Beginner Blender 4.0 Tutorial - Part 2: Basic Modelling

Summary

This tutorial walks viewers through creating a realistic 3D donut in Blender, starting from a new scene to avoid any unwanted elements. It covers selecting the appropriate mesh primitive, adjusting dimensions and resolution, and using modifiers like subdivision surface for higher detail. The script emphasizes the importance of avoiding overly high poly models for ease of rendering and editing. It also introduces tools like smooth shading and proportional editing to refine the donut's shape and make it appear more natural, with tips on making imperfections for a more realistic look. The tutorial concludes with saving the Blender file and offers additional support through a Discord channel.

Takeaways

• 😀 Start with a new Blender scene to ensure no leftover objects from previous projects interfere.
• 📦 Delete the default cube and use Shift+A to add a new object, starting with primitives under the 'Mesh' category.
• 🍩 For creating a donut shape, select the torus primitive, which mathematicians may refer to as a 'Torus'.
• 🔧 After creating an object, immediately access the modification options from the bottom left corner to adjust its dimensions and resolution.
• ⚠️ Be cautious with high-resolution meshes as they are difficult to work with and slow to render, especially for beginners.
• 🔄 Use the 'F9' shortcut to bring back the object options if accidentally deselected, allowing for further adjustments.
• 🛠️ Apply 'Smooth Shading' from the shading menu to give the torus a smoother appearance without increasing render time.
• 🔧 Utilize the 'Subdivision Surface' modifier for adding detail and smoothing out the torus, adjusting levels for both viewport and render as needed.
• 🎨 Edit the mesh in 'Edit Mode' to manually adjust vertices, edges, and faces to introduce imperfections and make the donut look more natural.
• 🔄 Use 'Proportional Editing' to efficiently create lumps and variations in the mesh, adjusting the 'Circle of Influence' for different effects.
• 💾 Save your Blender project as a .blend file for easy access and editing in the future.
• 👍 Encourage persistence in learning Blender, as 3D modeling has a steep learning curve but is achievable with practice and online resources.

Q & A

What is the first step in creating a new Blender scene for a donut?

The first step is to start with a completely new scene, delete the default cube, and ensure no remnants of previous objects are present.

What is the hotkey for adding a new object in Blender?

The hotkey for adding a new object in Blender is Shift + A.

Why is it recommended to start with a Torus for a donut shape in Blender?

A Torus most closely resembles the shape of a donut, which is why it's the preferred starting point for modeling a donut in Blender.

What is the term used by mathematicians for the shape of a donut?

Mathematicians refer to the shape of a donut as a 'Torus'.

How can you change the dimensions of a Torus immediately after creation in Blender?

You can change the dimensions of a Torus by clicking the box in the bottom left-hand corner that appears immediately after the object is created.

What is the purpose of the 'F9' hotkey in Blender?

The 'F9' hotkey in Blender is used to temporarily bring back the object options to tweak it after it has been deselected.

Why should beginners avoid starting with a high-poly model when learning Blender?

High-poly models are slow to render and difficult to work with, especially for beginners. It's easier to add resolution later on than to remove it if it's not needed.

What is the recommended resolution for a donut in the script?

The recommended resolution for a donut in the script is 32 major and 12 minor.

What is the purpose of 'Smooth Shading' in Blender?

Smooth Shading in Blender is used to make an object look smoother and more realistic without actually increasing its polygon count.

What is the role of the 'Subdivision Surface' modifier in Blender?

The 'Subdivision Surface' modifier increases the mesh resolution, making it appear smoother and more detailed, which is useful for creating organic shapes like a donut.

How can you make a donut look more natural and less perfect in Blender?

To make a donut look more natural, you can manually adjust the vertices in Edit Mode to add lumps and variations, or use the Proportional Editing tool to quickly create uneven shapes.

What is the hotkey for toggling between Object Mode and Edit Mode in Blender?

The hotkey for toggling between Object Mode and Edit Mode in Blender is 'Tab'.

How can you select multiple vertices along an edge in Blender?

You can select multiple vertices along an edge in Blender by holding down 'Alt' and clicking on the edge.

What file extension is used for saving Blender projects?

The file extension used for saving Blender projects is '.blend'.

How can you get immediate help if you're stuck while following the script?

If you need immediate help, you can join the creator's Discord server where there is a specific channel for asking for help.

Outlines

00:00

🍩 Starting a New Blender Project for a Donut

The video tutorial begins with instructions on setting up a new Blender scene to create a donut. The presenter emphasizes the importance of starting with a clean slate, deleting the default cube, and adding a new mesh object. The choice of the torus shape, also known as a 'doughnut' shape in mathematics, is explained as the best primitive to start with for this particular project. The tutorial then covers how to adjust the dimensions and resolution of the torus using the options that appear immediately after its creation, with a cautionary note about the common beginner's mistake of over-polygoning a model, which can lead to difficulties in rendering and editing later on. The presenter opts for a moderate resolution to balance between performance and appearance, and introduces the concept of smooth shading to improve the visual appearance of the torus without increasing its polygon count.

05:01

🛠️ Using Modifiers to Enhance the Donut Mesh

This paragraph delves into the use of modifiers in Blender to refine the donut mesh. The presenter introduces the 'Subdivision Surface' modifier, which increases the mesh's resolution and smoothness. The explanation includes how to add the modifier and the difference between 'Viewport' and 'Render' levels, which affect the mesh's appearance in the 3D workspace and the final render, respectively. The tutorial also addresses the issue of making the donut look less perfect and more realistic by adding imperfections to its shape, which is a common practice in 3D modeling to avoid an overly artificial appearance. The importance of not relying on high levels of subdivision for achieving realism is reiterated, as it can complicate the modeling process and slow down rendering times.

10:02

⚒️ Editing the Donut Mesh in Edit Mode

The script continues with a detailed explanation of how to manipulate the donut mesh in Edit Mode. The presenter describes the fundamental components of a mesh, including vertices, edges, and faces, and how to select and move them using hotkeys. The focus then shifts to the use of the 'Proportional Editing' tool, which allows for the simultaneous adjustment of surrounding vertices when one is moved, creating a more natural and lumpy shape for the donut. The tutorial provides practical tips on adjusting the 'Circle of Influence' for proportional editing to achieve different sizes of deformation, emphasizing the importance of achieving a balance between realism and simplicity in the model's appearance.

15:04

🔄 Adjusting the Donut's Shape for Realism

In this section, the presenter discusses further adjustments to the donut's shape to enhance its realism. The tutorial explains how to select and scale the vertices along the circumference of the donut to mimic the effect of uneven heating during the cooking process, which results in a flatter top surface. The use of the 'Edge Select' tool to quickly select and modify multiple vertices simultaneously is introduced, along with a reminder to save the Blender file using the '.blend' extension. The presenter encourages viewers to experiment with the shape and not to worry if their donut does not exactly match the one in the tutorial, as personal variation can lead to better results. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to join a Discord community for immediate help and support, and words of encouragement for those new to 3D modeling.

Keywords

💡Blender

Blender is an open-source 3D computer graphics software toolset used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, and computer games. In the video, it is the primary software being used to demonstrate the creation of a 3D donut model, highlighting its various features and functions.

💡Torus

A torus is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space about an axis coplanar with the circle. In the context of the video, the torus is the mathematical shape that most closely resembles a donut, and the script describes how to create and modify a torus in Blender to achieve a realistic donut shape.

💡Modifiers

In Blender, modifiers are a way to change an object without directly altering the mesh. They are non-destructive and can be easily adjusted or removed. The script discusses the use of a 'Subdivision Surface' modifier to increase the mesh's resolution and smoothness, which is crucial for making the donut look more realistic.

💡Resolution

Resolution in 3D modeling refers to the level of detail or the number of polygons that make up a model. The script warns against setting the resolution too high initially, as it can lead to a difficult and slow modeling process. Instead, it suggests starting with a lower resolution and adding detail as needed.

💡Smooth Shading

Smooth shading is a technique used in 3D modeling to give the appearance of a higher polygon count by averaging the angles between faces. In the video, smooth shading is applied to the donut model to make it look smoother without actually increasing its polygon count.

💡Proportional Editing

Proportional editing is a feature in Blender that allows for the influence of transformations to affect surrounding vertices, edges, or faces based on a customizable falloff. The script describes using this tool to easily create natural-looking imperfections in the donut's shape.

💡Vertices, Edges, and Faces

These are fundamental components of a 3D mesh. Vertices are points, edges are lines formed by two vertices, and faces are shapes formed by four or more vertices. The script explains how to manipulate these elements in 'Edit Mode' to change the shape of the donut.

💡Edit Mode

Edit Mode in Blender is a mode that allows users to manipulate the geometry of a mesh directly by selecting and modifying vertices, edges, and faces. The script demonstrates entering Edit Mode to adjust the donut's shape and create a more natural, uneven appearance.

💡Subdivision Surface

The Subdivision Surface modifier is used in Blender to increase the apparent resolution of a mesh by subdividing its faces. The script explains how this modifier can be used to smooth out the donut's edges and create a more refined appearance, with different levels for the viewport and render.

💡Save (.blend)

In Blender, saving a project is done by using the .blend file format, which contains all the data for the current session. The script mentions the simplicity of saving in Blender and how it preserves the state of the project for future editing.

💡Discord

Discord is a communication platform that the script mentions as a place for immediate help and community support for those learning Blender. It is suggested as a resource for getting specific help with modeling tasks, such as creating the donut, beyond the information provided in the video.

Highlights

Starting a new Blender scene for a fresh project without any leftover objects.

Using the Shift + A shortcut to add new objects and selecting the appropriate primitive shape for the project, such as a torus for a donut.

Adjusting the dimensions and resolution of the torus to balance between detail and performance.

The importance of not over-resolving a model to avoid rendering and editing difficulties.

Using smooth shading to improve the appearance of the torus without increasing render time.

Introduction to the subdivision surface modifier for adding detail and smoothing the mesh.

The difference between viewport and render levels in the subdivision surface modifier.

Making the donut look more realistic by adding imperfections and avoiding a 'too perfect' appearance.

Entering edit mode to manipulate vertices, edges, and faces of the mesh for detailed shaping.

Using proportional editing to create natural-looking variations in the mesh efficiently.

Adjusting the influence of the proportional editing tool to create different sizes of deformations.

Creating a more natural donut shape by selecting and scaling edges to represent the cooking process.

The simplicity of saving a Blender project with a .blend file extension.

Offering immediate help through a Discord channel for those learning Blender.

Encouraging persistence in learning Blender despite its steep learning curve and availability of online resources.

Invitation to continue to the next part of the tutorial after saving the blend file.

Transcripts

now we know how blender functions let's

start building that donut so as before

Let's uh well first of all just to

repeat make sure you are working with a

new scene completely new scene don't

want any remaining monkey heads lying

around let's begin fresh slate and let's

delete our default Cube just with the

delete key and let's replace it with a

new object you might remember the hot

key for that is shift a and as I

mentioned before you usually want what

is underneath mesh cuz these are your

Primitives

so we want to start with something that

most resembles what it is we're building

you if it was a house you might start

with a cube if it was a vase you might

start with a cylinder in our case we

want the donut shaped one although

mathematicians call it a Taurus for some

reason so let's add that now if I zoom

in by scrolling up we can see we have

something resembling a dut looks like a

pretty weak looking dut you know very

flimsy looks like the the doughnut

before it's cooked when they just drop

it into the vat and it's just this

little wispy thing um so immediately

after you do some actions in blender you

have options to change it and the

options are hidden down here in the

bottom left hand corner you see a little

box and if you click that box you see

options and look we can change the

dimensions of our Taurus now something

to note is that these options in blender

only appear immediately after you have

done that action if you do another

action like say deselect your Taurus by

mistake it's gone right because blender

has assumed you have moved on you've

accepted the state of your donut and

this is the one you want right now if

you haven't done anything drastic or

changed this object in some severe way

you can temporarily bring it back by

hitting F9 I never actually remember

that hotkey I just remember that

immediately after I have uh added an

object if I want to tweak it now's my

chance before I move on to something

else okay so we could change you know

the size of it here we can also change

the resolution I'll use the term

resolution Loosely um to uh to make it

higher or lower Fidelity and a mistake

that a lot of beginners make and I say

this because this was the exact mistake

I made way back in 2003 when I started

learning blender is they go well I need

a a realistic looking donut so I guess I

need to go really high resolution I

remember my first project one of my

first projects was for a high school

film project and I wanted to have a

closeup of a face didn't realize faces

were going to be difficult but I went

really high poly and then it was just an

absolute nightmare to work with so the

problem the reason you don't want this

is that for starters things that are

high poly are very slow to render and

they're very hard to work with if you

want to tweak the shape of it but also

as you learn and you grow with 3D you'll

discover that it is a lot easier to add

resolution to something later on but is

very difficult to take it away if you've

already built it into it and you don't

need it so long way to say what we

actually want is to have as few Poes

these are called poy uh as you can get

away with so I'm going to go with 32

major and 12 minor and don't worry that

it looks all Jagged because we will fix

that in a moment now the major and minor

this is really up to you but I find that

something that looks uh looks kind of

chunky like a fat donut just looks

really delicious so I'm going with

something

around about this size okay and once I'm

happy with this once I'm ready to click

off I click off the options are gone and

this is it this is the donut that I am

now working with so how do we make this

look higher resolution less Jagged well

one way is to use smooth shading so if

you rightclick with your object selected

go to shade

smooth and look at that this is

immediately better without getting too

technical this is kind of a fakery it's

sort of like the Shader is telling the

renderer that this is a really high poly

dense mesh when it really isn't it's

just basically kind of like averaging

out uh V uh faces and anyway it's very

technical but basically means it's not

going to add anything to your render

time but it's going to look smoother and

so this is generally what you want for

something that is smooth and and organic

looking like we want if you were

rendering like architectural or like

hard surfaces like later on we're going

to put this on a counter then the object

would obviously want to be flat but in

our case we're just going to use shade

smooth but you might notice that looking

at this especially if you go side on

that you've got this sort of uh Jagged

shape around here right so the

silhouette is really breaking that

illusion that this is a high poly or a

smooth looking donut but thankfully

rather than adding all of that complex

density into the mesh itself and then

making it hard to remove later on there

is another way through modifiers so if

we go over here to our properties right

this very confusing lots of option

looking properties click on the wrench

and this is the section called modifiers

and this is one of those uh object

dependent uh things so if you've got

your camera selected you won't see it so

it's only when you've got actual meshes

that you might see uh this uh this

modifier here so it's much easier to

explain if we just add one so up here

add modify and you got a range of

options here that can do a whole number

of things the one that we're looking for

is underneath generate and it is called

subdivision surface and it is a really

common modifier that you use all the

time in fact it's so common it's

actually you can just immediately add it

to any object just by hitting control

one but don't do that cuz we've already

got it so there now some of you might

have just discovered that your donut has

disappeared if that is the case you need

to go to edit preferences and then

underneath viewport where it's got

subdivision at the very bottom disable

GPU subdivision that will then make the

subdivision perform on your CPU instead

instead of your GPU which is maybe

nonexistent or not performing whatever

um but disable that and it should appear

but if it's already working for you

don't disable it keep it going cuz GPU

will be faster so what exactly is this

doing well it's a lot easier to explain

if we look at the shade flat mode

because we're not being uh tricked by

the the smooth shading there um if I set

this levels viewport to zero this is our

original mesh this is before we add the

subsurface essentially when we increase

this you can see that it is adding

resolution to our mesh and the more I

increase this viewport levels here uh

the finer and finer that detail becomes

so to explain it because this is such a

very very common uh modifier it's kind

of important to understand how it's

working you can see that uh this is uh

these squares here these are called

Faces by the way and and for each one of

these faces here as I add a level you

can see it's becoming four faces right

and then now if I zoomed in on this one

one face here if I do another level

that's now become four faces and then if

I zoom in again it's now become four

faces so it's exponentially adding

detail and you might also know that it

is smoothing it out as well like this

Jagged Edge that we've got here you can

see now becomes smoother so to quickly

visualize that if I just draw like

imagine you've got like a 90 Dee uh

corner right like this if you add a Subs

surf modifier what it's going to do is

it's going to add uh a point here right

because this is uh the extra detail it's

also going to take that point there and

it's going to average it out it's going

to average it out between these points

and it's going to create another one

there and another one there so you go

then from having that really hard corner

there to having something that looks a

lot smoother so it's going to take a

point and it's also going to uh change

it to make it look smoother gener

speaking so there we go um so now as I

increase this you can see it's getting

uh smoother and smoother now the reason

there are two options here you've got

levels viewport and levels render so

reminder this gray area that we operate

in is called our viewport the render is

the pretty version so as an example um

you could see if I just turned it off

for the viewboard it looks very Jagged

but then for my render if I increase

that to three if I do my render which

you could go up there F uh and render

image or remember the hotkey F12 you can

see that that donut is now smooth but I

go back and you can see it's Jagged so

the viewport you want to generally keep

it lightweight and then the render time

that's where you want to get uh a really

nice looking pretty image so you want to

often have two different levels um in

our case though I don't really think we

need to go beyond one even for our final

pretty image um because this with uh

shade smoothing turned on is good enough

and we're going to be adding more to the

scene later on so we don't want to make

it too complex so this is actually

pretty good okay so we have a perfect

dut and that's the problem it's too

perfect you could spend decades trying

to develop a machine in the real world

that make it that made a donut this

perfect and you never would this is so

mathematically precise that the eye will

always see this as looking fake so

that's actually a problem you learn

pretty quickly in 3D that things that

are too perfect just look fake so you

have to spend time making things look

misshapen and adding variation there

like you see in the real world because

your eye expects to see it so how do we

do that how do we make this doughnut

look a little more lumpy and interesting

I do that by changing the mesh itself so

this mode that we are in right now where

we can uh you know click on different

objects is called object mode and I know

that because in the top leftand corner

you can see we are in object mode but if

I click the drop down you can see I get

a number of other options options here

and these options again will change

depending on the object you've got

selected if I've got a lamp my little

light there selected you can see I've

only got object mode my camera I've only

got object mode but a mesh will give you

extra options here so let's enter into

edit mode

ooh right now you can see our mesh our

sorry our object has become something

that looks weird it's got a bunch of uh

little points on it with lines and very

technical well that's because this is

actually what the mesh is made up of

these little points here which you can

click on just by selecting are called

your vertices the singular term is

called vertex I never say that I like to

just call all of them vertices

regardless of whether it's one or two

just because you always get some

comments that go um actually it's called

vertex if it is singular anyway so these

are called your vertices and if you have

two of them joined by a line that is

called an edge and if you have four of

them forming uh a face then it's called

a face so with these I can quickly

change the shape of my object by using

the same hot Keys as before and if I

want to move this then I would simply

tap G right and you can see it's now

attached to my cursor and then if I want

to confirm its movement I just do a

single left click and there it is now if

I go back into object

mode like that you can see that my mesh

has changed okay and by the way the hot

key for jumping in and out of object and

edit mode is Just Tab okay so you can

see it's just toggling between those two

modes because it's so common that you

want to just quickly change things that

it's just uh easily accessible by that

now this is okay right but you can see

it's like it's got like some artifacting

it's like it's not the greatest lump

right so how do we make it look a little

more uh natural well I mean you could

you know you move one drag it out Okay

click and then I move oh the next one

next to it right I'll move that out and

then I'll move this one out a little bit

and then and then I move this one it's

like okay well now I've got the thing

but it took me like five action

ridiculous right no one wants to do that

no one's got time for that thankfully

there is a tool in blunder uh just for

this and it's called proportional

editing and you can enable it up there

in your toolbar so if you enable that

now if I hit G and I move it out you

will see I get a little ring around my

cursor there and that is now changing uh

the mesh around it now a lot of people

in my previous tutorials were like I

don't see what's what's going on you

have to have something selected first

and then when you hit G you will see uh

that uh that little circle of influence

okay now this circle of influence if I

scroll down sorry if I scroll up you can

see it's shrinking its circle of

influence and if I scroll down it is

expanding its influence so it's only

going to affect what is in that uh that

ring there okay if you are on uh yeah if

you don't have a mouse with a scroll

wheel you can also change the influence

by using page up and page down and if

you don't have page up or page down

because you're on a Mac keyboard then

what you would have to do is go to

keymap and then change your page up and

page down to something else just so that

you could get around that but guys you

got to get a mouse get a mouse with a

scroll wheel I think they're I don't

know 50 cents or just in the nearest

landfill somewhere get a mouse cuz it's

going to make uh your life in 3D a lot

easier okay so with this I can now uh

make quick work of uh of lumpy shapes

okay so I just drag that out okay I've

got a little lumpy shape there maybe I

go down here and I pull this up just by

hitting G moving it up okay so already

this is looking a little more natural

right cuz even if we were making a

stylized world for a Pixar movie or

something like that you can't have just

a a spherical looking donut sorry

spherical round looking circular

doughnut cuz it just your eye will see

it as fake so very quickly I'm able to

add a little bit of variation to the dut

um just all around it just a little bit

over here and you can see that I am uh

just changing my circle of influence

depending on what size of a a lump I

want to make so if I just want to make

like a little bit that sticks out I can

make a small Circle just by scrolling up

like that um and you just want to do

that until you get something that

looks a little more natural I might want

to make the the inner part as well maybe

just drag that in with a smaller

Circle and that's pretty good let's just

have a look from the top I might

actually just drag that out make it a

little bit more like

that but there you go that's pretty good

for a donut it's still kind of simple

it's not too detailed um but it's got

just enough variation in it that uh it's

more interesting to look at oh one more

thing forgot to mention go back into

edit mode with tab um Donuts when

they're sitting in the uh little vat

thing right uh they're only like half

submerged then they have to be flipped

uh but it means that the bit that's

nearest to the surface is getting less

heat so essentially what I'm saying is

the bit that's around the the dut the

the circumference of it is usually a

little bit flatter so Donuts aren't like

perfectly round all the way around they

usually a little bit flatter so what I

want to do is I want to select these

vertices along here and then I want to

shrink them now I could go around one by

one like this which is actually what I

used to do when I was uh learning

blender pre YouTube days and there was

uh no tutorials what I would I would do

this if I wanted to select this silly

because there's a a a function a tool

for that and it is Edge select so if you

hold down alt on your keyboard board and

then do a single left click on not the

points but on the edge right this little

line here you can see it's selected all

the way around so it's anything that's

connected along that line is now

selected so if I want to shrink this

right what would I do well I mean yeah

you could like move it around right we

want to shrink it we want to change the

scale of it so we would change we would

use the hotkey S for scale so s and I'm

going to scale that in and I actually

don't want proportional editor so I'm

going to turn that off and now scale in

and just make it a little bit flatter

and there you go see just feels a little

bit more natural doesn't it looks a

little bit closer to what a donut looks

like and by the way don't worry if yours

doesn't look exactly like this like your

lump is a little bit off like some

people get a little bit too precious

with the G I got to match exactly

everything I do like I'm just working on

the fly as well so just make what you

think looks good maybe you think this is

not misshapen enough and you want to add

more go for it because it might actually

turn turn out better than what mine is

now before we move to the next part um

how to save how to save blender very

very easy you just go save as and you

just get one file it's called dot blend

um very literal file extension really

pushing the limits of what a file

extension can be that's almost a word

blender anyway um dot blend and that's

it and then next time you open it up

it's exactly like it it's not like

zbrush where you got like four or five

different ways to save a project or an

object or a tool

hate zbrush okay um that's how you save

now also finally I will say uh if you

need help because I know if you if

you're stuck and then you leave a a

YouTube comment you might not get a

reply uh if you want immediate help I've

got a Discord so I'll put the link uh

below so there's like a little channel

in there where you can just ask for

specific uh donut help so if you're

having issues uh feel free to jump into

that and also guys don't beat yourself

up like 3D is definitely a uh has like a

steepish learning curve so you're in

that that steep slope right now and it's

it's really common like a lot of this

stuff is very foreign 3D is very unique

it's very different to a lot of 2D tools

um but don't give up like it's it's

definitely achievable to learn and

self-learn at home you don't have to go

to school you don't have to pay for a

tutor um it's really easy to uh to get

help online nowadays so do make use of

that Discord um post uh comments as well

in the YouTube comment if you want to um

but I hope hope you stay with it so if

you're ready to jump to the next part

after you've saved your blend file go

ahead click here and I will see you

there