Free Curriculum For Teaching Blender 3D

We firmly believe that Blender should be the #1 choice for teachers of 3D and Animation (and here is why we think every classroom needs Blender. Now, starting to use it is easier than ever.

Download Blender Curriculum Now

Through years of working with educators, we at CG Cookie know that putting together a quality curriculum is one of the most challenging tasks a teacher can face. Our free Blender Curriculum is a ready-made document that serves as complete guidance for teaching Blender to beginners.

A turnkey package for teaching Blender to beginners

The curriculum was created by an instructor with 25+ years experience in teaching. It is coupled with grading rubrics and compliant with a reference framework, which makes it a state-of-the-art document ready to be used at the majority of training institutions in North America and worldwide.

Why do you need a Curriculum to teach Blender?

Blender 3D is a free, open-source software which is available to anyone. However, learning to use Blender is time consuming, technical task that can easily become frustrating when not approached strategically. 

A well-designed curriculum gives teachers and students a measurable plan for an effective learning experience with Blender. With limited time and resources, a quality curriculum maximizes the impact of time spent learning and helps students to grow their skills quickly, minimizing frustration and keeping their motivation high.

A Detailed Blender Lesson Plan

The Curriculum is a 90-hour lesson plan designed for teachers. It shows teachers how to guide students from their first interaction with Blender to independent modeling and animation projects. The Curriculum is based on CG Cookie's Introduction to Blender flow, a series of beginner-focused video tutorials.

The curriculum contains a detailed lesson plan separated into 8 courses totaling 90 hours of instruction time. Each course includes lessons with key learnings, teaching tips, framework cross-referencing and grading rubrics, as well as useful classroom strategies. The curriculum also references quizzes which help students quickly self-test their knowledge of each completed section.

An integral part of the curriculum is a continuing project, a red thread which connects the curriculum and helps students apply their new knowledge at each stage of the learning process.

The Curriculum contains a continuing classroom project

Comprehensive Resources for Teachers

Detailed Grading Rubrics outline what is required of students at each stage of the course, detailing the skills a student must demonstrate to meet 1 of 4 levels (Beginning - Developing - Accomplished - Exemplary), including a How-To guide and examples of practical application of the rubrics. 

A Reference Framework is a collection of standards, objectives, and indicators which are used for industry and professional certification. The framework can be helpful for getting your course approved through your local or state agency.  Each lesson has been cross-referenced to this framework.

Continuing Project consists of short tasks based on one scene in Blender. As students learn new skills, they apply them to their scene to practice; from a simple mesh modeling task to basic animation and rendering. The project is designed to be worked on throughout the course. 

Course Progress Assessment Project is designed to evaluate the students' progress. It consists of three 20-minute tasks given to students at the beginning, the middle and the end of the course and should reflect the students' improving skills. 

Designed for Students With no Previous 3D Knowledge

The curriculum assumes a teacher's working familiarity and experience with Blender. However, since an integral part of the because it has CG Cookie tutorials and courses integrated into it, advanced knowledge is not required on the teacher's part.

The lessons include practice exercises and quizzes.

What Does the Curriculum Cover?

The Curriculum follows the progression of CG Cookie's Introduction to Blender flow. The main sections of the Curriculum are:

• Blender Basics: Introduction to Blender, User Interface, first interaction with objects.
• Mesh Modeling Fundamentals: Creating and manipulating mesh objects, fundamental modeling tools and mesh selection tools.
• Fundamentals of Lighting: Types of illumination, 3-point lighting, HDRi illumination.
• Fundamentals of Texturing: UV coordinates, painting, baking, external editing.
• Fundamentals of Shading: Shading for Cycles, node-based materials, Blender Render.
• Fundamentals of Animation: Animation tools and principles, rigging.
• Fundamentals of Rendering: Rendering options, Cycles render properties, Rendering in Blender's Viewport.
• Fundamentals of Compositing: Pre- and Post-Render disassembly, treatment techniques.

All lessons include practice exercises and quizzes.

Taking Full Advantage of CG Cookie for Schools

All CG Cookie Group account get access to group functionality designed to make learning easier for teachers and students. With activity tracking, a private discussion board and a dedicated domain (example: YourSchool.cgcookie.com), CG Cookie for Schools is the perfect platform for learning Blender efficiently in a group. Learn more about how CG Cookie for Schools will change the way you teach 3D.

Start Using the Curriculum Today

For questions and guidance on using the curriculum, contact [email protected].

The CG Cookie Blender Curriculum was developed in collaboration with Tony Sharpe, an instructor with 23 years' experience. After teaching Autodesk software for years, Tony switched to Blender 4 years ago and never looked back. Successfully coaching his students with the use of CG Cookie tutorials, Tony currently teaches Advanced 3D Game Design at West Sound Technical Skills Center in Washington.