Part 1-Blender Beginner Tutorial (Basic Navigation, Shortcut Keys)

Summary

This tutorial introduces viewers to the basics of Blender, a 3D modeling software. It covers the importance of having a mouse with specific features and a keyboard with a numpad for shortcuts. The instructor guides through the initial setup, including adjusting user preferences for interface scaling and enabling numpad emulation. The video also teaches navigation in the 3D view, object manipulation through grab, rotate, and scale functions, and the use of shortcut keys for efficient workflow. It sets the stage for further lessons on more advanced features and workflows in subsequent parts of the series.

Takeaways

• 👋 Introduction: Ryan King introduces the first part of his Blender beginner tutorial series and recommends watching the introduction video for an overview.
• 🖥️ Equipment: A mouse with right-click, left-click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel button is essential for using Blender effectively, with a numpad on the keyboard being beneficial for 3D navigation.
• 🔄 Version Compatibility: The tutorial is based on Blender 2.91, but the concepts should be applicable to future versions with mostly the same interface and functionality.
• 🎨 Interface Customization: Beginners can adjust the interface settings such as resolution scale for better visibility and comfort.
• 🔢 Numpad Emulation: Users without a numpad can emulate it for 3D navigation using the top row of the keyboard, which is crucial for tasks like changing views.
• ⚙️ Preferences: Ryan suggests specific user preferences for beginners, including the selection of objects with mouse buttons and the use of the 3D cursor.
• 👁️ Navigation Techniques: The script covers various methods to navigate the 3D view, including using the middle mouse button to rotate, scroll wheel to zoom, and shift key for panning.
• 🔄 Object Manipulation: The basics of moving (G key), rotating (R key), and scaling (S key) objects in Blender are explained, with tips for constraining to axes.
• 📋 Multiple Object Selection: Holding the shift key allows for selecting multiple objects, which can then be manipulated collectively.
• 🗑️ Object Management: Deleting objects can be done using the 'X' key or the delete key, and objects can be added using the 'Shift + A' shortcut.
• 📘 Next Steps: The tutorial will continue in part two, covering different windows, workspaces, and setting up a default startup file in Blender.

Q & A

Who is the presenter of the Blender beginner tutorial series?

The presenter of the Blender beginner tutorial series is Ryan King.

What is highly recommended for viewers before starting part one of the tutorial?

It is highly recommended for viewers to watch the introduction video before starting part one of the tutorial.

Why is a mouse important for using Blender or any 3D software according to Ryan?

A mouse is important for using Blender or any 3D software because it allows for right-click, left-click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel button functionalities, which are essential for navigating and manipulating objects in 3D space.

What are the minimum features a mouse should have for using Blender effectively?

A mouse should have a right-click, left-click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel button for effective use with Blender.

What is the purpose of the numpad on the keyboard when using Blender?

The numpad on the keyboard is used for shortcut keys to move around the scene in Blender, allowing for quick changes to side, front, and top views.

What is the default version of Blender being used in the tutorial?

The default version of Blender being used in the tutorial is 2.91, which was the current stable version at the time of recording.

What is the significance of the splash screen in Blender?

The splash screen in Blender displays artwork that changes with each new version of the software, showcasing the community's artwork and indicating the version being used.

What is the recommended setting for the 'Resolution Scale' in Blender for better visibility?

The recommended setting for the 'Resolution Scale' in Blender for better visibility is 1.3, as it makes the buttons and interface elements larger and easier to see.

What is the 'Emulate Numpad' feature in Blender's preferences for those without a numpad?

The 'Emulate Numpad' feature in Blender's preferences allows users without a physical numpad to use the top row of number keys on their keyboard to navigate the 3D view, providing an alternative to the numpad functionality.

What is the recommended action to take before closing the preferences window in Blender?

Before closing the preferences window in Blender, it is recommended to click on the 'Save Preferences' button to ensure that all changes are saved.

What are the basic actions one can perform on objects in Blender using the G, R, and S keys?

The basic actions one can perform on objects in Blender using the G, R, and S keys are grabbing (moving), rotating, and scaling the objects, respectively.

Outlines

00:00

👋 Introduction to Blender Tutorial Series

Ryan King introduces the first part of a comprehensive Blender beginner tutorial series, emphasizing the importance of watching the introduction video for an overview of the learning outcomes. He advises viewers to have a keyboard and mouse ready for 3D modeling, highlighting the necessity of a mouse with at least four functionalities: right-click, left-click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel button. He also discusses the importance of a numpad for shortcut keys in navigating the 3D scene and offers a solution for those without a numpad by using the 'emulate numpad' feature in Blender's preferences. The tutorial sets the stage for a series that will guide users through various Blender functionalities.

05:00

🖥️ Setting Up Blender Preferences and Navigating the Interface

The tutorial proceeds with a walkthrough of Blender's user preferences, focusing on the interface settings to adjust the resolution scale for better visibility. Ryan demonstrates how to use the numpad for navigating the 3D scene, including shortcuts for front, side, and top views, and explains the use of the emulate numpad feature for those without a physical numpad. He also discusses the importance of the select with mouse button setting, sharing his personal preference for right-click selection, while recommending left-click selection for beginners. The segment ends with a reminder to save preferences to retain custom settings.

10:00

🎛️ Navigating the 3D Scene and Understanding Basic Controls

This section delves into navigating the 3D scene in Blender, teaching viewers how to use the middle mouse button for rotation, the scroll wheel for zooming, and key combinations with the middle mouse wheel for panning and precise zooming. Ryan introduces various methods to center the view on specific objects using the numpad or alternative keys, and discusses the importance of practicing these navigation techniques for efficient 3D modeling. The paragraph emphasizes the development of muscle memory for smooth operation within the 3D space.

15:01

🔧 Manipulating Objects: Moving, Rotating, and Scaling

Ryan explains the basics of object manipulation in Blender, starting with the 'Grab' function (activated by the 'G' key) for moving objects, and how to constrain movement to specific axes using the 'X', 'Y', or 'Z' keys. He then introduces the 'Rotate' function ('R' key) and its axis constraints, as well as the 'Scale' function ('S' key) for resizing objects. The tutorial covers the use of the middle mouse wheel for quick axis selection during object manipulation, providing tips for a faster workflow. The paragraph concludes with a demonstration of selecting multiple objects using the 'Shift' key and the 'A' key for selecting and deselecting all objects in the scene.

20:02

🏗️ Adding and Deleting Objects in the 3D View

The final paragraph of the script covers the process of adding and deleting objects within the 3D view. Ryan demonstrates how to delete objects using the 'Delete' key or the 'X' key for confirmation, and then shows how to add objects using the 'Shift + A' shortcut, which opens a menu with various options. He highlights the importance of choosing the right primitive shape for modeling, such as a cube for a house, and discusses the role of the 3D cursor in determining the placement of added objects. The tutorial ends with a preview of the topics for the next part of the series, including an introduction to different workspaces and setting up a default startup file.

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's the main software being discussed and taught, with the script focusing on introductory tutorials for beginners on how to use it effectively.

💡Tutorial Series

A tutorial series refers to a sequence of instructional videos or guides that are designed to teach a particular skill or software. In the context of the script, the tutorial series is focused on teaching viewers how to use Blender from a beginner's perspective, starting with the basics and progressively covering more advanced features.

💡3D Modeling

3D modeling is the process of creating a three-dimensional representation of any object (either abstract or life-like) via specialized software. In the script, 3D modeling is the core activity that the tutorial series aims to teach, with the use of the numpad being highlighted as an essential tool for navigating and manipulating 3D models within Blender.

💡Numpad

A numpad is a numeric keypad on a computer keyboard or an external keypad, which allows for easier data entry of numbers. In the script, the numpad is discussed as a critical component for 3D modeling in Blender, used for shortcut keys to move around the scene and switch between different views of the model.

💡Mouse

A mouse is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface in which it is placed. In the video script, the mouse is emphasized as an essential tool for using Blender, with specific functionalities such as right-click, left-click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel button being important for navigating and manipulating 3D objects.

💡User Preferences

User preferences in software applications like Blender refer to the settings that users can customize to tailor the software to their specific needs or workflow. The script discusses navigating to the user preferences to adjust settings such as the interface resolution scale, which can affect the size of the buttons and overall usability of the software.

💡Emulate Numpad

Emulate numpad is a feature in some software that allows users without a physical numpad to use alternative keys on their keyboard to perform the same functions. In the script, the instructor mentions this feature for those who may not have a numpad on their keyboard, enabling them to use the top row numbers for navigation in Blender.

💡Select with Mouse Button

Select with mouse button refers to the method of choosing objects within a 3D space using mouse clicks. The script explains the default setting in Blender where the left mouse button is used for selection, but also discusses the instructor's personal preference for right-click selection, which is a matter of individual workflow and comfort.

💡3D Cursor

The 3D cursor in Blender is a versatile tool used for various purposes, including as a reference point for modeling and object placement. The script mentions using the 3D cursor for positioning objects in the 3D space and how it can be moved using either the left or right mouse button, depending on the user's selection settings.

💡Object Context Menu

The object context menu in Blender appears when right-clicking (or left-clicking, based on user preference) on an object and provides various options related to that object, such as shading and transformation modes. The script explains how to access this menu and the importance of understanding the different options it presents for object manipulation.

💡Add and Delete Objects

Adding and deleting objects are fundamental operations in 3D modeling software like Blender. The script covers how to add new objects to the scene using the 'Shift + A' shortcut and how to delete existing objects using the 'X' key or the delete key, which are basic skills necessary for scene management in 3D modeling.

Highlights

Introduction to the complete Blender beginner tutorial series by Ryan King.

Recommendation to watch the introduction video for an overview of the tutorial series.

The importance of having a keyboard and mouse for effective use of Blender.

Basic mouse features required for 3D software usage: right click, left click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel button.

The significance of a numpad for shortcut keys in navigating the 3D scene.

Instructions on using Blender without a numpad by emulating numpad with keyboard keys.

Initial Blender interface overview, including the splash screen and user preferences.

Adjusting the interface resolution scale for better visibility.

Configuring input settings, especially for those without a numpad.

Explanation of the numpad functions for 3D modeling, such as moving between views.

Customizing mouse button preferences for selection and navigation.

Demonstration of navigating the 3D view using the middle and scroll mouse buttons.

Techniques for moving, rotating, and scaling objects within the 3D space.

How to select multiple objects for collective manipulation.

Shortcut for selecting all objects in the scene and toggling selection.

Process of adding and deleting objects in the 3D view.

Use of the 3D cursor for placing objects at specific locations.

Upcoming topics in part two of the tutorial series, including different windows and workspaces.

Transcripts

hey everyone my name is ryan king and

welcome to part one of my complete

blender beginner tutorial series now if

you haven't watched the introduction

video i'd highly recommend that you do

that there will be a card up on the

screen you can just click on that and go

over and watch that and in that

introduction video i talk about

what you're gonna learn through this

entire tutorial series and what you'll

have created

by the end of the series so definitely

go ahead and watch the introduction

video if you haven't already before you

continue part one

and then one more thing before we start

it is really important that you have a

keyboard of course and also a mouse

so if you're using a laptop and you just

have like a track pad or something

that's going to be really hard to use

blender or really any 3d software

so i'd highly recommend you get a mouse

if you don't have one

and i just have a pretty basic mouse

here but just a few important things

it's important that you have a right

click a left click and then also a

scroll wheel so that you can scroll and

then

the scroll wheel button so a right click

left click scroll wheel and then scroll

wheel button so just those four things

a pretty basic most mice have those so

so that's just some important things

that you should have

on your mouse and then if your keyboard

has a numpad that's really great i just

have a basic keyboard here

and it has a numpad but if your keyboard

doesn't have a numpad like maybe you

have a laptop or something and it

doesn't have a numpad

i will show you how to use blender

without a numpad now numpads are really

important because you can use them for

shortcut keys to

move around the scene so if you want to

look at your model from side view or

front view or top view you can use the

numpad to do that

so it is really important but if you

don't have a numpad i am going to show

you how

to use blender without a numpad so when

you first open up blender you're going

to see something similar to this

so this right here is the splash screen

and it has this

awesome artwork here by robin tran so

basically every

time there's a new blender version they

have a different splash screen so

your splash screen may look the same if

you're watching this in the future there

may be a new version of blender updated

and so the splash screen may look

different now if you're watching this in

the future and there's a new blender

version

you can still totally watch this

tutorial series in future updates of

blender versions most things are the

same so most of the buttons and most of

all the things are going to be exactly

where they are

usually there's just some bug fixes

maybe the buttons get moved around a

little bit and there's some new updates

and stuff

you can see right now i'm using blender

2.91 which is the current stable version

as i record this but if you're using an

updated version you can still totally

watch this tutorial series

and when you first open up blender some

things may look a little bit different

here

don't worry about that i'm just going to

click and close the splash screen and

we'll play around with some of the

settings in the user preferences

there's not very many settings just a

few that i want to change

but i think they're important so i'm

going to go edit right here and then

click on preferences

and then this second window comes up so

i'm just going to drag this make it a

little bit bigger so it's easier

for you to see so the first thing that

i'm going to do is click on this

interface right here so i click on this

interface you can see there's this

resolution scale

so if i just drag this if i just click

and drag you can see it's going to make

all the buttons bigger so the default is

at one and i think this is actually way

too small

it's a little bit hard to see especially

depending on how far away you are from

your monitor and i like to be a good

ways away from my monitor to avoid

digital eye strain and that kind of

stuff so what i like to do is change

this resolution scale

to 1.3 so i'm just going to click on it

type in 1.3 and hit enter

you can just drag this around and do

whatever you want if you want to you can

just leave it at the default and you can

always come back later and change this

value so

if at a later point you want to change

it you can just click on edit and go to

preferences

open this up go to the interface and

just change this so

i like somewhere around 1.3 okay now

there are a bunch of different settings

here but again i don't want to go over

everything

and give you too much information i just

want to go over all the things that i

think are important

for beginners to learn and as you learn

more and more about blender you can

explore

all the different features i'm just

going to hop all the way down to

input here now there's just one thing

that i want to talk about here

and that is the very top one emulate

numpad so this is if you don't

have a numpad on your keyboard so just

to show you what the

numpad does i'm just going to close this

right here and you can also see that i

have my screencast keys right here so

you can see what buttons i'm pressing so

don't worry about this i'll show you how

to move around in a moment so how i use

the numpad is if i press

1 on the number pad that's going to go

to front view

if i press 3 on the number pad that's

going to go to side view and if i press

7 on the number pad

that's going to go to top view now this

may not seem very important right now

but this is actually going to be super

important when you get into 3d modeling

when you're modeling stuff you're going

to be using this all the time so it's

really important

you can also press like four and six and

eight and two to kind of like rotate

around

i don't really use this very much but

you can do that if you want and then

also

the zero on the number pad that's going

to jump you into the view of the camera

and the camera

is right here and that's what you use to

render out the scene so

you set the camera to where you want and

then you render that out and that's

where it's going to render so if i press

0 on the number pad

you can see it's going to hop into the

camera view and then if i press 0 again

it's going to hop

out so that's why the number pad is

super important but again if you don't

have the number pad

what you can do is go to edit and

preferences because i know that like

some laptops and stuff don't have

numpads

and then on the input you can click on

emulate numpad

if you click on this now if i just move

this over to my other monitor

click back here on blender now what i

can do is i can use the top number

button so

one three and seven and i can go to

front view with one side view with three

and then top view with seven and you can

also use

all the other buttons like zero to go

into the camera view so if you don't

have a numpad i would recommend that you

consider

getting a keyboard that has a numpad

because it is going to be really useful

in blender but you can turn this on and

that way you can use the top buttons

instead alright so with that said let's

go down to

the key map here so the main thing that

i want to talk about

is the select with mouse button so left

click select is the default and that may

make total sense if i just move this out

of the way here

if you use your left mouse button that's

going to select object so i can just

click on this

this will select the lamp or the light

if i select this one that's going to

select the default cube

and if i select this one just click on

it it's going to select the camera

now this might sound a little crazy but

i actually use the

right click select and this is really

weird because most programs and

operating systems you always use the

left click to select things

but i actually use the right click

select in blender

now i wouldn't recommend that you do

this i would actually recommend that you

use the left click select because

that makes sense and because left click

select is the default now

most people are going to be using left

click slug and it just makes a lot more

sense so i would recommend that you use

left click select

why i use right click select is because

when i started using blender

over four years ago i started using

blender and up until blender version 2.8

the default was right click select so

when i started using blender over four

years ago

right click select was the default and

that is really weird but that was just

unique to blender

i just started using it and i just got

used to it and so now it's muscle memory

and i'm super used to it and so i'm just

super used to using right click select

and i don't want to switch over so

that's why i use right click select so

what i do is use my right mouse button

to select objects and i know that seems

really weird i would recommend you use

left click select but i'm going to use

right click select

so now that we've talked about that i'm

going to go over what buttons you're

going to be using

so i'm just going to click on the left

click because i'm assuming that you're

going to use that and i would really

recommend that you use that

so using the left click select you're

going to left click and that's going to

select

different objects i'm going to

right-click and that's going to bring up

this

object context menu and in a later part

of this tutorial series i'm going to

show you how to use

shade flattened shade smooth but just

know that these are important things

that you're going to be using a lot in

blender

and then if you click with your middle

mouse wheel that's going to

rotate the view so you can click and

hold down move around and that's going

to rotate your view

and then if you scroll with your scroll

wheel that's going to scroll

in and out and then if you just click

with your left mouse button and drag

it's going to use this box here

and that is using this right here that's

the select box that's the default

and i will go over these in a moment but

if you just left click

and drag that's going to use the box now

because i'm going to be teaching you

blender i'm just going to show you what

i use for the right click so i'm just

going to select right click and then

move this out of the way

so obviously i use right click so right

click is going to select different

objects

but if i left click that's actually

going to move this 3d cursor

now this 3d cursor is a really awesome

tool and it's used for

many different things now you're

probably using the left click select so

i'm just going to select the left click

so to move the 3d cursor using the left

click select

you're going to need to hold down the

shift key and right click

now if i do that here for some reason

not working if i just select a different

object

and then do it now you can see it's

working it's probably just a bug or

something but yeah just select another

object

and then just start doing it so if you

hold down the shift key and use the

right click select you can move this 3d

cursor and this is important because

later on in this series you are going to

be moving this around so let me just hop

back over to the right click select now

to show you what i do

so i use the right click select to

select objects

and then i use the left click select to

move the 3d cursor

and then the same thing works for the

scroll wheel so i zoom in and out by

moving the scroll view and then i can

click with my scroll wheel

the scroll wheel button just click on

that and then it's going to rotate

around

now because i'm using the right click

select i can't use the left mouse button

to make the object

context menu come up because you can see

if i left click it's just going to move

the 3d cursor

so how i make the object context menu

come up is by pressing the

w key so you can see i press the w key

and now that comes up so that's what i

do because i use right click select

but i would recommend using left click

select alright so now that we've talked

about that

we can save the preferences so if you

don't click on the save preferences

button

then blender's not going to remember the

different preferences that you did

and again you could always go back to

this and change it so hit the save

preferences button i'm actually not

going to hit the save preferences button

because i've

done some more things like for instance

i've installed add-ons and some

different things like that

so my preferences are going to be

different than yours but things like

add-ons and the other preferences here

are things that you can get into

later once you've learned the basics of

blender so those are the most important

things so just click on save preferences

and then

close the blender preferences all right

so we've already talked about using your

middle mouse button

to click and move around and you can

look around the cube here that's in the

scene

and then you can also use your scroll

wheel to scroll in and out but there are

a few other ways to navigate in your 3d

scene

because let's say if i just move over

here let's say i want to go over and

look at this camera

if i just move over here i can kind of

see it but i want to kind of look at it

on this side view and if i just rotate

over here

it's a little bit hard to get to it so

what i can do is i can hold down the

shift key

and then click with my middle mouse

wheel and this is going to pan so it's

going to move

back and forth so i can kind of move

over like this with my middle mouse

wheel

and then hold down the shift key and

click with my middle mouse wheel

and pan over and then i can zoom in and

now if i orbit around

you can see now the center isn't really

in the center here it's kind of more

over here now so i can just

click and pan move up so i'm just going

to zoom in a little bit more so holding

down the shift key

clicking with my middle mouse wheel and

then scale in and now you can see i'm

looking

at the camera and then one other way

that you can zoom in and out is by

holding down the control key

and then clicking with your middle mouse

wheel and that way you're only going to

zoom

in and out so you can do that with the

scroll wheel but you can also just hold

down control

click with your middle mouse wheel and

move in and out so at first it might

feel pretty hard to move around in the

3d space

but once you get the muscle memory down

it's going to be a lot easier to move

around so

so this is something that i definitely

recommend practicing so let's just

practice right now

so let's say i want to see the cube

again i can click with my middle mouse

wheel move over

and then hold down the shift key and

click my middle mouse wheel

zoom over here and then i can hold down

the control key and click with my middle

mouse wheel and zoom in

or i can just zoom in just like this now

you can see here that when i zoom

all the way in it kind of stops and the

center isn't really in the center of the

scene here

it's kind of added a center kind of here

just randomly in the scene

and this happened because we panned over

basically at all times there is kind of

a center of

where you're going to look around so you

can see right now if i zoom way in it'll

kind of stop and then i can look around

so it's almost like there's an

invisible point right here and that's

where i'm going to zoom in and look

around at

but let's say i want to center it back

on this cube so that i can look around

this

cube when i click with my middle mouse

button what i can do is press

period on the number pad and that way

it's going to jump me over to that

object and now if i just zoom out and

then

click with my middle mouse wheel and

move around the cube is in the very

center

so let's say i want to center my view on

the camera now so i can just zoom out

by scrolling my middle mouse wheel and

then i'm going to select the camera and

i use the right click but you're

probably going to use left click

and then i can press the period key to

zoom into it

now if you're trying to press the period

key but you don't have a numpad so

you're pressing the other period key

then this will probably come up and i

actually don't want to use this so i'm

just going to press escape to undo this

what this does is just brings up these

settings right here but it just brings

it up in a pie menu

and these are some things that we'll get

into later but i don't want to do that

so if you don't have a number pad

and you want to zoom into an object the

best way that i've found to do it is to

press shift

b and then just drag a box around the

object and then it's going to zoom into

it

now this doesn't work quite as good as

just selecting it using the period key

but if you don't have a numpad that's

the best thing that i found

to work all right so that's moving

around now what i'm going to do is go

over

how to move objects how to rotate

objects and how to scale objects

so just select this cube here this is

just the default cube in blender

if you press the g key g

is for grab so you're pressing the g key

grabbing it and then you can just click

to place it so g and then click to place

it

g and just try that so just move around

maybe

put this cube up to the camera so g

and then click with your middle mouse

wheel move it over g

and then click and you can remember g by

grab

now what if you want to move an object

on a specific axis

so you can see here you may have noticed

that there's this red line

going back and forth and if i press 1

it's going to go to front view

and you can see that there's this red

line going back and forth this is the

x-axis and there's also this gizmo here

if i just click and drag around on this

gizmo

you can see that there's the x-axis

going back and forth the y-axis going

forward and backward and then the z-axis

if i press one on the number pad

you can see it right here it's this blue

one so that is the z-axis going up and

down

so when you move these objects you can

actually tell them to move on these

different axes

so let's say i want to move this cube up

what i can do is press g to grab

and then i can press z and i'll

constrain it to

the z axis and then i can just move it

down click

now what if i want to move it on the x

and y you press g to grab and then press

x and that's going to move it on the x

axis or you can click on y and that's

going to move it on the y

axis so this works pretty well by

pressing g and then by pressing

x y or z but there's actually a quicker

way to do this and

once you get more experienced with

blender you're going to want to use all

the shortcut keys that you can

so that your workflow is very fast so to

do this even faster you can press

g for grab and then click and hold with

your middle mouse wheel you can see it's

going to

show all the axes and you can just drag

until your object

is on one of the axes so maybe i want to

move it this way so i can just drag over

and then once it's moving on the x-axis

i can let go

and now it's going to be moving on the x

axis and then if i want to change it i

can just click again with my middle

mouse wheel

move it maybe i want to move it close up

so i can pull it until it goes under the

y

axis and then let go and now it's only

moving on the y

axis and then i can just click to place

that so it's very quick you just press

g click with my middle mouse wheel move

it over click g

click with my middle mouse wheel bring

it up click so using this technique you

can very quickly move your objects

around

the 3d space so that is the grab feature

so now let's say i want to rotate the

object to rotate it you press

r and r is going to rotate this around

let me just press the period key to zoom

into it

so i can press r to rotate this around

and then again

if you press x y or z it's going to

constrain it to those axes so it's only

going to rotate on those axes

and then if you want to do that really

quickly you can just click with your

middle mouse wheel

and then move around and you can see

that now it's going to change what axes

it's moving on and it's acting a little

bit fiddly here so i'm going to press

the escape key to

jump out of that and then press r and

then do that again

and now you can see it's changing the

different axes

and then one other thing you can do with

the rotation is if you press

r it's only going to rotate it on one

angle and you can click with your middle

mouse wheel

but if you double tap r it's going to go

into this trackball and then you can

just

move around and then place it somewhere

i'm going to press ctrl

z to undo that and just like a lot of

other programs

control z will undo an action and then

shift control z

will redo the action and then let's say

i want to

scale this object so to scale this

object you press

s and s is of course for scale so i can

scale this up

i can make this object really big or i

can make it really small

by pressing s and then moving your mouse

and then clicking to place that

and then just like all the others if you

press s and then press

x z or y you can scale it

on those axes and then if i click with

my middle mouse wheel

you can scale it on whichever axes you

want

and then all of these work for the other

objects as well so if i just select the

camera

i can scale it i can rotate it and i can

grab

it and then the lamp here i can grab it

rotate it although the rotation doesn't

really do anything for this certain lamp

and then i can also scale it but the

scale doesn't work for this specific

lamp

now let's say that you wanted to select

more than one objects because right now

we've just been selecting one object

to select multiple objects you hold down

the shift key and then select the other

objects

and you can see that when i do that this

object is yellow and this object is

selected as orange

and what that means is that this is the

active object but they're both selected

so if i hold down the shift key and

select this one now they're all selected

but because this is the last one that i

selected it's the

active object now we'll go into why you

might want to use this later on but not

in this video

and then if i want to press g to grab or

r to rotate or s to scale

it's going to work exactly the same so i

can press

g to grab and then click with my middle

mouse wheel and move these around

and because they're all selected it's

going to move them all around together

now let's say that you have a bunch of

objects in your scene and you want to

select

all of them together what you can do is

press the a

key and that's going to select all of

the objects

and then to deselect all the objects you

double tap a

so if you just press a that's going to

select all of them if you press a once

it doesn't really work

so you have to double tap a to deselect

all the objects now i actually don't

like this

this is actually something that's been

changed in a somewhat more recent

blender update

and i don't really like this i like

pressing a to select that works really

well

but double tapping a to deselect i

really don't like it and it doesn't

really make any sense to me

so if you want to leave this as default

you can i really don't like this though

so i'm going to change it so i'm going

to go to edit

and go to preferences and then in the

preferences click over on this key map

here

and then you're going to click on select

all toggles so it's kind of weird i

don't really know why it's named that

but if you click on select all toggles

and then if you want to save this you

can save the preferences now you can

press a to select and then a to deselect

and it's only gonna

do it once so you don't need a double

tap a you can just press it once

and i just like this better so it's just

my personal preference you can do

whatever you want

and again don't worry about all this

stuff right now you can totally go back

and change this at any time

so just one more thing in the 3d view

that i want to show you in this first

part

i'm going to show you how to add objects

and delete objects

so to delete an object it's pretty

straightforward you just select the

object and you can press the delete key

and then it's going to delete it now i'm

going to press ctrl z to undo that now

another way to delete objects in blender

is by pressing the x key and i actually

like this better

because my hand is usually around the

control and shift key and also the a

key so that i can use those shortcut

keys so i press the x key because the

delete key is kind of all the way up

here but the x key is right next to my

hand

so i press the x key and you can see

that it's going to ask you if you want

to delete it

it's just a double check just in case

you accidentally hit the x key

so it's going to say ok delete and just

click on it and then it's going to

delete the object

so i'm just going to select this press x

and delete it select this and press

x and delete it so now we've deleted all

the objects and

our scene doesn't have anything in it so

to add objects

you can go up here and click on this add

menu but again once you get more

familiar with blender using the shortcut

keys is going to be super important so

i think it's better if i just teach you

the shortcut keys right up front

and then later on when you're more

experienced with blender using the

shortcut keys

is really going to speed up your

workflow so you can click on this add

menu but what i like to do is press

shift a and you can see that there is a

bunch of things here

now there are a lot of things to add

here and if you want to you can go

around and play with these different

things

but in this tutorial series i'm going to

show you the most important things and

the things that i like to use now when

you press shift a to add an object the

main thing that you're going to be using

is this mesh right here and you can see

there's a bunch of different primitive

shapes there's also the monkey here the

suzanne monkey

that is the mascot of blender i'm just

going to add this in just to show you

it's a little monkey head so this monkey

head is suzanne and this is the mascot

of blender

so what you'll do when you're modeling

is you'll choose an object that most

represents what you're modeling so for

instance

in part two of this tutorial series

we're going to be modeling a house

and so i'm going to be adding a cube

because of all these objects a cube

is the closest shape to a house and

there are a lot of other things here

um the light right here if you want to

light up your scene uh the point light

is what we had at the very beginning the

default so if i just add a point light

and then press g to grab it you can see

there's the point light that we had at

the beginning

and then also a camera if i press shift

a you can see there's a camera right

here if i click on this

you can see here's our camera let me

just press g

and bring it over and then click and

then let me just select the suzanne head

press

x and delete press shift a and i'm going

to click on mesh and add a cube

so now all the objects that we started

with are back in the 3d view

now while we were adding in these

objects you may have noticed something

and that is

that wherever this 3d cursor is that's

where

the object is gonna be so you can see if

i just click to place my 3d cursor

and if you're using the left click

select you're going to hold down the

shift key and then left click and that's

going to set the 3d cursor but i'm using

right click so i'm just going to left

click select to place that

so let's say that i wanted to add an

object kind of in the center of the

scene i can just click to place my 3d

cursor right there

and if i click with my middle mouse

wheel and zoom over you can see it

doesn't actually place it down there

it kind of places it a little bit away

from you but not exactly where you are

so you can see now it's pretty close to

the center so now i'll press shift a

and let's say i want to add a cone so i

just click on the cone and now you can

see

the cone is added wherever the 3d cursor

is

so that's one of the features of the 3d

cursor the 3d cursor does have other

uses though so later on in this tutorial

series

we'll go over some of those other

features all right so that's gonna wrap

it up for part one of this tutorial

series

so what we did is we went over the user

preferences and just went over the basic

things and then i talked about

how to navigate in the 3d view and how

to move around objects how to add

objects how to rotate

grab and scale objects now in the next

part in part 2 i'm going to talk about

all the different windows here

i'm going to talk about like the

timeline and this panel here and also

these different tabs here

these are different workspaces and then

i'm also going to talk about setting up

a default startup file so join me in

part two there will be a link

right up on the screen there and you can

click on it when it's released

thank you so much for watching i hope

this tutorial was helpful and i will see

you in the next part