Usage — Blender¶

Interface orientation¶

Blender's window is divided into areas. Each area can show any editor type (3D Viewport, Outliner, Properties, Shader Editor, etc.). You can:

• Split an area: right-click on the border of an area → Vertical Split / Horizontal Split, then click where to split.
• Join two areas: right-click on the shared border → Join Areas, click the area to consume.
• Change editor type: click the icon at the top-left of any area's header.
• Maximize an area: hover, Ctrl+Space.
• Full-screen an area + hide UI: hover, Ctrl+Alt+Space.

Workspaces are tab-based layout presets at the top of the window: Layout, Modeling, Sculpting, UV Editing, Texture Paint, Shading, Animation, Rendering, Compositing, Geometry Nodes, Scripting. They are saved layouts — switch workspaces, don't rearrange areas manually every time.

The default scene data model¶

Open Blender. The Cube, Light, and Camera are objects in the current scene. The Outliner (top-right) shows this hierarchy.

Each object has: - A transform (location/rotation/scale). - Object data — for a mesh object, that's the vertex/edge/face data. Multiple objects can share the same object data (linked duplicates). - Modifiers — a stack of non-destructive transformations applied to object data at render/display time. - Materials — assigned per-object or per-mesh; each material is a node tree. - Constraints — runtime transform modifiers (follow, track-to, limit, etc.).

Object ↔ Mesh distinction matters. "Rename Cube.001 to Head" — which are you renaming, the object or the mesh? The Outliner shows both; the active mode changes which is edited.

Modes¶

Tab (or the mode dropdown in the viewport header) switches mode. Each mode reshapes the toolbar and available operations on the selected object.

Essential keyboard shortcuts¶

These are the non-negotiable shortcuts. Memorize them before doing anything else.

Viewport navigation¶

Selection¶

Transform¶

Edit Mode essentials¶

General¶

The Properties editor¶

Right side by default. Tabs from top to bottom:

1. Render — engine (Cycles/EEVEE Next/Workbench), samples, denoising.
2. Output — resolution, framerate, file paths.
3. View Layer — render passes, override groups.
4. Scene — units, gravity, keying sets.
5. World — environment shader and lighting.
6. Collection — selected collection's properties.
7. Object — transforms, visibility, display.
8. Modifiers (wrench icon) — the modifier stack.
9. Particles — old particle system (mostly superseded by Geometry Nodes).
10. Physics — cloth, fluid, rigid body, soft body.
11. Object Constraints — track-to, follow path, etc.
12. Object Data (green, varies by object type) — for mesh: vertex groups, shape keys, UVs, color attributes.
13. Material — material slots and shader editor proxy.
14. Texture — brushes and modifier textures; mostly a legacy tab now.

Modifiers¶

Modifiers are a stack evaluated top → bottom. Common ones:

• Subdivision Surface — smooths geometry by Catmull-Clark subdivision. Toggle viewport/render levels separately.
• Mirror — mirrors across an axis. Pair with clipping to prevent vertices crossing the midline.
• Array — repeats the mesh along an offset or a curve.
• Solidify — adds thickness to a flat mesh.
• Bevel — runtime bevel, keyable by angle or weight.
• Boolean — union / difference / intersect with another mesh. Use Exact mode; Fast is unreliable.
• Shrinkwrap — projects one mesh onto another; essential for retopo.
• Armature — binds mesh deformation to a bone rig.
• Geometry Nodes — drops you into procedural modeling.

Apply a modifier (Ctrl+A over the modifier) only when you're sure. Applied = destructive.

File and data management¶

• .blend files are self-contained but can link or append data from other .blend files (File > Link, File > Append).
• Linked data is a reference — changing the source updates here.
• Appended data is a copy — independent from the source.
• Use File > External Data > Pack Resources before sending a file to someone — otherwise textures won't come along.
• .blend1, .blend2 are automatic backups. Keep them; they've saved countless projects.

Rendering engines at a glance¶

Common gotchas¶

• "My mesh is inside out." Enable Backface Culling (Viewport Overlays) to spot it; fix with Mesh > Normals > Recalculate Outside (Shift+N) in Edit Mode.
• "Scale is 0.5, why?" You scaled in Object Mode without applying. Apply with Ctrl+A > Scale. Always apply scale before rigging, physics, or modifier chains that depend on unit size (bevels, solidify thickness).
• "My modifier isn't doing anything." You're in Edit Mode and the modifier's Edit Mode display toggle is off, or you haven't set required inputs (a target object for Mirror/Shrinkwrap, etc.).
• "Viewport is laggy." Collapse heavy subdivision levels; disable modifiers in viewport while modeling; use Simplify (Render Properties) for big scenes.
• "My object vanished." You hid it (H) or moved it to another collection. Press Alt+H to unhide; check the Outliner filter.

The scripting console¶

Scripting workspace → Python Console. Every operator you run shows up in the Info area log as Python. Copy it, tweak parameters, run in the console — that's how you automate.

import bpy
for obj in bpy.context.selected_objects:
    obj.scale = (2, 2, 2)

This is also the gateway to writing add-ons, but scripting Blender is its own topic.