I'm following this course with Blender 4.2.2 installed and I ran into an issue when auto-smoothing the game console; the "Normals" tab has been removed from the "Data" properties section of the Properties Editor, so to achieve the same effect:
1. Select "Shade Smooth" from the object menu and adjust the angle in the redo panel after the action, OR ...
2. Select "Auto Smooth" from the object menu and add a "Smooth by Angle" Modifier to the game console object for a non-destructive solution.
For now, I am going with option two. Is anyone able to confirm or deny whether this is the best practice moving forward?
Derek
Option 2 is correct. That is the replacement for the old auto-smooth. It's undergone a few revisions since it's been introduced in 4.0. Now when you right click and shade auto-smooth it conveniently adds the modifier automatically. In the modifier you can then adjust the angle to get the desired result. So you're right on track :)
Yes, option 2 is the way. Also remember, it is a far better way to follow a course with the Blender version it was recorded with. You will avoid the headache of things not matching. And in Blender things f big consequences ever hardly change, it's all buttons renaming or placement, you don't have to fear being outdated because you used a previous Blender version.