in the RocketSteamLocomotiveModeling ZIP file or the RocketSteamLocomotiveAnimation.zip file, which you can download by clicking on the link. There is a completed copy of the tutorial .blend file named "TheRocketSteamLocomotiveModelingComplete.blend" located in the "RocketSteamLocomotiveModeling.zip" file. There is also a completed copy of the Engine Drive Chain portion of the tutorial named RocketDriveTrainComplete.blend located in the "RocketSteamLocomotiveModeling.zip" file. There is a completed copy of the animation tutorial .blend file named "TheRocketSteamLocomotiveAnimationComplete.blend" located in the "RocketSteamLocomotiveAnimation.zip" file.

Learning Unit #3 - Exercise

Create a Blender model that looks something like this.

Learning Unit #4 focuses on more basic object and edit mode modeling tools. Pay particular attention to the Spin and Subsurf video tutorials as both are staples of Blender modeling.

1. View the 12 video tutorials. You may want to have your Blender application open to practice the tools or techniques demonstrated in each video tutorial.Click on the Alternate Flash Stream Link to view Flash video

2. Complete the Learning Unit #4 Exercise.

3. Complete the Learning Unit #4 PDF Tutorial (Martini). Click on the PDF tutorial link to view the tutorial. There is a completed copy of the tutorial .blend file named "MartiniComplete.blend" located in the "Martini.zip" file.

The Martini tutorial is fairly easy to complete. It provides a good introduction to the spin modeling tool as well as an introduction to Blender materials and textures.

Learning Unit #4 - Exercise

Using the Spin tool, model a bottle that looks something like this.

Learning Unit #4 - Martini

Martini PDF Tutorial
Blenderik's YouTube Video of Martini tutorial
Martini ZIP File

Learning Unit #5 focuses on Blender Materials and Textures. It provides a good introduction to using Blender's shader, transparency, mirror and ramp controls as well as an introduction to procedural and image texturing.

There are also a number of extra video tutorials on snap tools, camera constraint and appending or linking Blender files..

1. View the 13 video tutorials. You may want to have your Blender application open to practice the tools or techniques demonstrated in each video tutorial.Click on the Alternate Flash Stream Link to view Flash video

2. Complete the Learning Unit #5 Exercise.

3. Complete the My Materials PDF tutorial. This tutorial looks at the material settings for some common materials.

Learning Unit #5 - Exercise

Using transparency and mirror, render an image that looks something like this - an object between a glass plane and a mirror.

Learning Unit #5 - My Materials

My Materials PDF Tutorial
My Materials Blend File