Blender For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Discovering Blender

In This Chapter

• Figuring out what Blender is and what it's used for

• Understanding Blender's history

• Getting familiar with the Blender interface

• Becoming a part of the Blender community

In the world of 3D modeling and animation software, programs are usually expensive: Like, really, really, thousands-of-dollars-and-maybe-an-arm expensive. And there are some valid reasons for that. Software companies spend millions of dollars and countless hours developing these programs. And the large production companies that buy these programs for their staff make enough money to afford the high cost.

But what about us? You and I, the little guys? We are the ambitious dreamers with big ideas, high motivation ... and tight budgets. How can we bring our ideas to life and our stories to a screen, even if it is our own computer monitors? Granted, we could shell out that cash (and hopefully keep our arms) for the expensive programs that the pros use. But even then, animation is a highly collaborative art and it's difficult to produce anything in a reasonable amount of time without some help.

We need quality software and a strong community to work, grow, and evolve with. Fortunately, Blender can provide us with both of these things. This chapter is an introduction to Blender, its background, its interface, and its community.

Getting to Know Blender

Blender is a free and open source 3D modeling and animation suite. Yikes! What a mouthful, huh? Put simply, Blender is a computer graphics ...