Beginner Exercises | Part 1 | Blender 2.8 & Onwards

Introduction

This tutorial is designed to help beginners get started with Blender 2.8 and beyond. It covers essential exercises to build your skills in 3D modeling progressively. By the end of this guide, you'll have a solid foundation in creating shapes and characters in Blender.

Step 1: Familiarize Yourself with the Interface

• Open Blender and take a moment to explore the interface.

Identify key areas

• The 3D viewport
• The toolbar on the left
• The properties panel on the right

Experiment with navigation tools

• Use the middle mouse button to rotate the view.
• Scroll to zoom in and out.
• Shift + middle mouse button to pan.

Step 2: Basic Shape Creation

• Start by adding basic shapes to your scene.
  • Press Shift + A to open the Add menu.
  • Select Mesh and choose a shape (e.g., Cube, Sphere, Cylinder).

Practice transforming shapes

• Use G to grab and move the object.
• Use S to scale the object.
• Use R to rotate the object.

Step 3: Modifying Shapes

Enter Edit Mode to modify your shapes

• Select your object and press Tab to switch to Edit Mode.

Use the following tools to modify geometry

• Extrude (Press E): Create new geometry from selected faces.
• Loop Cut (Press Ctrl + R): Add more geometry for better detail.
• Select (Press A): Select all or specific vertices, edges, or faces.

Step 4: Applying Materials

• Switch back to Object Mode (press Tab).
• Select your object and go to the Material Properties panel.
• Click New to create a new material.
• Adjust color settings and other properties like roughness and metallic.

Step 5: Lighting and Rendering

Add lighting to your scene

• Press Shift + A, select Light, and choose a type (e.g., Point, Sun).
• Position the light source to illuminate your object effectively.

Set up rendering

• Go to the Render Properties panel and select your render engine (e.g., Eevee or Cycles).
• Press F12 to render your scene.

Step 6: Saving and Exporting

• Save your project regularly (File > Save or Ctrl + S).
• To export your model, go to File > Export and choose a format (e.g., .FBX, .OBJ).

Conclusion

You've now completed essential exercises to build your Blender skills. Remember to practice each step and explore further by experimenting with different shapes, materials, and lighting techniques. For next steps, consider following more advanced tutorials or projects to enhance your 3D modeling abilities. Happy blending!