How do I use Blender?

[terrytek]

So, I just installed Blender on my PC. And as it turned out, it was waaaaay more difficult than SketchUp. Too many controls. How do I make a new model? How do I control the camera? I really need help using Blender, for i am a beginner, and I know how to use Sketchup more.

 

-terrytek

[Bloodyvalley]

Just close the lid and press the button

[Jogostar]

You put fruits in the blender and make a smoothie.

@BloodValley Ninja'd me on the blender joke.

[DarrenP]

With a great amount of difficulty. 

[nsyedhasan]

So, I just installed Blender on my PC. And as it turned out, it was waaaaay more difficult than SketchUp. Too many controls. How do I make a new model? How do I control the camera? I really need help using Blender, for i am a beginner, and I know how to use Sketchup more.

 

-terrytek

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/20427-blender-tutorial-guide/ This a good guide by @Pixxie_Payne

[terrytek]

Haha, very funny. I mean the Blender modelling program, not some stupid physical blender. No shit, I would know how to use a fkin blender.

[sabot]

Blender is very hard to learn, from what I know it takes almost 6 months to really learn, along with a really steep learning curve, but it is really powerful once you know how to use it! Good luck, I bet there are a bunch of good online tutorials if you search for them.

[EvilLemur]

help is always a googles away http://www.blender.org/support/tutorials/

you can go down to motion tracking. enjoy

[Fuzzy_Ball]

Ask Slick, he makes Linus smoothies.

[Camul]

It's just a matter of opinion, but I found Maya the easiest to learn, maybe try that. There are a lot more higher quality tutorials out there for Maya than blender. If you don't fancy shelling out £4000 or getting an illegal copy, you can just go to http://www.autodesk.com/education/student-software and create an account and download it for free. Last time I checked, entering fake details worked fine, they don't check if you're actually a student at the college.

[Henry]

Is it plugged in?

[Kilerbomb]

Look up Youtube tutorials. That's how I got good at it. Now it use Blender quite frequently for a game I'm working on.

 

Here's some useful functions/shortcuts:

• Right click to select
• Left click to place world origin (this is where added objects originate)
• N for transform properties box
• B to select multiple objects in a specified area
• Shift+Right click to select multiple objects one at a time
• E for Extrude
• Space for add-object/search
• S for Scale (press X, Y, or Z while scaling to scale on the X, Y, or Z axis respectively)
• R for Rotate (press X, Y, or Z while rotating to rotate on the X, Y, or Z axis respectively)
• W (while in edit mode) for a list of useful Special tools
• W (while in object mode) for a list of Boolean Tools 
• G for grab
• Num3 for side view
• Num1 for front view
• Num7 for top view
• Num5 to toggle orthographic view
• Num0 for active camera view
• Shift+Scroll Wheel button+mouse movement to move your perspective left/right/up/down
• Ctrl+Scroll Wheel button+mouse movement for quick zooming
• F12 to render
• Ctrl+P to parent any selected object(s) to last selected object
• Ctrl+J to join objects
• Tab to toggle between edit mode and object mode
• P (in object mode) to start the Blender game engine
• P (in edit mode) to separate selected vertices/faces/edges from the object
• I (i, not l) to insert a animation key
• U (in edit mode) to unwrap mesh (used for texturing)

 

Blender is a very powerful piece of software, it just takes some getting used to.

[ILunde]

useful links:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/ - great forum where you can ask questions etc. and show off your blender work.

http://cgcookie.com/blender/ - great resource for learning blender, with all levels of tutorials. from beginner to advanced.

[LogicalDrm]

Blender has nice tutorials. I learned basics to 3d modelling from there.

 

But to answerr question itself: