Blender Quick Start Guide

Blender Quick Start Guide

by Allan Brito
Released September 2018
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781789619478

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Book description

Learn the new Blender 2.8 user interface and make 3D models

Key Features

  • Find your way round the new user interface and tools of Blender 2.8
  • Create materials, apply textures and render scenes
  • Use the new cutting-edge real-time render EEVEE in your projects

Book Description

Blender is open source 3D creation software. With a long history and an enthusiastic community of users, it is the ideal choice for almost any kind of work with 3D modeling or animation. However, for new users, its power and ?exibillity can sometimes be daunting, and that's when you need this book!

The book starts by showing you round the all-new Blender 2.8 user interface. You'll look at the most commonly-used options and tools, such as navigating in 3D and selecting objects. You will then use and manipulate one of the most important windows of the interface, the 3D View.

You'll learn how to use essential tools for working with 3D modeling. To give your models the feel of real-world objects, you'll learn how to create materials and set up surfaces. You'll see how to use Physically-Based Rendering (PBR), which allows you to craft realistic surfaces such as wood, stone, and metal. You will also work with Eevee, a new real-time render engine in Blender.

You will see how to add motion to objects, making use of Blender's impressive 3D animation features. Finally, you'll learn how to create scenes and organize them for rendering, and later add titles and effects using built-in Blender tools.

By the end of the book, you will be able to use Blender 2.8 new UI, Create 3D Models with textures, Animations, and Render them in real-time using Eevee.

What you will learn

  • Manipulate and visualize your 3D objects in Blender
  • Use polygon modeling tools such as extrude, loop cut, and more
  • Apply precision modeling tools like snapping and the 3D Cursor
  • Render a scene using the real-time engine Eevee
  • Create materials for Eevee and Cycles
  • Render a scene with the Eevee real-time engine
  • Use PBR textures to craft realistic surfaces such as wood with the Shader Editor
  • Add motion and animation using keyframes
  • Create animation loops using curves and modifiers

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone interested in taking their steps with Blender. If you're an experienced 3D artists or hobbyist, this book will help you with its features.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright and Credits
    1. Blender Quick Start Guide
  3. Dedication
  4. Packt Upsell
    1. Why subscribe?
    2. Packt.com
  5. Contributors
    1. About the author
    2. About the reviewers
    3. Packt is searching for authors like you
  6. Preface
    1. Who this book is for
    2. What this book covers
    3. To get the most out of this book
      1. Download the example code files
      2. Download the color images
      3. Code in action
      4. Conventions used
    4. Get in touch
      1. Reviews
  7. Using Blender 2.8 UI, Shading and Navigator Widget
    1. Technical requirements
    2. The Blender user interface
      1. Resizing windows
      2. Managing windows
        1. Merging windows
      3. Active window and shortcuts
      4. Selecting objects
      5. Transforming objects
        1. Moving objects
        2. Rotating objects
        3. 1.5.3 Scaling objects
      6. Shading options for Blender 2.8
      7. Navigator widget and visualization
        1. Navigation widget
      8. Displaying and editing properties
    3. Summary
  8. 3D Modeling and Real-Time Rendering in Eevee
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Creating a chair model with polygons
      1. Starting with a 3D primitive
      2. Creating the chair seat with transformations
        1. Expanding the chair with extrudes
      3. 3D modeling with extrusions
      4. Creating the legs and the Specials menu
      5. Creating the backrest
      6. Using pie menus in Blender 2.8
      7. Adding a floor and back wall
      8. Rendering and shading with Eevee
      9. Adding lights and real-time shadows
        1. Changing light types and strength
        2. Shadow quality
      10. Rendering still images
        1. Rendering with Eevee
    3. Summary
  9. The New 3D Cursor and Modeling Options
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Using the 3D Cursor
      1. Using the cursor to align objects
      2. 3D Cursor coordinates and display
      3. Cutting the model
        1. Creating a doorway and modifiers
      4. Snap during transformations
    3. Summary
  10. Using Real-Time Materials in Eevee
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Using materials in Blender
      1. Adding materials to objects
      2. Using shaders for materials
        1. Object color
        2. Reflections for materials
        3. Transparency for materials
        4. Objects as light sources
      3. Multiple materials for one object
    3. Summary
  11. Real-Time Textures for Eevee
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Working with textures in Eevee
      1. Shader editor for textures
      2. Using image textures
      3. Using a PBR material
        1. Adding multiple image textures
        2. Mixing nodes with color and ambient occlusion
        3. Using a normal map
        4. Adding a roughness texture
        5. Finishing up the PBR material
    3. Summary
  12. Lights and Real-Time Rendering with Blender Eevee
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Rendering with Blender Eevee
      1. Using an HDR texture as background
      2. Adding shadows with Eevee
      3. Effects and options for Eevee
        1. Bloom effect
        2. Shadow quality
        3. Sampling
        4. Removing the background for rendering
        5. Using a light probe to boost indirect lighting
      4. Rendering with Cycles
        1. Enabling your GPU for rendering
        2. Removing the background and noise
      5. Color and exposure controls
    3. Summary
  13. Animate Everything in Blender 2.8!
    1. Technical requirements
    2. How animation works in Blender 2.8
      1. Creating the scene for our animation
      2. Making an orthographic camera for video
      3. Animation with keyframes in Blender
        1. Inserting keyframes for animation
      4. Animation using properties
    3. Summary
  14. Editing Animations in Blender 2.8
    1. Technical requirements
    2. How to edit animations in Blender 2.8
      1. Editing and moving keyframes
      2. Creating an animated background for video
        1. Creating loops for animation
        2. Using the Graph Editor
      3. Rendering animations
        1. Rendering as an image sequence
      4. Adding sound to animations
      5. Rendering a finished video
    3. Summary
  15. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Leave a review - let other readers know what you think

Product information

  • Title: Blender Quick Start Guide
  • Author(s): Allan Brito
  • Release date: September 2018
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781789619478