A step-by-step guide to building and rendering your first 3D scenes in Blender. It covers navigating the interface, modeling with basic shapes, modifiers, materials, lighting, and rendering a finished scene, with starter project files for every exercise.
What the guide covers
Navigating the interface
Moving around the 3D view, selecting objects, switching between object and edit modes with Tab, and finding the panels you will use most.
Modeling with basic shapes
Adding basic shapes, moving, rotating and scaling them with G, R and S, and shaping them further with extrude, inset and loop cuts.
Modifiers
Working non-destructively with modifiers such as mirror, subdivision surface, bevel and array, stacking them in order, and applying them when you are ready.
Materials
Assigning materials, setting base color, roughness and metallic values, and giving one object more than one material.
Lighting
The different light types, a simple three-light setup, and using the world background to light a scene.
Rendering a finished scene
Placing a camera, choosing render settings, and saving a finished image of the scene you built across the exercises.
Inside the guide
Every chapter follows the same pattern: the skill is explained, broken into steps, practiced in an exercise, and checked against a worked solution. These illustrations show the three kinds of page you will find in the PDF.
Illustrations represent the layout of guide pages. They are not reproductions of any software's interface.
What's in the .zip
Your .zip download
- PDF guideEach skill explained, then broken into numbered steps.
- Step-by-step instructions
- Annotated illustrations
- Practice exercises
- Worked solutionsEvery step, not only the final answer.
- Starter project filesBlender project files that set up each exercise, so you can start each one from the same point the guide does.
The software is not included. See Software required below.
Software required
This guide uses Blender. Blender is not included with the guide; you need your own copy, obtained separately from its maker.
About software updates. Software makers update their programs, so menus and button locations can change between versions. When an update changes the steps, the guide is revised, and updated files are free to anyone who bought this guide.
How the guide works
This is a self-study guide. You read each step, carry it out in your own copy of the software, then do the exercises and compare your work with the worked solutions. There is no video, no live instruction, no tutoring, and no feedback on your work. Everything you get is in the .zip.
Is this guide a good fit?
Who it's for
- You have not used Blender before, or opened it once and did not know where to begin.
- You want to understand the basic modeling, material and lighting workflow from start to finish.
- You prefer to follow written steps and work at your own speed.
Who it isn't for
- You want animation, rigging, sculpting, simulation, or game export. Those are not covered.
- You already model regularly in Blender and want advanced techniques.
- You want video lessons, live help, or someone to review your work.