Blender For Dummies

Create 3D models and realistic scenes, and get animated with Blender!Blender can do all the cool 3D things, but trying to figure it out on your own can make you feel as if you're in a blender. Relax! This book takes Blender step by step. First, you learn to think the Blender way. Then you start modeling, adding materials, lighting, rigging, and animating. Soon you'll be sharing your creations with the world!Become a Blenderhead — find out how Blender thinks and learn your way around the programDevelop detailed 3D scenes — create almost anything with meshes, save time with modifiers, and make the best use of Blender's other object typesLights and texture — understand texture mapping, use different lamp types, and take advantage of ambient occlusionGive it life — rig your characters for animation with shape keys, hooks, and armatures, and understand inverse kinematicsGet it out there — understand exporting, rendering, compositing, and editing for outputOpen the book and find:Why Blender is perfect for small shops and independent artistsHow to navigate in three dimensionsWays to make animations more believableHow to color vertices and provide textureTips on making Blender do the animating for youWhat particle systems doTen common problems new users faceHow to work with the video sequence editorBonus CD IncludesBlender 2.48a complete version! Save download time and install the version you'll use for this book.See the CD appendix for details and complete system requirements.