The ultimate collection of our free Blender tutorials is here! From modeling to animation, these short workflows teach you skills you can easily apply to your project today. This is a great list to explore, share, bookmark and come back to when you want to quickly boost your Blender workflow.
Inside This List of Tutorials...
- 💡Start here: Blender Basics
- Modeling Tutorials
- Rendering Tutorials
- Shading and Texturing Tutorials
- Animation Tutorials
- Dynamics and Visual Effects Tutorials
- BONUS: Blender Inspiration, Documentation, Drones and Your Perfect Portfolio
For Absolute 3D Beginners: Blender Basics Tutorial Series
Why this tutorial rules
The Blender beginner course to end all Blender beginner courses, Blender Basics is our most-watched introductory series. In less than 60 minutes, you'll cover "everything you need to start using Blender like a boss!"
What you'll learn
What Blender is, how to install it, navigating the interface (without freaking out), working in 3D, moving things around, and where you can continue your learning after this tutorial series. Oh, and you'll create your first Blender model, too!
Start with the video above, then slide over to the course page to watch the complete free Blender Basics series.
MODELING TUTORIALS
Modeling an Ornamental Shield in Blender
Why this tutorial rules
Model a stunning shield to show off (and possibly slay enemies) with! In 30 minutes, the legendary Blender trainer Kent Trammell takes you through an action-packed workflow and teaches you super useful modeling skills.
What you'll learn
Starting with the default cube, you'll model a shield as well as it's decorative details on a flat plane, then deform it a lattice into the final curved shape. Fun!
How to Add Detail to your Model with Decals
Why this tutorial rules
Decals are a great way to add details to a model easily an in a non-destructive way. Great uses are graffiti, stickers, stains, blood splatter or puddles.
What you'll learn
How to create and project clean decals using Blender booleans and projecting UVs from the camera view. This method is especially reliable and flexible. To learn how to seamlessly apply your decals to the target material, check out this decals tutorial for CG Cookie Citizens.
Creating a Tropical Environment with EEVEE (4-part tutorial)
Why this tutorial rules
Hello, summer! Above anything, this environment is super fun to create. The result is appealing, highly instagrammable and what's more, you'll learn a ton of essential Blender techniques along the way.
What you'll learn
Everything that goes into creating stylized environment assets, which are not just appealing to look at because of their simplicity, but also let you create faster than photo-realistic assets. You'll also practice a link-based workflow which is a fantastic time-saver for complex Blender scenes. Plus, see how EEVEE works for large-scale scenes.
Start with Part 1 above, then move on to Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this summer tutorial.
How to Create 3D Models for Virtual Reality
Why this tutorial rules
Virtual Reality is a massive field that's only going to get bigger. Digital artists need to get their feet wet and comfortable creating for VR.
What you'll learn
While any 3D model can, technically, be used for virtual reality, there are a few limitations to keep in mind, like building to scale, the "pixels over polygons" rule, and more.
Modeling Stylized Hair for Characters
Why this tutorial rules
Stylized hair is super popular in cartoon genres like anime, manga, comic books, and Disney animation. Also, artists often use stylized hair to quickly visualize their character without the hassle of creating the individual hairs.
What you'll learn
How to set up taper and bevel curve objects, easily duplicate tapers and bevels, populate a character's scalp and create a hair style with bezier handles.
Normal Maps, Explained Once and For All
Why this tutorial rules
Because everybody talks about normal maps but not everybody knows what they *actually* are.
What you'll learn
You'll break apart the components of a normal map to investigate how it works from the bottom up. To understand the application of normal maps in the gaming industry, check out our quick article on Why AAA Video Games Use Normal Maps.
For CG Cookie Citizens, there is a great tutorial series Normal Map Modeling for Games.
ANIMATION TUTORIALS
Create a 2D Bouncing Ball Animation with Grease Pencil
Why this tutorial rules
Grease Pencil is easily one of the most exciting developments in Blender and it's time we got in on the action.
What you'll learn
Grease Pencil objects, layers and strokes to animate a 2d bouncing ball. You will draw with different brush types and edit your strokes, apply materials to your drawing and most importantly, you will use some of the great animation tools to help you animate a bouncing that loops over and over in the viewport.
How to Fix a Broken Animation Scene
Why this tutorial rules
Because problems crop up all the time with animation projects. There are a lot of moving parts - pun intended - and a lot to potentially go wrong, resulting in broken rigs to haunt your dreams.
What you'll learn
Some helpful tricks that can get your rigs fixed quickly. You will be counting Suzanne heads again in your sleep in no time. Unless that's your nightmare...
DYNAMICS AND VISUAL EFFECTS TUTORIALS
Create a Realistic Camera Shake
Why this tutorial rules
It's a quick and easy way to add another layer of realism to your Blender animation.
What you'll learn
In just 10 minutes, learn how to camera shake to any Blender video!
Create Colorful Gun Smoke Simulation
Why this tutorial rules
Because...colorful smoke. Need we say more? Yep, it's a blast!
What you'll learn
In less than 20 minutes, you'll learn how to make a gun a puff of colorful powder by utilizing Blender's smoke simulations.
Create a Heat Distortion Effect
Why this tutorial rules
Heat distortions are a great effect to add realism to any shot containing excessive heat, from lava to jet engines.
What you'll learn
Create a realistic heat distortion effect, fast, with an easy dynamics simulation method.
Create a Quick and Easy Traffic Simulation
Why this tutorial rules
Rendering road scenes or looking for fun simulation practice? We got you.
What you'll learn
Master a way to make a realistic traffic simulation using nothing more than a curve and some particles.
Exploring the Dynamic Paint Tool
Why this tutorial rules
Explore one of the coolest and most useful simulations in Blender: Dynamic Paint.
What you'll learn
What Dynamic Paint is and what you can use it for, as well as loads of the useful features it brings to the table.
Create a Realistic Rain Effect that Makes the Ground Wet
Why this tutorial rules
Because creating rain is easy: the challenge is to make it act real by making the surface wet.
What you'll learn
Learn how to utilize wetmaps to create a realistic rain-wetting effect using dynamic paint.
Create Realistic Particle Dirt and Soil
Why this tutorial rules
Because you need realistic Blender dirt for all your nature and outdoor scenes.
What you'll learn
Dirt textures and procedural materials too big to cut it? No problem: you can make realistic dirt down to the macro level by utilizing particles.
Curious about texturing in Blender? Dive into the full tutorial series on learning to texture in Blender.
FLIP Fluids: The Future of Fluid Simulations
Why this tutorial rules
FLIP fluid simulations have been revolutionizing the game in the entire VFX industry and it's crucial that you understand what goes on below the (fluid) surface).
What you'll learn
Understand what FLIP Fluids are, how they work and how they impact Blender.
Create Simulated Rain Puddles with Splashes
Why this tutorial rules
The result is awesome to watch: your rain puddle will react to rain particles as they land on the surface.
What you'll learn
How to create hyper-realistic rain puddles in no time!
How to Make a Collapsing Tower Simulation in Blender
Why this tutorial rules
Because everybody loves those extremely satisfying collapsing tower (a.k.a. KEVA plank) simulations!
What you'll learn
Explore basic rigid body physics and create an epic collapsing tower simulation with it.
Create an Animated Text Intro with Motion Graphics
Why this tutorial rules
From Hollywood blockbusters to YouTube channel, everyone loves a good animated title sequence! There's a lot of creative potential and branding power to be wielded with an animated text intro.
What you'll learn
Go step-by-step through the creation of a fictional movie title sequence. This includes modeling, texturing, shading, lighting, and animating.
RENDERING TUTORIALS
Improve your Wireframe Renders
Why this tutorial rules
Wireframe renders are crucial for showing off your modeling abilities to the world, so they have to be flawless!
What you'll learn
A quick look (less than 10 minutes) at a few methods on how to make your renders more appealing than ever.
Create a Dispersion Shader in Cycles
Why this tutorial rules
It's easy to add a glass shader to anything in Cycles, but it's more challenging to make it disperse light like a real-world prism. So in this tutorial, we'll do just that.
What you'll learn
Explore the physics behind dispersion and how you can utilize it to create a realistic dispersion shader.
Uber-fast Rendering Optimizations in Blender
Why this tutorial rules
Rendering is the bane of every 3D artist's existence! We're always on the lookout to speed this painful process up.
What you'll learn
A few ways that you can apply today to make rendering a bit easier on yourself and your CPU.
How to Loop an Animation Clip with the Blender VSE
Why this tutorial rules
For short animations that, looping is much better than hitting that annoying "replay" button over and over.
What you'll learn
How to render a viewport animation and quickly loop it with Blender's Video Sequence Editor.
SHADING TUTORIALS
What is BSDF?
Why this tutorial rules
The abbreviations BSDF is everywhere, but finding a simple explanation of what it actually means isn't easy. At least not until now.
What you'll learn
Once and for all, you'll understand what bidirectional scattering distribution function (say that ten times fast!) actually means and how it is used in computer graphics.
Procedural Texture Blurring in Cycles
Why this tutorial rules
This handy trick will completely change how you use Blender. Learn it in just 6 minutes!
What you'll learn
Utilize a special set of nodes to procedurally blur textures in Cycles. Yep, it's something you can do yourself, right now.
Using Blender's Grease Pencil for Previz
Why this tutorial rules
The Grease Pencil is a fantastic tool that allows you to do tons of creative things in Blender. Super useful to know and use regularly!
What you'll learn
Investigate how the Grease Pencil works and how it can be used for visualizing your renders before you've even started.
What is Random Walk Subsurface Scattering?
Why this tutorial rules
Short and sweet, this tutorial covers Random Walk SSS just under 4 minutes.
What you'll learn
Random Walk subsurface scattering is a newer feature Cycles. Learn what it does and how it compares to existing methods.
Using Custom OSL Shader in Cycles
Why this tutorial rules
Open Shading Language (OSL) shaders are awesome custom shaders! Why? They let you create materials that would be impossible with Cycles.
What you'll learn
Explore the possibilities that Open Shading Language shaders give you and see how they can be used in Cycles.
BONUS Tutorials: Blender Documentation, Inspiration, Drones and Portfolio Tips
The Ultimate Blender Guide: Understanding Blender Documentation
Why this tutorial rules
Let's be honest: just the word "documentation" sounds snooze-worthy. But make no mistake: this documentation can completely change the way you learn and use Blender.
What you'll learn
How to access Blender documentation, find your way around it, and get answers when you're stuck.
Maintaining Visual Consistency Between Blender Cycles & Unreal Engine
Why this tutorial rules
You know when you work really hard in Blender to create an amazing game asset, but when you export to a game engine like Unreal it doesn't look the same? Good news: you can fix it.
What you'll learn
When creating game assets with Blender for use in Unreal it's ideal to maintain visual fidelity between both applications. Learn how to establish such visual fidelity by exporting built-in Unreal assets and setting them up with Blender's Cycles render engine.
3D Scanning Objects with a Drone for Blender
Why this tutorial rules
3D scanning is an amazingly useful tool in nearly every aspect of computer graphics. This is a must-watch!
What you'll learn
How to scan a giant building with a drone, then get your results imported into Blender for your next steps.
BONUS: Build a Better Portfolio
Why this tutorial rules
Your awesome Blender skills will only get you there halfway. But if you want to land a job in the industry, you'll definitely need a portfolio to show off what you can do. This tutorial covers just that, so you can turn your hobby into a successful career.
What you'll learn
Why a portfolio matters, that there's never a "bad time" for talented artists, how to present your skills in their best light, what mistakes to avoid when putting together a selection of your work.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Help You Get Inspired
Why this tutorial rules
Because we can all use that extra dose of inspiration sometimes.
What you'll learn
Take a look at an AI text-to-image converter that generates some pretty amazing results. We can use these to get our creative wheels spinning.
