Make your 3D world a reality Some of the dramatic visual effects you've seen in top-grossing movies and heralded television series got their start in Blender. This book helps you get your own start in creating three-dimensional characters, scenes, and animations in the popular free and open-source tool. Author Jason van Gumster shares his insight as an independent animator and digital artist to help Blender newcomers turn their ideas into three-dimensional drawings. From exporting and sharing scenes to becoming a part of the Blender community, this accessible book covers it all! Create 3D characters no experience required Build scenes with texture and real lighting features Animate your creations and share them with the world Avoid common rookie mistakes This book is the ideal starting place for newcomers to the world of 3D modeling and animation.

Make your 3D world a realitySome of the dramatic visual effects you've seen in top-grossing movies and heralded television series got their start in Blender. This book helps you get your own start in creating three-dimensional characters, scenes, and animations in the popular free and open-source tool.Author Jason van Gumster shares his insight as an independent animator and digital artist to help Blender newcomers turn their ideas into three-dimensional drawings. From exporting and sharing scenes to becoming a part of the Blender community, this accessible book covers it all!* Create 3D characters--no experience required* Build scenes with texture and real lighting features* Animate your creations and share them with the world* Avoid common rookie mistakesThis book is the ideal starting place for newcomers to the world of 3D modeling and animation.

Introduction 1Part 1: Wrapping Your Brain Around Blender 7Chapter 1: Discovering Blender 9Chapter 2: Understanding How Blender Thinks 25Chapter 3: Getting Your Hands Dirty Working in Blender 63Chapter 4: Working in Edit Mode and Object Mode 77Part 2: Creating Detailed 3D Scenes 111Chapter 5: Creating Anything You Can Imagine with Meshes 113Chapter 6: Sculpting in Virtual Space 157Chapter 7: Using Blender's Non-Mesh Primitives 189Chapter 8: Changing That Boring Gray Default Material 229Chapter 9: Giving Models Texture 267Chapter 10: Lighting and Environment 297Part 3: Get Animated! 333Chapter 11: Animating Objects 335Chapter 12: Rigging: The Art of Building an Animatable Puppet 367Chapter 13: Animating Object Deformations 411Chapter 14: Letting Blender Do the Work for You 433Chapter 15: Making 2D and 2.5D Animation with Grease Pencil 461Part 4: Sharing Your Work with the World 497Chapter 16: Exporting and Rendering Scenes 499Chapter 17: Editing Video and Animation 513Chapter 18: Compositing Images and Video 531Chapter 19: Mixing Video and 3D with Motion Tracking 553Part 5: The Part of Tens 577Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Working More Effectively in Blender 579Chapter 21: Ten Excellent Community Resources 589Index 597