From 8a50bcb163939f4e5b8f2712671d4f133c956d52 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Thomas Dinges Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:19:18 +0000 Subject: * Update of the blender.html. Still lacks a bit, but better than before. Everyone, feel free to improve. --- release/text/blender.html | 1075 +++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------- 1 file changed, 559 insertions(+), 516 deletions(-) (limited to 'release/text') diff --git a/release/text/blender.html b/release/text/blender.html index 30c8f0b0dc2..21e3900da0e 100644 --- a/release/text/blender.html +++ b/release/text/blender.html @@ -1,516 +1,559 @@ - - - - A brief introduction to Blender - - - - - -

Blender v2.4x series

-
-
    -
  1. About
    2. -
  2. Package Contents and Install
    3. -
  3. Getting Started:
    4. -
      -
    1. Running
      2. -
    2. First steps, -The 3d View
      3. -
    -
  4. Resources
    5. -
  5. Troubleshooting
    6. -
  6. (FAQ) A few remarks
    7. -
- -

1. About

- -

Welcome to the world of Blender! -The program you have now in your hands is a free and fully functional 3D -modeling, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing and game creation suite. It is available for -Unix-based (Linux, Mac OS X, etc.) and Windows systems and has a large -world-wide community.

- -

Blender is free to be applied for any purpose, including commercial usage and -distribution. It's free and open-source software, released under the GNU GPL -licence. The full program sources are available on our website.

- -

For impatient readers, here the two most important links:

-www.blender.org the main website
-wiki.blender.org the documentation website
- -

back to top

- -

2. Package Contents and Install

- -

This is what you should get from a downloaded Blender package:

- - - -

The latest version for all supported platforms can always be found at the -main Blender site, along with documentation, sample .blend files, many scripts, -plugins and more.

- -

If you are interested in the development of the program, information for -coders and the CVS repository with the sources can be found at the -developer's section of the site.

- -

Installation notes:

- -

Installing is mostly a matter of executing a self-installer package or unpacking it to -some folder. Blender has a minimum of system dependencies (like OpenGL and SDL), and doesn't -install by overwriting libraries in your system. There are also some extra -files needed for a good install, like an antialiased font and standard python scripts, but these -are optional. Typically these will go to your HOME/.blender/ -directory. Below you find instructions for it per OS. -

- -

Windows: the .exe installer handles registry of file types for you. The .zip download has -a .blender directory included, which can be manually copied.
-The directory .blender is located by Blender while checking the following list:
-- whether environment variable HOME exists,
-- or, if environment USERPROFILE exists, and the installer has created there the Application Data\Blender Foundation\Blender\ -directory,
-- or it uses the .blender directory from the installation directory (where blender.exe resides)
-Also note that Blender comes with two dll files, which have to reside next to blender.exe.

- -

Linux, FreeBSD, Irix, Solaris: after unpacking the distribution, you can copy the .blender -directory from it to your home directory.

- -

OSX: the .blender directory is in Blender.app/Contents/Resources/. This is being located -by default. If you like to alter some of the files, copy this directory to your home dir.

- -

Other settings:
-There are many paths you can set in Blender itself, to tell it where to -look for your collections of texture and sound files, fonts, plugins and -additional scripts, besides where it should save rendered images, temporary -data, etc. If you're only starting, there's no need to worry about this now. -

- -

Python:
-Some downloaded scripts may require extra Python modules not shipped with -Blender. Installing the whole Python distribution is a way to solve this -issue for most cases except scripts that require extensions (3rd party -modules), but we are starting to add more modules to Blender itself so that -most scripts don't depend on full Python installs anymore. This is mostly -about Windows, in other platforms Python is usually a standard component -nowadays, so unless there's a version mismatch or an incomplete py -installation, there should be no problems.

- -

Even if you do have the right version of Python installed you may need to -tell the embedded Python interpreter where the installation is. To do that -it's enough to set a system variable called PYTHON to the full path to the -stand-alone Python executable (to find out execute "import sys; print -sys.executable" inside the stand-alone interpreter, not in Blender). To check -which Python was linked to your Blender binary, execute "import sys; print -sys.version" at Blender's text editor), it's probably 2.5.something -- only the -two first numbers should have to match with yours.

- - -

back to top

- -

3. Getting Started

- -

Blender's main strength is at modeling, animating and rendering 3d -scenes, from simple cubes and monkey heads to the complex environments found in -videogames and movies with computer graphics (CG) art.

- -

Rendering is the process of generating 2d images from 3d -data (basically lit 3d models) as if viewed by a virtual camera. In simple -terms, rendering is like taking a picture of the scene, but with many more -ways to influence the results. Blender comes with a very flexible renderer -and is well integrated with the open source YafRay package. There are also -scripts to export to other popular third party renderers like Povray and -Renderman compliant ones. By animating the data and rendering -pictures of each successive frame, movie sequences can be created.

- -

In compositing a set of techniques is used to add effects -to rendered images and combine these into a single frame. This is how, for -example, artists add laser beams, glows and dinosaurs to motion -pictures. Blender also has builtin -support for video sequence editing and sound synchronization.

- -

The game engine inside Blender lets users create and play -nifty 3d games, complete with 3d graphics, sound, physics and scripted rules. -

- -

Via scripting the program's functionality can be automated -and extended in real-time with important new capabilities. True displacement -mapping, for example, is now part of the core program, but before that it was -already possible using scripts. Since they are written in a nice higher-level -programming language -- Python in our case --- development is considerably faster and easier than normal C/C++ coding. -Naturally, they run slower than compiled code, but still fast enough for -many purposes or for mixed approaches like some plugins use.

- -

Running:

- -

Depending on your platform, the installation may have put an icon on your -desktop and a menu entry for Blender. If not, it's not hard to do that -yourself for your favorite window manager.

- -

But for more flexibility, you can execute Blender from a shell window or -command-line prompt. Try "blender -h" to see all available options.

- -

Blender saves data in its own custom binary format, using ".blend" as -extension. The default start-up configuration is saved in a file in your home directory called -.B.blend. To save your changes to it, click on -File->Save Default Settings or use the Control+u shortcut -directly.

- -

First steps:

- -

This is the point where we stop and warn newcomers that 3d Computer -Graphics is a vast field and Blender has a lot of packed functionality. -If you already tried to run it and fell victim to the "too many buttons!" -syndrome, just relax and read this part of the F.A.Q.

- -

Hoping the explanations helped, let's start Blender and take a look at it. -At the top header you can see the main menu. Under "File" you'll find entries -to save, load and quit. If someone ever messes with your workspace -and you can't find your way around: use the menu File->Load Factory settings.

- -

Blender's screen is divided in "areas". Each of them has a top or bottom -header and can show any of the available builtin applications (called "spaces", -like the 3d View, the Text Editor, etc). If you started with a default -configuration, there should now be three areas: -

- - - -

These are the three most important spaces, at least when you are starting. -At the left corner of each header you can find the "Window Types" button, -which is like the "Start" buttom of many desktop environments. Clicking on -it lets you change what is shown in that area.

- -

Highly configurable workspace

- -

Blender's interface has been considerably improved for the 2.3x series. -Besides the goals of exposing functionality via menus and adding tooltips -for all buttons, there are even more ways now to change your workspace.

- -

As before, areas can be resized, subdivided in two or joined; headers can -be moved to the top or bottom of an area or hidden completely. Just experiment -to find out how, it's trivial. Hint: the mouse cursor changes to a double arrow -when it is over the inter-area edges.

- -

There should be a button with "SCR:" in the top header. It has some preset -workspaces that can be tried now for a tour of the possibilities. When you -change your current setup to something worth keeping, that same button has the -option to save the new screen.

- -

Since version 2.30 Blender lets users define new color themes that can also -be shared with others when saved in the default startup .B.blend file.

- -

The User Preferences space has many options there that you may want to -tweak, like turning button tooltips on/off, setting paths, etc. Just remember -to save your configuration if you want to keep it for the next session). -Since these preferences are not saved in regular .blend files, the presets will -retain working even when loading files from others. Note however, that the arrangement -of the UI itself - its screens and windows - are always saved in each file. -

- -

The 3d View:

- -

Mouse buttons and the toolbox

- -

Pressing the SPACEBAR or Shift+a while the mouse pointer is inside a 3d -View space will open up the toolbox. The toolbox gives you faster access to -many functions, like adding new objects to your scene, editing their properties, -selecting and so on.

- -

This is how the mouse buttons work in this space: -

-Combinations of mouse buttons and Shift or Control will give you additional -options like zooming, panning and restricted movement. 3d scenes can be seen -from any position and orientation, but there are some default ones you can -reach with Numpad buttons or the "View" menu in the 3d View's header.

- -

Edit Mode

- -

When you want to edit the vertices of a mesh, for example, it's necessary to -select the object and enter "Edit Mode", either using the 3d View header "Mode" -button or by pressing TAB on your keyboard (press it again to return to object -mode).

- -

And this was only the beginning ...

- -

The above guidelines should have given new users enough to start playing -with the interface. The next section lists online references that can actually teach about 3d and this program, but it's a good idea to spend some time just -playing with Blender, looking at menus and finding what mouse actions do in -each space.

- -

back to top

- -

4. Resources

- - - -

This short presentation is meant to guide newcomers to Blender through their -very first steps, giving directions to where you can find the -resources you will need. We can't teach you 3D in these few lines of text, -that would take a lengthy book.

- -

Irc users are invited to try #blenderchat on irc.freenode.net .

- -

There are also local Blender community sites in some countries, that should -be listed at the Community section of the main site.

- -

If you are a coder wanting to get in touch with Blender development, a good read -is the "Get Involved" page at www.blender.org. A -good way to start is to follow the mailing lists for a while and check bug -reports, to see if you can fix one. On irc.freenode.net: #blendercoders you'll find many active developers, here also the weekly meetings take place.

- -

Other useful links

- -

In the realm of open-source cg programs, it's a pleasure to mention other -great projects that can help you achieve your visions. Note that these -programs are completely independent from Blender and have their own sites, -documentation and support channels. Note also that this list is not complete -and should be updated on future versions of this text.

- -
-
The Gimp
-
The mighty GNU Image Manipulation Program. In 3d work it is a valuable -resource to create, convert and, of course, manipulate texture images. -It is also useful for work with rendered pictures, for example to add 2d text, -logos or to touch-up, apply factory or hand-made effects and compose with other -images.
- -
- -

Renderers:

- -
-
YafRay
-
A currently inactive but very impressive program. Blender has builtin -support for it.
-
Povray
-
One of the best and most popular renderers in the world. There is a -script to export Blender scenes to be rendered with it.
-
Renderman-compliant: -open-source: Aqsis, -Pixie. Closed-source: -3delight.
-
The Renderman spec was created by Pixar years ago to define both a -standard and powerful representation of 3d data for renderers and the expected -quality of the renderization itself. Think about 3d art from some movie -- it -was much probably created by Pixar's own Photorealistic Renderman (PRMan) -renderer. This is a good site to learn more: -The Renderman Academy. Neither -Pixar nor its products are affiliated with Blender.
-
- -

back to top

- -

5. Troubleshooting

- -

If something isn't working, please read this entire section before looking -for help.

- - - -

General start-up and usage problems

- -

If the program crashes or something isn't working properly, try running -Blender in debug mode: execute it as "blender -d" from a -command prompt. This might give some info about what is wrong. There are also -other options that might be useful, "blender -h" lists all of them.
-Most likely an immediate crash is due to Blender's need for a compliant and -stable working OpenGL.

- -

Video card blues

- -

Although OpenGL is cherished as an excellent cross platform library, the enormous -growth of different 3D cards have made this a complicated affair for Blender. Unlike -other programs - or 3D games - Blender utilizes OpenGL for its entire GUI, including -buttons and pulldown menus. That means also the 2D options for OpenGL should -work good, something easily ignored or badly tested by 3D card manufacturors, who -target more at the latest SFX features for new 3D games.
-In general Blender performs -very well on 3D cards from renowned brands, such as NVidia, ATI or 3DLabs.

- - -

Scripts

- -

To be sure that some functionality is scripted: all scripts in Blender can -be accessed from the "Scripts" menu in the Scripts Window's header, even if the -same functionality is also in another menu somewhere. If you see an entry in -one of the submenus there, it refers to a script. Please don't report problems -with scripts to the bug tracker or other normal Blender channels. You should -find the author's site or contact email in the script's text itself, but -usually the Python & Plugins forum at -Blenderartists.org is used for posting -announcements, questions, suggestions and bug reports related to scripts. It's -the recommended place to look first, specially if no site was specified at the -script's window or source file(s).

-

If some or all scripts that should appear in menus are not there, running -Blender in debug mode can possibly inform what is -wrong. Make sure the reported dir(s) really exist.

- -

The Bug Tracker

- -

If you really think you found a new bug in Blender, check the Bug Tracker -entries at the projects site and if -it was not reported yet, please log in (or register) and fill in detailed -information about the error. A small .blend file or script (if it is a problem -with the Blender Python API) showcasing the bug can help a lot.

- -

back to top

- -

6. (FAQ) A few remarks

- -
    -
  1. Quick tips.
    2. -
  2. What's up with the interface?
    3. -
  3. How good is Blender? How does it compare to other 3d -programs?
    4. -
  4. Something doesn't work, what do I do?
    5. -
- -

Quick tips:

- -

Rendering: to see something when you render (F12) an image, -make sure the scene has a camera pointing at your models (camera view is -NumPad 0) and at least one light properly placed. Otherwise you'll only get a -black rectangle.

- -

Setting texture map input to "uv" in the Material Buttons window is not enough -to assign a texture image and uv data to a mesh. It's necessary to select the mesh, -enter edit mode, indicate face selection mode (modes can be accessed in the 3d view's header), load an -image in the UV/Image Editor window and then define a mapping (or unwrapping). Only then -the mesh will have uv data available for exporting.

- -

If you want the fastest possible access to Blender's functionality, remember -what a wise power user wrote: "keep one hand on the keyboard -and the other on the mouse". Learn and use the shortcuts, configure your -workspace to your needs.

- -

What's up with the interface?

- -

Blender uses a couple of innovative paradigms in the UI, not following more common, somewhat standard rules for user -interfaces. In the past years several of our interface concepts have been adopted in more programs though, -especially using a configurable non-overlapping subdivision layout and the paradigm to never block the UI from working by -offering all editors and options in parallel.
-Typically free programs offer easy-to-use interfaces for large audiences. Blender however is, like other high-end 3D tools, -meant to be a powerful production tool for professionals and 3D enthusiasts, for people who are dedicated to become 3D artists with enough time -and motivation to master the software.
-This also has its origins in the 90ies, when Blender was born as an in-house studio tool, optimized to speed up daily heavy -work, and not to please everyone. But it's true that you can consider Blender's interface -to be not very newbie-friendly. Luckily you only have to learn it once, and once you get the basics it'll feel like 2nd nature!

- -

Blender also has been considerably -improved since the 2.3x series, exposing most functionality via menus, adding -panels, color "themability", tooltips for all buttons and internationalization -support. This is an ongoing effort or, better, a goal to keep the best ideas -in Blender's design while expanding and making it more user-friendly.

- -

Too many buttons!

- -

Again, 3D Computer Graphics is a vast and fun field. If you're only -starting, Blender can seem daunting, specially because of all its packed -functionality. Don't let that upset you, there is no need to care about -all those buttons right now -- or ever.

- -

There are basic things all users should learn early up:

- - - -

One hour is enough time to assimilate and practice that before going on -with basic mesh editing and texturing, for example. There are many different -areas to learn about. Taste, interaction with other users and your main -interests (game art, rendered stills, movies) will guide you and define the -skills you'll want to master. Then it goes like a spiral: practice something -for a while, study and find about new tricks or whole new areas, practice a -little more and so on. Soon you'll become pleased to have all those buttons to -play with. A few more months and you'll probably be back asking for more ... -

- -

How good is Blender?

- -

If you ever get the impression that it's not possible to create great -looking or complex works with Blender, rejoice -- you are just plainly -uninformed, as browsing blender.org galleries and community forums can easily confirm.

- -

How does it compare to other 3d programs?

- -

In short: it takes considerable dedication to become good, no matter which -program you work with, as long as it is good enough not to get in your way. -Blender has, like the others, its strong and weak points.

- -

Compared to commercial alternatives, Blender misses some features and isn't -as "newbie-friendly". It doesn't come packed with "one-click" or "wizard" -functionality, where you get much faster results in detriment of flexibility -and value. It also isn't bundled with tens of megabytes of sample models, -texture images, tutorials, etc. (which only partly explains how Blender can fit -in such a small download).

- -

Thankfully, these are relatively minor shortcomings. Many of Blender's modeling, animation and -rendering/compositing features are up-to-par with the industry standards. The pace at which features -are being added or polished in Blender is impressive, now that it's a well -stablished open source project. We get daily feedback from professionals and studios using Blender, and -results from the Blender Foundation's Open Movie/Game projects such as Big Buck Bunny -and Yo Frankie! have set a reference standard for what a program like Blender can achieve. - More: through plugins and scripting, many -repetitive or otherwise cumbersome tasks can be made trivial. But plugin and -script authors go further, teaching Blender new tricks, from importers and -exporters to more advanced "applications".

- -

About goodies, there are many places where you can get them (check -resources). Besides the many available Blender books, the main site and -blenderartists.org are the best ones to start. For free texture -images, a simple search for "free textures" should bring many results, just pay -attention to their licenses if you plan to release your work later.

- -

Commercial packages might make it easier for newbies to produce nice looking -material, but only another newbie would praise the results. There's a huge -difference between what a skilled artist and someone poking at buttons and -using presets can accomplish.

- -

Last but best of all: Blender is open-source, free for all to use, study and -improve.

- -
-

Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy Blender!

- -

Document version 1.1, Sept 2008

- -

back to top

- - - + + + + + A brief introduction to Blender + + + + + +

Blender v2.5 beta +series

+



+

+
    +

  1. About + +

    +

  2. Package + Contents and Install +

    +

  3. Getting + Started: +

    +
      +

    1. Running + +

      +

    2. First + steps, The 3d View +

      +
    +

  4. Resources + +

    +

  5. Troubleshooting + +

    +

  6. (FAQ) A few remarks +

    +
+

1. About

+

Welcome to the world of Blender! +The program you have now in your hands is a free and fully functional +3d modeling, animation, rendering, compositing, video editing and +game creation suite. It is available for Unix-based (Linux, Mac OS X, +etc.) and Windows systems and has a large world-wide community.

+

Blender is free to be applied for any purpose, +including commercial usage and distribution. It's free and +open-source software, released under the GNU GPL licence. The full +program sources are available on our website.

+

For impatient readers, here the two most important +links:

+

www.blender.org +the main website
wiki.blender.org +the documentation website

+

back to top

+

2. Package Contents and Install

+

This is what you should get from a downloaded Blender +package:

+ +

The latest version for all supported platforms can +always be found at the main Blender site, along with documentation, +sample .blend files, many scripts, plugins and more.

+

If you are interested in the development of the +program, information for coders and the SVN repository with the +sources can be found at the developer's +section of the site.

+

Installation notes:

+

Installing is mostly a matter of executing a +self-installer package or unpacking it to some folder. Blender has a +minimum of system dependencies (like OpenGL and SDL), and doesn't +install by overwriting libraries in your system. There are also some +extra files needed for a good install, like standard python scripts, +but these are optional. Typically these will go to your +HOME/.blender/ directory. Below you find instructions for it per OS. +

+

Windows: The .zip download has a .blender +directory included, which can be manually copied.
Also note that +Blender comes with some dll files, which have to reside next to +blender.exe.

+

Linux, FreeBSD, Irix, Solaris: after unpacking +the distribution, you can copy the .blender directory from it to your +home directory. +

+

OSX: the .blender directory is in +Blender.app/Contents/Resources/. This is being located by default. If +you like to alter some of the files, copy this directory to your home +dir.

+

Other settings:
There are many paths you +can set in Blender itself, to tell it where to look for your +collections of texture and sound files, fonts, plugins and additional +scripts, besides where it should save rendered images, temporary +data, etc. If you're only starting, there's no need to worry about +this now. +

+

Python:
Blender 2.5x use Python 3.1 as +scripting language for im/exporters, UI buttons layout and other +areas like presets. On Windows, Python 3.1 is included in the zip +package from blender.org. +

+

In other platforms Python is usually a standard +component nowadays, so unless there's a version mismatch or an +incomplete py installation, there should be no problems.

+

Even if you do have the right version of Python +installed you may need to tell the embedded Python interpreter where +the installation is. To do that it's enough to set a system variable +called PYTHON to the full path to the stand-alone Python executable +(to find out execute "import sys; print sys.executable" +inside the stand-alone interpreter, not in Blender). To check which +Python was linked to your Blender binary, execute "import sys; +print sys.version" at Blender's text editor), it's 3.1.something +-- only the two first numbers should have to match with yours.

+

back to top

+

3. Getting Started

+

Blender's main strength is at modeling, animating and +rendering 3d scenes, from simple cubes and monkey heads to the +complex environments found in videogames and movies with computer +graphics (CG) art.

+

Rendering is +the process of generating 2d images from 3d data (basically lit 3d +models) as if viewed by a virtual camera. In simple terms, rendering +is like taking a picture of the scene, but with many more ways to +influence the results. Blender comes with a very flexible renderer +and a Povray Render Exporter script. By animating +the data and rendering pictures of each successive +frame, movie sequences can be created.

+

In compositing +a set of techniques is used to add effects to +rendered images and combine these into a single frame. This is how, +for example, artists add laser beams, glows and dinosaurs to motion +pictures. Blender also has builtin support for video sequence editing +and sound synchronization.

+

The game +engine inside Blender lets users +create and play nifty 3d games, complete with 3d graphics, sound, +physics and scripted rules. +

+

Via scripting +the program's functionality can be automated and +extended in real-time with important new capabilities. True +displacement mapping, for example, is now part of the core program, +but before that it was already possible using scripts. Since they are +written in a nice higher-level programming language -- Python +in our case -- development is considerably faster and easier than +normal C/C++ coding. Naturally, they run slower than compiled code, +but still fast enough for many +purposes or for mixed approaches like some plugins +use.

+

Running:

+

Depending on your platform, the installation may have +put an icon on your desktop and a menu entry for Blender. If not, +it's not hard to do that yourself for your favorite window manager.

+

But for more flexibility, you can execute Blender +from a shell window or command-line prompt. Try "blender -h" +to see all available options.

+

Blender saves data in its own custom binary +format, using ".blend" as extension. The default start-up +configuration is saved in a file in your home directory called +.B.blend. To save your changes to it, click on File->User +Preferences->Save as Default or +use the Control+U shortcut directly.

+

First steps:

+

This is the point where we stop and warn +newcomers that 3d Computer Graphics is a vast field and Blender has a +lot of packed functionality. If you already tried to run it and fell +victim to the "too many buttons!" syndrome, just relax and +read this part of the F.A.Q. +

+

Hoping the explanations helped, let's start +Blender and take a look at it. At the top header you can see the main +menu. Under "File" you'll find entries to save, load and +quit. If someone ever +messes with your workspace and you can't find your way around: use +the menu File->New.

+

Blender's screen is divided in "areas". +Each of them has a top or bottom header and can show any of the +available built in applications (called "spaces", like the +3d View, the Text Editor, etc). If you started with a default +configuration, there should now be five areas: +

+ +

These are the five most important spaces, at least +when you are starting. At the left corner of each header you can find +the "Window Types" button, which is like the "Start" +buttom of many desktop environments. Clicking on it lets you change +what is shown in that area.

+

Highly configurable workspace

+

Blender's interface has been considerably improved +for the 2.5x series. Besides the goals of exposing functionality via +menus and adding tooltips for all buttons, there are even more ways +now to change your workspace.

+

Editor areas can be split and joined with the new +window split action zone. Dragging the zone inside the editor area +with LMB interactively splits a new window in between, dragging the +zone into another editor area joins it. Alt-LMB dragging the zone +swaps the area with another. +

+

There should be a button with "Default" in +the top header. It has some preset workspaces that can be tried now +for a tour of the possibilities. When you change your current setup +to something worth keeping, that same button has the option to save +the new screen.

+

The User Preferences space has many options there +that you may want to tweak, like turning button tooltips on/off, +setting paths, etc. Just remember to save your configuration if you +want to keep it for the next session). Since these preferences are +not saved in regular .blend files, the presets will retain working +even when loading files from others. Note however, that the +arrangement of the UI itself - its screens and windows - are always +saved in each file. +

+

The 3d View:

+

Mouse buttons and the toolbox

+

Pressing Shift+A while the mouse pointer is inside a +3d View space will open up the Add menu, where you can add new +objects to your scene.

+

This is how the mouse buttons work in this space: +

+ +

Combinations of mouse buttons and Shift or Control +will give you additional options like zooming, panning and restricted +movement. 3d scenes can be seen from any position and orientation, +but there are some default ones you can reach with Numpad buttons or +the "View" menu in the 3d View's header.

+

Edit Mode

+

When you want to edit the vertices of a mesh, for +example, it's necessary to select the object and enter "Edit +Mode", either using the 3d View header "Mode" button +or by pressing TAB on your keyboard (press it again to return to +object mode).

+

And this was only the beginning ...

+

The above guidelines should have given new users +enough to start playing with the interface. The next section lists +online references that can actually teach about 3d and this program, +but it's a good idea to spend some time just playing with Blender, +looking at menus and finding what mouse actions do in each space.

+

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+

4. Resources

+ +

This short presentation is meant to guide +newcomers to Blender through their very +first steps, giving directions to +where you can find the resources you will need. We can't teach you 3d +in these few lines of text, that would take a lengthy book.

+

IRC users are invited to try #blenderchat or #blender +on irc.freenode.net .

+

There are also local Blender community sites in some +countries, that should be listed at the Community section of the main +site.

+

If you are a coder wanting to get in touch with +Blender development, a good read is the "Get Involved" page +at www.blender.org. +A good way to start is to follow the mailing lists for a while and +check bug reports, to see if you can fix one. On irc.freenode.net: +#blendercoders you'll find many active developers, here also the +weekly meetings take place.

+

Other useful links

+

In the realm of open-source cg programs, it's a +pleasure to mention other great projects that can help you achieve +your visions. Note that these programs are completely independent +from Blender and have their own sites, documentation and support +channels. Note also that this list is not complete and should be +updated on future versions of this text.

+
+
The Gimp +
+ The mighty GNU Image Manipulation Program. In 3d work it is a + valuable resource to create, convert and, of course, manipulate + texture images. It is also useful for work with rendered pictures, + for example to add 2d text, logos or to touch-up, apply factory or + hand-made effects and compose with other images. +
+

+Renderers:

+
+
Povray +
+ One of the best and most popular renderers in the world. There is a + script to export Blender scenes to be rendered with it, delivered + with 2.5. +
+ Renderman-compliant: + open-source: Aqsis, Pixie. + Closed-source: 3delight. +
+ The Renderman spec was created by Pixar years ago + to define both a standard and powerful representation of 3d data for + renderers and the expected quality of the renderization itself. + Think about 3d art from some movie -- it was much probably created + by Pixar's own Photorealistic Renderman (PRMan) renderer. This is a + good site to learn more: The + Renderman Academy. Neither Pixar nor its products are affiliated + with Blender. +
+

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+

5. Troubleshooting

+

If something isn't working, please read this entire +section before looking for help.

+ +

General start-up and usage +problems

+

If the program crashes or something isn't +working properly, try running Blender in debug +mode: execute it as "blender +-d" from a command prompt. This might give some info about what +is wrong. There are also other options that might be useful, "blender +-h" lists all of them.
Most likely an immediate crash is due +to Blender's need for a compliant and stable working OpenGL.

+

Video card blues

+

Although OpenGL is cherished as an excellent cross +platform library, the enormous growth of different 3d cards have made +this a complicated affair for Blender. Unlike other programs - or 3d +games - Blender utilizes OpenGL for its entire GUI, including buttons +and pulldown menus. That means also the 2D options for OpenGL should +work good, something easily ignored or badly tested by 3d card +manufacturers, who target more at the latest SFX features for new 3d +games.
In general Blender performs very well on 3d cards from +renowned brands, such as NVidia, ATI or 3dLabs.

+

Scripts

+

To be sure that some functionality is scripted: +all scripts in Blender can be accessed from the "Scripts" +menu in the Scripts Window's header, even if the same functionality +is also in another menu somewhere. If you see an entry in one of the +submenus there, it refers to a script. Please don't report problems +with scripts to the bug tracker or other normal Blender channels. You +should find the author's site or contact email in the script's text +itself, but usually the Python & Plugins forum at +Blenderartists.org is +used for posting announcements, questions, suggestions and bug +reports related to scripts. It's the recommended place to look first, +specially if no site was specified at the script's window or source +file(s).

+

If some or all scripts that should appear in +menus are not there, running Blender in debug +mode can possibly inform what is wrong. Make sure the reported +dir(s) really exist.

+

The Bug Tracker

+

If you really think you found a new bug in +Blender, check the Bug Tracker entries at the +projects site and if it was not reported yet, please log in (or +register) and fill in detailed information about the error. A small +.blend file or script (if it is a problem with the Blender Python +API) showcasing the bug can help a lot.

+

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+

6. (FAQ) A few remarks

+
    +

  1. Quick + tips. +

    +

  2. What's + up with the interface? +

    +

  3. How + good is Blender? How does it compare to other 3d programs? +

    +

  4. Something doesn't work, + what do I do? +

    +
+

Quick tips:

+

Rendering: +to see something when you render (F12) an image, make sure the scene +has a camera pointing at your models (camera view is NumPad 0) and at +least one light properly placed. Otherwise you'll only get a black +rectangle.

+

Setting texture map input to "uv" in the +Material Buttons window is not enough to assign a texture image and +uv data to a mesh. It's necessary to select the mesh, enter edit +mode, indicate face selection mode (modes can be accessed in the 3d +view's header), load an image in the UV/Image Editor window and then +define a mapping (or unwrapping). Only then the mesh will have uv +data available for exporting.

+

If you want the fastest possible access to +Blender's functionality, remember what a wise +power user wrote: "keep one +hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse". Learn and use +the shortcuts, configure your workspace to your needs.

+

What's up with the interface?

+

Blender uses a couple of innovative paradigms in the +UI, not following more common, somewhat standard rules for user +interfaces. In the past years several of our interface concepts have +been adopted in more programs though, especially using a configurable +non-overlapping subdivision layout and the paradigm to never block +the UI from working by offering all editors and options in parallel. +
Typically free programs offer easy-to-use interfaces for large +audiences. Blender however is, like other high-end 3d tools, meant to +be a powerful production tool for professionals and 3d enthusiasts, +for people who are dedicated to become 3d artists with enough time +and motivation to master the software.
This also has its origins +in the 90ies, when Blender was born as an in-house studio tool, +optimized to speed up daily heavy work, and not to please everyone. +But it's true that you can consider Blender's interface to be not +very newbie-friendly. Luckily you only have to learn it once, and +once you get the basics it'll feel like 2nd nature!

+

Blender also has been considerably improved since the +2.3x series, exposing most functionality via menus, adding panels, +color "themability", tooltips for all buttons and +internationalization support. This is an ongoing effort or, better, a +goal to keep the best ideas in Blender's design while expanding and +making it more user-friendly.

+

Too many buttons!

+

Again, 3d Computer Graphics is a vast and fun +field. If you're only starting, Blender can seem daunting, specially +because of all its packed functionality. Don't let that upset you, +there is no need to care about all +those buttons right now -- or ever.

+

There are basic things all users should learn early +up:

+ +

One hour is enough time to assimilate and practice +that before going on with basic mesh editing and texturing, for +example. There are many different areas to learn about. Taste, +interaction with other users and your main interests (game art, +rendered stills, movies) will guide you and define the skills you'll +want to master. Then it goes like a spiral: practice something for a +while, study and find about new tricks or whole new areas, practice a +little more and so on. Soon you'll become pleased to have all those +buttons to play with. A few more months and you'll probably be back +asking for more ... +

+

How good is Blender?

+

If you ever get the impression that it's not possible +to create great looking or complex works with Blender, rejoice -- you +are just plainly uninformed, as browsing blender.org galleries and +community forums can easily confirm.

+

How does it compare to other 3d programs?

+

In short: it takes considerable dedication to become +good, no matter which program you work with, as long as it is good +enough not to get in your way. Blender has, like the others, its +strong and weak points.

+

Compared to commercial alternatives, Blender misses +some features and isn't as "newbie-friendly". It doesn't +come packed with "one-click" or "wizard" +functionality, where you get much faster results in detriment of +flexibility and value. It also isn't bundled with tens of megabytes +of sample models, texture images, tutorials, etc. (which only partly +explains how Blender can fit in such a small download).

+

Thankfully, these are relatively minor +shortcomings. Many of Blender's modeling, animation and +rendering/compositing features are up-to-par with the industry +standards. The pace at which features are being added or polished in +Blender is impressive, now that it's a well stablished open source +project. We get daily feedback from professionals and studios using +Blender, and results from the Blender Foundation's Open Movie/Game +projects such as Big Buck +Bunny and Yo Frankie! +have set a reference standard for what a program like Blender can +achieve. More: through plugins and scripting, many repetitive or +otherwise cumbersome tasks can be made trivial. But plugin and script +authors go further, teaching Blender new tricks, from importers and +exporters to more advanced "applications".

+

About goodies, there are many places where you +can get them (check resources). Besides the +many available Blender books, the main site and blenderartists.org +are the best ones to start. For free texture images, a simple search +for "free textures" should bring many results, just pay +attention to their licenses if you plan to release your work later.

+

Commercial packages might make it easier for newbies +to produce nice looking material, but only another newbie would +praise the results. There's a huge difference between what a skilled +artist and someone poking at buttons and using presets can +accomplish.

+

Last but best of all: Blender is open-source, free +for all to use, study and improve.

+
+

Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy Blender!

+

Document version 1.2, November 2009

+

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+ + \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.2.3