Ask and you shall receive. We recently posted an article about some of the top tools for CG artists. And the feedback pointed to one critical hole— we left something out that cannot be ignored— Blender. So to make up for this, we’ve decided to dedicate an entire blog to this amazing tool!

Why Blender should have made the list

Undeniably, one of the best tools available for 3D art is Blender. It’s all in the name—the program is the ideal mix of every basic tool CG artists need. Licenses for other software can cost big, and for beginners, the high price and steep learning curve can make for a frustrating start to your CG art journey.

As a free and open-source alternative with a wide array of tools, Blender offers artists the best of both worlds. There are no hidden fees with Blender and its open-source policy also allows the community to express their creative agency to constantly improve its functionality. Users can then purchase add-ons and scripts from online marketplaces like Blendermarket.com to continue the cycle of improvement. As a user-centric program, Blender is a fantastic option for both newbies and veteran artists looking to switch it up

How to model in Blender

Learning to model in Blender opens a door to endless possibilities. From 3D sculpting to virtual reality, and even animated films, Blender is known for being the jack of all trades. Most importantly, its functionality allows for the entirety of the 3D pipeline. 

While there is a comprehensive palette of tools available for use, here are 10 steps to achieving a basic 3D model in Blender:

1. Get to know the Blender interface: Blender’s default setup is entirely customizable, so feel free to play around with the locations of panels and menus. For the sake of the ease of following tutorials, we recommend that newbies stick with the default before venturing elsewhere.
2. Navigate in 3D: Orbit by holding down the middle mouse button (MMB), move in the Y (left and right) and Z (up and down) directions by holding down SHIFT-MMB, and move in the X (forwards and backwards) direction by holding CTRL-MMb.
3. Change Object Mode into Edit Mode: Doing this first will allow you to alter vertices, edges, and faces. The key to these modifiers is that in Blender, they’re used in non-destructive ways, which saves you time and boosts efficiency.
4. Select seams for UV mapping: Whether you’ve extruded a face or relocated a vertex, once you’re happy with the modified cube model, it’s time to apply texture. You’ll need to slice the model along the desired edges by choosing edge selection mode and selecting all edges (SHIFT-right-click to add multiple). The edges should appear orange after selected, and the newest selection will appear white. Now using Mesh Menu > Edges (CTREL-e) > Mark Seam, you can mark the selected edges as seams.
5. Split the screen: Before you continue applying texture, create a separate window for the 3D view and another for texture wrapping. First, move the mouse to the top of the program to the line between 3D window and right-click. Then select Split Area. You should now see two windows. Change the 3D window by left-clicking the pane selection > Editor Type > UV/Image Editor.
6. Unwrap the model: With Edit Mode selected, select Face Selection, then select all by pressing ‘a’. Then use Mesh Menu > UV Unwrap > Unwrap.
7. Export and reimport the UV layout: In order to paint over it, select Export UV Layout to File and save it as an image. You can now use your desired drawing program, such as Photoshop or GIMP to edit and save the image as a .png. Back In Viewport Shading, change from Solid to Texture mode before selecting Open Image to import the image back into Blender correctly. Don’t be alarmed if areas of your model are black— this likely means the default lighting in Blender is not catching those sections.
8. Assign a material: In the outliner, select the arrow next to the ‘cube’ to expand it, then right-click and rename the ‘cube’ to your desired name. Next, you’ll want to create a material for the object by selecting New Material in the material tab. You can also rename this by right-clicking. Now assign the material to the object by choosing Assign— double-check you are still in Edit mode before attempting this step.
9. Create the texture: In the Texture tab, create a new texture by using Type > Image or Move > Image Heading > Open, then select the modified .png file from earlier. Then choose Mapping Heading > Texture Coordinates > UV, to correctly fit the texture.
10. Export your model: Before exporting, select Rendered under Viewport Shading to optimize the graphics. Then simply select File > Export to export your model in whichever 3D format you prefer.

What should a beginner model in Blender?

Not sure where to begin? Here are a few different models to test out as a beginner:

• Basic animals: Whether it’s a lawn flamingo or penguin, certain animals will allow you to concentrate around the central body, which can be helpful when creating your first Blender model. Use these animals to play around with texture painting, eventually adding smaller details, and creating a themed project with other objects to define its natural habitat.
• Food items: When you’re a beginner, start with the familiar. Something distinctive and seemingly simple, like McDonald's french fries, an iced donut, or a salted pretzel, can help break in Blender’s texture and bump mapping features. Not to mention, the cracks and crevices that often come with food offer the opportunity to play with irregular shapes using NURBS curves, shearing, and other great tools.
• Gears: A popular option for even advanced artists, using the differing complexity of gears as your one-way ticket into Blender mastery is a fantastic idea. You can start with simple hard surface models, then slowly begin to build up intricacy whenever you want to up your game.

Resources to help

Like anything else, Blender can take some time to master. Along your journey, here are a few helpful tutorials for all things Blender:

The Art of Effective Rigging in Blender

Learn how to artfully manipulate one of the most revered yet tricky tools in the industry in Blender—rigging. In a six-chapter series, this tutorial will cover the foundation and fundamentals of rigging, and the specifics of advanced rigging, covering elements such as rubber limbs, bone groups, and tail rigs.

Texturing In Blender For Beginners

This course takes you through all you need to know to texture in Blender, from UV unwrapping and texturing, to material creation and final render compositions. This pack includes 7 hours of tutorials, scene files to use along the way, and two custom skin textures.

Realistic Face Creation in Blender

Take advantage of Blender’s incredible sculpting features with this comprehensive tutorial that walks you through all the crucial steps to creating a believable human face in Blender. These video tutorials will cover skull anatomy and proportions, base sculpting, UV mapping, detailing, texturing, material setup, and much more.

Although Blender isn’t quite yet industry standard, with all of its constant upgrades–thanks to its open-source policy–it’s certainly getting there. But even now, Blender remains an indispensable tool, for both newbie and veteran CG artists alike!