BlenderNewbies is a resource for learning Blender 3D. There are Blender 3D video tutorials, PDFs, tests, tools, and .blend files. Our goal is to cover a wide range of subjects while maintaining a presentation style that allows even beginners to keep up when things get to be more advanced. Also, be sure to check out our active forum for Blender users. Thanks for visiting!
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A new feature added to the developing Blender 2.5 allows you to easily display only renderable objects. This is very helpful when you want to isolate only those objects designated as renderable, or when you want to quickly hide things like the Grid, Cameras, Lamps, Empty objects, etc.
(You'll need a recent build of Blender 2.5. You can download the latest builds of Blender from graphicall.org.)
From within the 3D View,
press the N-key to display the Properties Panel.
Scroll down to the Display section
and enable the Only Render option.
Done!
You can control which objects are renderable by going to an Outliner view and toggling the "camera" icon to the right of the listed object. Of course, objects like the Camera, Lamps, etc. are non-renderable by default so no need to adjust their renderable option.
Development of the DVD is moving along at an increasing rate as Blender 2.5 continues to become more stable. Here's an abbreviated version of the mindmap depicting the current state of how the DVD is being organized.
Click to enlarge image.
A special Thank You to all of the pre-orders that are making this project possible!
UPDATE Question: Can you post a little bit about what kind of videos you are thinking about for the "Technical Reference" section?
The Technical Reference section will contain many very short (less than 2 minutes) videos covering very specific technical subjects such as targeting a camera, snapping, local view, setting up a render layer, etc. Think of it as a video wiki for the DVD's contents.
I believe it will make learning more efficient because you won't have to waste time scrubbing through a video for that one part that shows, for example, setting up a render layer.
I'll create reference videos for things that aren't repeated too often in the project videos. For example, there won't be a reference video for "pressing the E-key to extrude".
Two things will determine how much content is in the Tech Ref section: time and disc space. To deal with the time issue I'll record these videos near the end of development to get a better feel for what may be helpful as a Tech Ref video. To help address the disc space issue, I'll record these videos at a smaller resolution with a lower framerate, and maybe framed to only show what's relevant.
Question: What about the Appendixes?
The Appendixes will contain quick references for things like:
Using experimental versions of Blender
Upgrading Blender
Reporting a Bug
etc.
Question: What will the Index be like?
The Index will be similar to the index of a printed book or the Lables listed on the right side of this site. I'll be "tagging" videos as I create them, and these tags will allow you to click a link on the Index page and get an appropriate listing of videos. Honestly, this is just something that I HOPE to be able to do. Currently, I'm not exactly sure how to set this up for the DVD's html interface, but I will at least have everything tagged so it will just be a matter of researching how to implement something like this. I'm sure it's not an original idea so the question has been asked and answered somewhere online.
The BlenderArt Magazine is a bi-monthly PDF magazine that's free to download or view online. The magazine provides quality learning content for the Blender community, from the efforts of the community itself.
This video (presented by developer Campbell Barton) demos a new feature to quickly integrate the GIMP and Blender where textures can be easily edited in the GIMP and applied back into the 3D model.
I'm very happy to announce that I've begun production on my next Blender Training DVD!
This DVD will cover Blender 2.5 exclusively and will contain many hours of new and unpublished tutorials. There won't be any 2.5 versions of any of my existing tutorials so this will be fresh new content!
The training will be mostly small project-based tutorials so that what you learn is in the context of a real project scenario. This helps you understand not only How to do something, but also helps you have a better understanding of Why and When. Also, the project-based tutorials will allow you to repeatedly experience the full workflow so you develop a better understanding of how things work together.
In addition to the project-based tutorials, there will be several quick tips and technical demonstrations.
All of the tutorials will be broken up into sections lasting no more than 30 minutes so you can always have time to sit down and complete a lesson (no long tests of endurance and patience).
The level of the training will be for Beginner- to Intermediate-level users. Keystrokes will be shown as needed. If you're just getting started with Blender or 3d graphics, this DVD will be of tremendous value to you. However, no one really likes their results to look like beginner stuff, right? So, the lessons will be taught so that the results you get will be something you'll be confident in sharing with others. Bad lighting and crazy texturing will not be taught. :)
As a Blender Foundation Certified Trainer, I'm very serious about the tutorials I create, so the attention to detail and quality will be high (content, product materials, packaging, and delivery). The focus will be on teaching, instead of merely demonstrating. Also, there will be skill-building elements included such as exercise files, puzzles (crosswords, word finds, etc.), and short tests.
So, what will the DVD cover?
and more!
(In no specific order at this point)
Interface tour QuickStart videos for the user interface
Easiest approach to learning how to model a human head with good topology
Rendering tips
Lighting tips
Several short modeling exercises (with texturing)
Animation basics
Animating a bouncing ball
Modeling and animating a spacecraft
Sculpting basics
Basic Video Editing
Using text in Blender
Smoke basics
Cloth basics
Particles basics
Hair basics
Composite Nodes basics
also
Plenty of links to helpful resources within the Blender Community
HTML interface for the disc contents
This list will likely change to some degree based on Blender's development. However, I will be sure to post information throughout the DVD's development to provide sneak previews, updates, and specific tutorial titles. A lot of smaller details (modifiers, interface elements and tools, etc.) will be covered within the context of the projects and in Reference videos.
What will the DVD not cover?
In-depth rigging
Game engine
Python programming
In-depth character animation
every aspect of Blender
The DVD will cost a modest $35 USD plus shipping. It will consist of twoFOUR DVD-ROM discs.
NOTE: Due to the increase in the number of discs provided (from 2 discs to 4 discs), the cost will increase to $50 USD plus shipping after May 13, 2011.
I'm really excited to finally get started on this project and I look forward to creating a top-quality resource for getting you up to speed with Blender 2.5!
Thank you for support! Please feel free to ask any questions or comment.
In this tutorial, we’ll look at how to measure objects and distances in Blender. We’ll look at features built into Blender and the Caliper script (created by Dolf Veenvliet, aka macouno).
In this quick tip, we’ll take a look at how to easily create a procedural noise texture that’s stable during animation, unlike the default “Noise” procedural texture that’s available in Blender.
Version Compatibility: 2.4x, 2.5 alpha zero Tutorial Level: Beginner
I wanted to try and get something done for Christmas, and barely made it! So, here's a video demonstrating how to create a ribbon bow. This is really an unedited video with no narrative (ran out of time), and it's been sped up to help make up for the lack of editing. Hopefully, you'll be able to learn something from it.
If enough people are interested, I'll reproduce it with a narrative and a lesser timelapse factor.
This is only available online (didn't have time to create the download version, sorry).
Anyway, it's been a great year thanks to all of the support and feedback! Look for 2010 to be significantly more active.
Watch the tutorial online The video will buffer for the first 10% before being displayed, then press play to start.
Well, Blender 2.5 ALPHA 0 has been officially released! I think many people will be pleased to see that, even though there are plenty of new features, Blender is still Blender. And with some initial effort to get up to speed with the basic differences, you can quickly begin to feel at home with the knowledge gained from using Blender 2.4x.
Personally, I'll still use Blender 2.4x because of its stability, but it will be fun to explore the new Blender while it stabilizes.
I'll be posting occasional tips and tutorials for Blender 2.5.0, but I want to be careful about the subjects I cover until 2.5 stabilizes.
Having said that, here's a quick tip video on how to change the keystroke mapping for the Add Menu in 2.5 so it's the same as what you may be used to using in the 2.4x series.
The members of the BlenderNewbies Forums have been conducting several different challenges over the past few months. It's a great way for participants to have creative fun and challenge their current abilities with Blender. The challenges are always friendly because it's not about the competition, it's about participating in a fun way to help strengthen your Blender skills. So, no worries about being "good enough".
I'll be posting news about these challenges in the future, so come on in and have some fun!
The winner of the previous challenge decides what the next challenge will be. The last challenge ended with a tie, so they decided who would come up with the next challenge idea. The current challenge is a Monthly Challenge called "Self-Portraits" :
Challenge Idea: I thought it'd be interesting to see how each of the members that participate on these challenges look.
It doesnt have to be a photo-realistic and accurate render, it's open to your interpretation.
So you could model yourself as an animal, as a tree, as a jedi, or whatever you think that represents yourself, having, of course, some sort of similarity to your look.
...Good luck and I hope to see a lot of entries!
This challenge is set to end on November 29th. Check it out...
This is part 3 in the BlenderNewbies Hand Modeling Tutorial series. In this part, we'll pick up from where we left off in the blocking phase and move towards creating a low-poly cartoon hand.
Ira Krakow has done a nice review of the Blender Community Toolbar, along with sharing some kind words (although maybe a little embarrassing) about BlenderNewbies. I appreciate the effort and kind thoughts. Thanks!
In this tutorial, we'll be taking a look at basic hand structure for 3d modeling. This is part of a Hand Modeling Tutorial Series, but we won't get into any modeling at this point.
We, first, want to take a look at what we need to consider when modeling a hand. These structural issues are relevant whether you're modeling a cartoon hand, a more realistic hand, or any type of stylized hand.
In this Blender tutorial, we'll be taking a look at how to model a smooth t-joint connection. This technique is something you might want to consider when simply intersecting two cylinders doesn't quite give you the appearance you need.
If you've been on the fence deciding about purchasing the BlenderNewbies DVD, now is the time to act! I am offering the final and deepest discount that I can afford, and I only have a little over 100 units available.
The discount is 30% off the original price of $35. So, for only $24.50 you can get the BlenderNewbies Video Tutorial Compilation DVD-ROM. The videos on the disc are of a higher quality than what can be found on this site, plus there are many extras thrown in. You can get complete details at http://www.blendernewbies.com/tcdvdrom/index.html.
Note:DVD purchases made on this past Friday and over the weekend (before this announcement) will be at the new discounted price! (I think that's fair.) I'll return the difference between the two prices ($5.25) to you via your PayPal account.
Thanks again for all of the support! It really has helped me to keep the site going.
Blender is getting some recognition in the print magazine, 3D Artist! I'm honored that they wanted to include some of the BlenderNewbies video tutorials (about 30 minutes, 4 tutorials) as part of their cover disc in the latest issue (#7).
I just received my complimentary copy in the mail, and I must say that I'm really impressed with this magazine! The design and artistic content are really top-notch. They cover a broad range of the most widely used CG 3D applications and they include a lot of helpful tutorials and WIPs. The content is rich and not riddled with advertisements like a lot of magazines. I'm usually not one to check out printed magazines, but this one genuinely surprised me. And no, I'm not biased because they've included some of the BlenderNewbies tutorials...it is pretty cool, though.
I'm glad to have the opportunity to help Blender get some more coverage.
Check out 3D Artist. It's a printed publication, so you might find it available at most larger bookstores.
