Welcome to the world of Blender! +The program you have now in your hands is a free and fully functional 3D +modeling, rendering, animation 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 open-source software, released under a dual GPL / BL +licence. The full program sources are available online.
+ +For impatient readers; here the two most important links:
+www.blender.org the developement/community websiteThis 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 site.
+ + + +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 movie strips and combine these into a single video. This is how, for +example, artists add laser beams, glows and dinossaurs to motion +pictures. Blender is not a specific tool for this purpose, but it has builtin +support for video sequencing 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.
+ +If you are reading this, you probably already have Blender installed. +Anyway, it's a matter of executing a self-installer package or unpacking it to +some folder.
+ +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. +
+ +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.
+ +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 2.3.something -- only the +two first numbers should have to match with yours.
+ +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 called +.B.blend. To save your changes to it, click on +File->Save Default Settings or use the Control+u shortcut +directly. To revert to factory defaults, erase the .B.blend file.
+ +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: press q to quit. Then erase the .B.blend +file in your home dir and the program will be back to factory defaults.
+ +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. +
+ +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: +
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.
+ + + +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.
+ +The Blender Foundation has released a new guide, with hundreds of pages of +illustrated tutorials. It comes with a CD-ROM that has Blender version 2.32, +YafRay and many goodies: sample .blend files with models, textures and +animations, plugins, scripts, documentation, etc. It's an extensive reference +written by Blender gurus and also a good way to help Blender development.
+ +You can learn more about it at the main Blender site: +www.blender3d.org. There you'll also +find news, online documentation like tutorials, the 2.0 guide, the Blender +Python API Reference for script writers, etc. There are also forums, +galleries of images and movies, games, scripts, plugins, links and more.
+ +The main Blender community site is elYsiun: +www.elysiun.com. There's a lot of +activity in its user forums, where newbie and guru users share tips and tricks, +show their most recent images, movies and scripts, ask for help and generally +have a good time.
+ +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 links section of the main site.
+ +If you are a coder wanting to get in touch with Blender development, the +developer's site is 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: #blendersauce (open channel) +and #blendercoders (official channel, where also meetings take place).
+ +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.
+ +If something isn't working, please read this entire section before looking +for help.
+ + + +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.
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. Recently
+however, new drivers (especially for ATI) have shown that they're dropping basic
+OpenGL support needed for proper menu drawing in Blender. Downgrading drivers then
+always works, but we're also working on rebuilding the (quite old) code for GUI
+drawing to prevent such errors from ever happening again.
Some useful links to check:
+
+The graphics card FAQ
+3D card performance database
+
+
+
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 +elYsiun 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 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.
+ + + +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.
+ +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.
+ +Blender does not follow the most common, somewhat standard rules for user +interfaces -- it doesn't look like most programs do -- which is not necessarily +a bad thing. There used to be two sides to this: Blender was both a powerful +production tool for professionals and enthusiasts who dedicated enough time to +master it and also a nightmare for some newcomers who might have tried one of +the commercial 3d modelers first. The main reason for this is that +Blender was born as an in-house studio tool, optimized to speed up daily heavy +work, not to please everyone. But it's true that in the past the interface +was far from newbie-friendly.
+ +Hopefully this is not the case anymore: it has been considerably +improved for 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 ... +
+ +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 galleries and community forums can easily confirm.
+ +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 is. And, like the others, has 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 a less than 3 MB download).
+ +Thankfully, these are not fatal shortcomings. The pace at which features +are being added or polished in Blender is impressive, now that it's a well +stablished open source project. 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 book, the main site and +elYsiun are the best ones to start, specially because some resources you +find spread on the net are not up-to-date with current program versions. This +doesn't render old tutorials or books useless -- just a little harder to +follow, sometimes -- but older scripts probably won't work. 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 can 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.
+ + +First note again that errors and questions related to specific scripts +should not be sent to Blender developers or its bug tracker. Then +read this short section thoroughly, please.
+ +Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy Blender!
+ +Document version 1.0, april 2004
+ + + + +