My Blender Tutorial Experience#

Recently, I decided to dive into 3D modeling using Blender, a free and powerful 3D creation tool, as preparation for future Unity projects. I followed two excellent YouTube tutorials:

Understanding the Basics#

Before starting, I clarified essential 3D modeling concepts.

Term	Description
`Mesh`	A combination of vertices (points), edges (lines), faces (polygons), or any combination of these.
`Geometry`	Any 3D object with position data, including meshes, curves, instances, volumes, etc.
`Instance`	A duplicate of an object sharing the same underlying data as the original.
`Shader`	A program controlling how light interacts with a surface, affecting color, reflection, transparency, and emission. In Blender, it’s often used interchangeably with `material`.

💡 Why this matters: Without a mental model, Blender can feel overwhelming. Once I understood mesh editing and modifiers, everything started to make sense.

Tools & Resources#

Blender: Download v4.4
YouTube Tutorials:
- Beginner Tutorial
- Floor Plan Tutorial

Step-by-Step Experience#

Tutorial 1: Blender Beginner Tutorial #

This tutorial covered the fundamentals:

Navigating Blender’s viewport
Useful shortcuts for efficiency
Differences between Edit Mode and Object Mode
Building a simple object step by step

Essential Shortcuts#

Shortcut	Action
`Middle Mouse`	Orbit around scene
`Shift + Middle Mouse`	Pan view
`Mouse Wheel Scroll`	Zoom in/out
`Tab`	Switch between Object/Edit Mode
`N`	Toggle Sidebar

For Object Mode:

Shortcut	Action
`T`	Toggle Toolbar
`G`	Move objects
`R`	Rotate objects
`S`	Scale (resize) objects
`Shift + A`	Add object
`Alt` (when adding)	Add object in perfect form (e.g., perfect cube or triangle)
`Ctrl + L`	Link properties between objects

💡 Tip: For more shortcuts, check Blender’s Keymap Documentation.

Recommended Setup#

Go to Edit > Preferences > Interface and adjust the Resolution Scale
💡 Why: Makes Blender easier to work with depending on your screen size.
Check your GPU under System > Cycles Render Devices > CUDA
💡 Why: Ensures hardware acceleration for faster rendering.
Increase Undo Steps to 100 in System > Memory & Limits
💡 Why: Allows more flexibility when correcting mistakes.

Add a Cylinder (Shift + A > Mesh > Cylinder)
Scale (S) to flatten into a cookie shape
Smooth surface: Right-click → Shade Smooth
Rename to Cookie in the Outliner

2. Chocolate Chips#

Add a UV Sphere (Shift + A > Mesh > UV Sphere)
Scale down (S) to chip size
Position using Move (G)
Duplicate chips (Shift + D) and place around the cookie

3. Tray#

Add a Cube (Shift + A > Mesh > Cube)
Scale and move to sit under cookie
Enter Edit Mode (Tab), select top face, use Inset Faces (I)
Extrude inner face down (E) to create tray depth

4. Materials & Colors#

Add material in Material Properties → New
Choose Base Color for cookie, chips, and tray
To quickly assign the same material, select chips → last chip with material → Ctrl + L > Materials

5. Lighting & Rendering#

Delete default light → Add Area Light (Shift + A > Light > Area)
Position camera (0 on numpad, enable Camera to View)
Set render engine to Cycles for realism
Render with F12 → Save via Image > Save As

Tutorial 2: Blender Floor Plan Tutorial #

This tutorial focused on combining objects and creating a full scene:

Importing and scaling floor plan images
Modeling floors and walls
Applying materials, lighting, and render settings

3D Floor Plan Creation#

1. Setup#

Download a floor plan image
Open Blender, select all (A) and delete (X) default objects
Import image → Creates an Empty object
Reset location & rotation: Alt + G, Alt + R
Switch to Top Orthographic View (7 on numpad)
Set Units to Metric (Scene Properties → Units → Metric → Meters)

2. Floor & Walls#

Add Plane → Rename to Floor
Set dimensions in Item Sidebar → Apply scale (Ctrl + A > Scale)
In Edit Mode, delete face (X > Only Faces)
Extrude vertices (E) along X/Y to match outer walls
Extrude inner walls for rooms

3. Finalizing & Rendering#

Duplicate floor → rename Background, delete faces, extrude outline
Hide Floor/Background, select Walls → Extrude upwards along Z-axis (E)
Add Solidify Modifier (Complex mode, adjust thickness)
Check Face Orientation (Blue = correct, Red = flipped) → Fix flipped faces (Shift + N)
Save your work (Ctrl + S)

💡 Final Tip: Always organize objects, name them clearly, and save iterations frequently. This keeps projects manageable as scenes get complex.