An Introduction To Blender

Blender is a 3D graphics application, released under the GNU™ General Public License. Blender provides a broad spectrum of modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, and video post-processing functionality in one package. Install Blender from the Muon package manager, which can be started by going to Kickoff Application LauncherComputerMuon Software Center.

Blender Basics

Blender is a powerful application that can be used to perform advanced and complex tasks, such as video editing, 3D modeling and animation. This guide is an introduction to the Blender interface, and also covers basic functions like exporting and importing an image.

  1. Open Blender by going to Kickoff Application LauncherApplicationsGraphics3D Modeller (Blender)

  2. Blender's splash screen will appear, followed by a window similar to the one below:

    Example 8. Blender Window




  3. The center of the screen is the main view for creating and viewing 3D models. The bottom portion of the screen is the Panel, which has controls to modify mesh models.

  4. There is a square in the center of the main view by default. With the cursor in the main window, the view can be rotated by pressing the middle mouse button and dragging the mouse. As the mouse is dragged, the object can be viewed from different angles. Three arrows represent X, Y, and Z axes.

    Example 9. Rotating View




  5. Views can also be changed by pressing the keys in the number keypad. Pressing the 1 key in the number keypad changes the view. Pressing the 7 key returns to the default view.

  6. Objects are selected by clicking the right. All objects can be selected or deselected by pressing the A key on the keyboard.

  7. Delete the default cube in the main window by pressing the X key on the keyboard and then pressing the Enter key.

  8. Next, add a new mesh/object in the scene by pressing the Spacebar and selecting AddMeshUVSphere Choose the default settings in the dialog and left-click the OK button.

    Example 10. Adding a new mesh




  9. To move the new object, first select it (by right-clicking it), and then press the G key on the keyboard. Now drag the mouse in any direction to move the object in that direction. To move the object in a specific direction, press the G key followed by the axis of that direction. For example:

    To move an object in the Z axis, press the G key and then the Z key.

  10. To rotate the object, press the R key and rotate using the mouse. The object can be rotated around a specific axis by pressing the X key, the Y key, or the Z key after pressing the R key.

  11. When all objects have been added, the scene can be rendered by going to RenderRender Current Frame or by pressing the F12 key.

  12. Save the finished image by selecting FileSave or pressing Ctrl+W. Enter the filename, choose a path, and left-click the OK button.