Blender is a GPL licensed 3D modeling and rendering suite written in [[C]]. - [Website](https://www.blender.org/) - [Gitea](https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender.git) (official) - [GitHub](https://github.com/blender/blender) (mirror) - AlternativeTo > Everyone should be free to create 3D CG content, with free technical and creative production means and free access to markets. # Notability The premier open source 3D modeling suite. Heavily used by everyone from game development studios to professional filmmakers. # Philosophy Blender doesn't support many basic usability improvements that other 3D applications have had for decades. Many basic features require coding your own UI plugin or finding someone else who has published their own. Basic usability is miserable and will constantly get in your way until you code your way around it. Advanced features are cool, but at the price of janky workflows for basic tasks. - No alt-drag gizmo duplication - No way to center the viewscreen on the selected object # OS Support - Linux - MacOS - Windows # Features # Tips ## Centering Viewport on Selected Object As insane as it sounds there is no single keybinding which can do this. ### Add to Quick Menu 1. Right click on any object, look for `Snap/Cursor to Selected` and then right click `Cursor to Selected` and add it to the quick menu 2. Go in the top menu and into `View/Align View/Center View to Cursor`, right click that menu item and also add it to the quick menu ## Axis Locking To lock a transformation to a given axis, just press the associated key for that axis. ``` x y z ``` ### Plane Locking To lock the transformation to a plane (2-axis), it is the same with shift: ``` shift-x shift-y shift-z ``` ### Local vs Global Double tapping the axis key will swap between using the global axis displayed on the editor and the local axis determined by the object's rotation. ``` x x y y z z ``` ## Blender Console Blender infuriatingly has no internal error console, so various add-ons and the program itself may dump important information to `stdout` and `stderr` meaning that it is probably best to just run it from the terminal. I think building in a launcher which captures all that and can display it on demand wouldn't be that hard to do. ```cardlink url: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/advanced/command_line/introduction.html title: "Introduction — Blender Manual" host: docs.blender.org ``` # Resources - [[Blender Tutorials]] ## Addons - [UCUPaint](https://ucupumar.github.io/ucupaint-wiki/) - "Ucupaint is a Blender addon that stacks images, textures, and vertex colors into layers with mask and baking support." - Very powerful mesh painting - [Malt](https://malt3d.com/) - "a fully **_customizable real-time rendering_** framework for animation and illustration" ## Paid Assets and Addons - [Sanctus Library](https://sanctuslibrary.xyz/) (procedural textures) - $40 - Allows you to do a tons of things - Like draw in metal welds on surfaces - [Poly Haven](https://polyhaven.com/) (textures and 3D assets) - $30 (assets are free, but this supports them by buying an integration plugin) - [Poliigon](https://www.poliigon.com/) (asset store) - $40/*mo* for 400 credits for under 150k revenue (equates to around 40 textures or 4 generators) - [AutoRig Pro](https://blendermarket.com/products/auto-rig-pro) (character bones/rigging for animation, works with Godot, Unreal, etc) - $40 - [Polygoniq](https://linktr.ee/polygoniq) (Prague-based designers selling assets) - various from $2 - $300 - [Gobos Light Textures](https://www.blendermarket.com/products/gobos) (project light textures) - $30 - [Photographer 4](https://chafouin.gumroad.com/l/HPrCY) (physical light and camera modeling) - $25 - [Photographer 5](https://chafouin.gumroad.com/l/photographer5) (includes 4) - $25 - [Quad Remesher](https://exoside.com/quadremesher/) (automatic retopologizer) - $110 ## Tutorials ## Developing Python Scripts / Addons ### Keymaps - https://github.com/pitiwazou/Scripts-Blender/blob/Older-Scripts/addon_keymap_template - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/1497/how-can-i-call-a-specific-keymap-to-draw-within-my-addonpreferences - https://blenderartists.org/t/keymap-for-addons/685544/9 - https://docs.blender.org/api/current/bpy.types.KeyMap.html - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/195823/how-to-keymap-a-custom-operator-with-properties - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/196483/create-keyboard-shortcut-for-an-operator-using-python # References - https://cohost.org/queerinmech/post/4174187-the-blender-wears-pr Weird Blender Tricks ```cardlink url: https://youtu.be/ZYFUY1ZuRwk title: "Create Crazy Geometry Node Meshes for Faces with Human Generator in Blender | Tutorial" description: "In this tutorial, we'll dive deep into the crazy possibilities by combining Geometry Nodes and the Human Generator to craft mesmerizing and intricate meshes ..." host: youtu.be favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/e4d15d2c/img/favicon_32x32.png image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZYFUY1ZuRwk/maxresdefault.jpg ``` Making Blender more like Unreal ```cardlink url: https://spectral-vectors.itch.io/blui title: "BLUi - Blender Unreal interface by Spectral Vectors" description: "App Template - Unreal UX in Blender (Industry Standard Keymap based)" host: spectral-vectors.itch.io favicon: https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzcxOTAwNTAucG5n/32x32%23/JSH0mX.png image: https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzcxOTAwNTAucG5n/original/%2BQ1TuE.png ``` ## Virtual Film Camera in Blender ```cardlink url: https://sirrandalot.gumroad.com/l/VirtualBlenderCamera title: "Virtual Blender Camera" description: "Have you ever wanted to take photographs inside blender? Well now you can! (sort of)New and improved, this virtual camera uses an actual collection of lenses, some layered filters and a tiny bit of compositing to simulate taking a photograph on an old film camera. Because the lens and aperture is simulated in a physically accurate way, the resulting distortion and bokeh effects look unlike anything you would normally get just using built in compositing techniques.A gallery of photos \"taken\" on the virtual camera: https://www.srlt.ca/virtual-camera-galleryCheck out the chaotic development of this asset: https://youtu.be/YE9rEQAGpLwA quick explanation of the improvements and how to use it: https://youtu.be/gI8Olz-SPP4Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, find any issues, or just want to share what you've made. I'd love to see your virtual photos!" host: sirrandalot.gumroad.com image: https://public-files.gumroad.com/beb63x4p18rh59lkxdph85x58k88 ``` ## Animated Style in 3D ```cardlink url: https://youtu.be/AWocxbVD3CE title: "Making an Anime character in 3D!" description: "So the goal for today, is we're going to try and translate concept art of Akko from Little Witch Academia to 3d, but in the end try to make it look like it's..." host: youtu.be favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/18e58bd6/img/favicon_32x32.png image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AWocxbVD3CE/maxresdefault.jpg ``` ## Programming in Blender In order to do basic things ergonomically, or create macros, it is likely that you will need to be able to write [[Python]] code to customize it yourself. ### Generic - https://docs.blender.org/api/current/info_quickstart.html ### Viewport - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/253424/center-view-on-selected-object-without-zooming ### Keyboard - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/3465/how-do-i-catch-keyboard-input-for-a-blender-plugin - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19554023/how-to-capture-keyboard-input-in-blender-using-python - https://github.com/InamuraJIN/ActionRecorder ### Mouse Events - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/1406/disable-object-automatic-dragging-after-duplication - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/270317/how-to-use-event-value-click-drag ## Blender Questions - https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/55714/how-can-i-move-an-object-along-its-local-axis