Introduction
Blender is a free open source 3D graphics and image software that provides a range of animation short film production solutions from modeling, animation, materials, rendering, to audio processing, video editing, and more.
Blender has a variety of user interfaces that are easy to use in different work situations, with advanced film and television solutions such as green screen cropping, camera reverse tracking, mask processing, and post node synthesis built-in. Blender comes with a built-in Cycles renderer and real-time rendering engine EEVEE. It also supports multiple third-party renderers.
Blender is designed for media workers and artists around the world and can be used for 3D visualization, as well as creating broadcast and movie quality videos. In addition, a built-in real-time 3D game engine makes it possible to create independently replayed 3D interactive content (the game engine was removed in version 2.8).
Major function
A fully integrated creative suite that provides comprehensive 3D creative tools, including modeling, UV mapping, texturing, rigging, skinning, animation, particles, and physical simulations of other systems such as Physics, scripting, rendering, motion tracking, and compositing Post production and game production (removed);
Cross platform support, its OpenGL based graphical interface is the same on any platform (and can be customized through Python scripts), and can work on all mainstream Windows (10, 8, 7, Vista), Linux, OS X, and many other operating systems;
High quality 3D architecture brings fast and efficient creative processes;
Each version release has over 200000 downloads worldwide;
Small size for easy distribution;
Object Type
Mesh: An object composed of "faces, edges, and vertices" that can be edited and modified by mesh commands. Although Blender supports meshes instead of polygons, it has powerful editing capabilities and common modification commands. Since version 2.63, Blender can also support N-sided faces, which is no weaker than software that supports Polygons. Moreover, Blender's mesh has good fault tolerance and can support non manifold meshes.
Curve: A curve is a mathematically defined object that can be manipulated using weight control handles or control anchors, commonly known as a pen curve in general vector software. However, due to the lack of responsible personnel and programming personnel, this area is basically in a semi-finished state. Only the most basic modification commands, such as some common commands such as breaking curve anchors, are not supported by default.
NURBS surfaces: They can be used to manipulate the four edges of a surface using control handles or control points, which are organic and smooth but have very simple shapes. Like curves, this one only has the most basic modification commands due to a lack of developers. Common Nurbs commands such as surface cutting, chamfering, double line lofting, and inserting isoparms do not exist.
Metaobjects: In the new version, it is translated as Metaballs, also known as Metaballs in some software. Composed of objects that define the three-dimensional volume of an object, Blobby forms with liquid mass can be created when there are two or more fused spheres. But it only supports adding default objects and does not support using custom meshes for shape generation.
Text object: Create a two-dimensional string to generate a three-dimensional font. However, due to the inherent flaw of Blender, it is not supported to directly input Chinese on the Windows platform. You must first input it in Notepad and then paste it into the edit box (this issue was not gradually resolved until the end of 2014). Moreover, during font switching selection, the built-in Chinese name of the font file cannot be seen, and only the original file name can be seen. Therefore, it is quite troublesome to create Chinese 3D characters in Blender.
Bones: Bones are used to bind vertices in 3D models so that they can pose and take actions. The built-in spline bone is a special type of bone that can create soft curved transitions without relying on spline IK. And the binding method of envelopes is also defined as a bone style.
Empty object: It is a common auxiliary object in general software, which is a simple visual marker with transformation attributes but cannot be rendered. They are often used to drive and control the position and constraints of other objects. It can also read in an image as a modeling reference image.
Lattice: Use additional grid objects to surround the selected mesh, and adjust the control points of this grid object to produce soft deformation of the surrounding mesh vertices. But when creating a lattice, it does not match the bounding box of the selected object, and users need to manually match it.
Camera: Refers to the camera, which is an object used to determine the rendering area and provides various composition reference lines such as diagonal, nine palace, and golden section. You can set a focal object to provide reference when simulating depth of field.
Lights: They are often used as light sources for scenes, and the types of light sources included in BI are: point light (omni light), sunlight (directional light), spot light, hemispherical light, and area light (regional light). Other engines can also use self illumination to create grid light sources.
Force field: used for physical simulation, they are used to apply external forces to influence rigid bodies, flexible bodies, and particles, causing them to move. They are often used on empty objects (auxiliary objects).
Function Introduction
Mouse operation: Blender operation is quite strange. The default is to right-click to edit and modify 3D objects, and left-click to locate the 3D cursor. This is very different from mainstream software and does not conform to the operation methods of common software. But you can swap the left and right keys in the option settings. In the new version, Blender's default selection key is the left button.
Editing workflow: Blender does not support node based operations that can be returned for modification. After any object is created or editing command is executed, the modification options will disappear and modification parameters cannot be returned. If you want to modify the operating parameters of a certain step in the history record, you can only undo it to this step first. After the modification is completed, manually redo all subsequent modifications.
Sculpture and texture painting: The brushes in both modes are operated based on "screen projection", rather than the "face normal direction" of the mesh where the brush is located. Due to the fact that Blender does not have a normal brush (the brush selection is also a screen projection), its operation and feel may differ from general carving software based on normal brushes or texture rendering software.
Fur System: Blender's fur system is particle based, so you must first create a particle system to generate fur. Although particles themselves support collisions, the fur system does not support collisions. Therefore, when fur needs to generate collision animation, force field objects can be used to simulate and create a fake collision effect.
Post: Video Editing is a simple non-linear editing module for image sequences and video file processing, which can set transitions, add title text, audio, and perform simple color adjustments. The difference from some common non linear software on the market is that its built-in special effects section is very simple, often relying on Blender's own functions. It needs to first render the special effects, or process them through synthesis nodes (such as solar flares and matting), and output them into an image sequence before continuing with synthesis production to achieve the desired effect. In Blender2021, VSE (Video Sequence Editor) will receive a major update, including performance improvements, UI UX, and more.
Switch to the Chinese interface: Execute the menu File User Preferences (shortcut keys Ctrl+Alt+U), and in the pop-up Blender User Preferences interface, switch to the System tab and select International Fonts in that tab. Then click on the Language drop-down list, select Simplified Chinese, and select Interface, Tooltips, and New Data below to fully open Blender's Chinese culture. Note: This feature requires version 2.60 and above.
Chinese input (Win version): Due to Blender being developed by a foreign team, there has been a problem with Asian character input on the Windows platform, which must be transferred through the clipboard and cannot be directly input. It was not until the end of 2014, due to the contribution of Chinese code, that the authorities finally began to gradually address the issue. However, the support for Chinese input methods is still very limited (QQ Pinyin is recommended), and some Pinyin and Wubi input methods have problems with character repetition, missing words, and missing words. Note: This feature requires version 2.73 and above.
