Blender guides, written and tested

83 guides on rendering, modelling, texturing and animation in Blender. They are free, they need no account, and the numbers in them come from our own measurements rather than from marketing pages. If your render is the thing slowing you down, start with rendering faster in Cycles; if you are weighing a machine against a farm, read what a render farm is.

Rendering and output

Getting a frame out of Blender, making it faster, and choosing the codec to deliver it in.

How to render in Blender: still image and animation

How to render in Blender: choose the engine (Cycles or Eevee), turn on the GPU, Render Image (F12), Render Animation (Ctrl+F12) and save the result.

How to render an animation in Blender (Ctrl+F12), 7 steps

Render to a PNG or EXR sequence, not straight to video. If Blender crashes you lose one frame, not the file. Frame range, output path, Ctrl+F12, MP4.

How to render faster in Blender Cycles: 10 settings

Ten Cycles settings that cut render time in Blender 4.x and 5.x: GPU device, noise threshold, denoiser, light bounces, clamping, Persistent Data and more.

Blender noise threshold: values for stills and animation

0.01 for final renders, 0.02 to 0.05 for a denoised still, 0.1 for previews: the Cycles noise threshold by use case, with Max Samples and the denoiser.

Photorealistic rendering in Blender: the method

Photorealistic rendering in Blender: Cycles, HDRI, imperfect PBR materials, bevels, a realistic camera, bounces, denoising, AgX and what gives 3D away.

OptiX vs CUDA in Blender: which one to choose for Cycles

OptiX vs CUDA in Blender: set up your NVIDIA card (Preferences, System), what OptiX speeds up, the OptiX denoiser, supported cards, drivers and limits.

What is a render farm? How it works, what it costs

A render farm splits the frames of a 3D scene across many machines: how the job queue works, CPU vs GPU farms, cloud vs DIY, and what rendering costs per hour and per frame.

3D rendering software: which one to choose, free or paid

Which 3D rendering software to choose: Cycles, Eevee, V-Ray, Corona, Arnold, Redshift, Octane and real-time engines compared, free or paid.

Blender render addons: which ones to install, free or paid

Blender addons for rendering: split the render across machines, render sequences, denoise, send the scene to a render farm, and install an addon.

H.264 vs H.265 (HEVC): which video codec to choose

H.264 vs H.265 (HEVC): compression, compatibility, encoding time, which codec for which use, and the settings in Blender and FFmpeg.

Path tracing vs ray tracing: the difference, in Blender

Path tracing is ray tracing that follows random light paths over many bounces. How it differs from game ray tracing and rasterization, in Cycles and EEVEE.

BVH in Blender: bounding volume hierarchy and .bvh files

BVH explained: the bounding volume hierarchy behind Cycles (Building BVH, Spatial Splits, Persistent Data) and how to import .bvh mocap files in Blender.

Caustics: what they are and how to render them in Blender

Caustics are light focused by curved glass, water or metal. How Blender Cycles renders them: shadow caustics (MNEE), Light Paths, pool and glass setups.

Hardware

What actually moves render times: the GPU, its VRAM, and the machine around it.

Best PC for 3D rendering: GPU, VRAM, CPU and RAM

The best PC for 3D rendering and Blender: graphics card, VRAM, processor and RAM, laptop or Mac, and when renting costs less than buying a card.

RTX 5090 Blender: 32 GB VRAM, Cycles speed vs RTX 4090

RTX 5090 for Blender: 32 GB of GDDR7 VRAM, supported since Blender 4.4, Blender Open Data scores against the RTX 4090 and 5080, and power supply.

Blender on Mac (M1, M2, M3, M4): Metal GPU and speed

Blender on Mac and MacBook: which version to download (Apple Silicon or Intel), enabling the Metal GPU, how fast Apple chips render, and Blender on iPad.

Modelling

Building the mesh, from the first extrusion to a model ready to print.

3D modeling: methods and free 3D modeling software

3D modeling: definition, methods (polygonal, sculpting, parametric, procedural), free software (Blender, FreeCAD, SketchUp) and where to start.

Blender extrude: the E key and the Alt+E menu

Extrude in Blender: what the E key does for each selection, locking an axis, the Alt+E menu, extruding to the cursor, Solidify and mistakes to avoid.

Blender SVG to 3D: import, extrude and bevel a logo

SVG to 3D in Blender: import an SVG as curves, fix the tiny scale, extrude and bevel it, convert it to a mesh, then render or 3D print the logo.

Blender join objects (Ctrl+J) and separate them (P)

Join objects in Blender with Ctrl+J, separate them with P (Selection, By Material, By Loose Parts), what is kept or lost, and welding the meshes.

Blender subdivide: Subdivision Surface and Loop Cut

How to subdivide in Blender: Subdivide in Edit Mode, the Subdivision Surface modifier (Ctrl+1), Loop Cut (Ctrl+R) and sharp edges with creases.

Low poly in Blender: modelling, colour and export

Low poly modelling in Blender: polygon budget, Decimate, flat shading and Smooth by Angle, a colour palette texture, lighting, and FBX or glTF export.

3D sculpting: free ZBrush or Blender sculpting?

3D sculpting: what it is, ZBrush (and its free iPad version) or free Blender sculpting, how to start, and turning a sculpt into a lightweight model.

Modeling in VR: apps, Blender VR and modeling for VR

Modeling in VR: Gravity Sketch, Substance 3D Modeler and Shapelab compared, what Blender VR can do, and how to build lightweight models for VR headsets.

Image to 3D: AI, photogrammetry or modelling in Blender

Create a 3D model from a photo or an image: photogrammetry, AI generation, modelling over a reference, and cleaning up the result in Blender.

Point Cloud: what it is and how to use one in Blender

Point cloud explained: lidar and photogrammetry capture, LAS, E57 and PLY formats, Poisson meshing, and how to import and render point clouds in Blender.

Meshy AI and Blender: generate an AI 3D model, import it

Meshy AI: generate a 3D model with AI (text or image), free plan and licence, import into Blender as GLB or through the Bridge, cleanup, and Tripo AI.

SketchUp to Blender: import a SKP file and render it

SketchUp .skp file: open it without SketchUp, export it as FBX or glTF, import it into Blender (Collada removed in 5.0) and render it.

Blender 3D printing: prepare a model and export to STL

Prepare a Blender model for 3D printing: millimetre units, a closed mesh, normals, wall thickness, 3D Print Toolbox, and STL or 3MF export.

Blender export: FBX, glTF/GLB, OBJ or USD, which to use

Blender export FBX with textures, glTF/GLB, OBJ or USD: which format for Unity, Unreal, the web and AR, key settings, and scale and texture fixes.

Remesh in Blender: Voxel, QuadriFlow and Quad Remesher

How to remesh in Blender: the Remesh modifier, Voxel remesh in Sculpt Mode (Ctrl+R), QuadriFlow, Quad Remesher, free alternatives and when to retopologize.

How to render a reference image in Blender: 3 ways

How to add a reference image in Blender, why it does not render, and 3 ways to fix it: Convert to Mesh Plane, a camera-sized plane, the compositor.

How to enable clipping in Blender: Mirror, view and camera

Clipping in Blender: the Mirror modifier Clipping option, Clip Start and Clip End in the viewport and camera, and the Alt+B clipping region.

How to make edges smooth in Blender: shading and bevels

Shade Smooth, Shade Auto Smooth and the Smooth by Angle modifier, Mark Sharp, Bevel, Subdivision Surface and Weighted Normal, plus fixes for shading artifacts.

How to twist a mesh in Blender: Simple Deform, Screw, Curve

Twist a mesh in Blender 5 with the Simple Deform modifier, proportional Rotate in Edit Mode, Screw for springs, and Array plus Curve for ropes and chains.

Retopology in Blender: manual and automatic methods

What retopology is and how to do it in Blender: Retopology overlay, Face Project snapping, Poly Build, Mirror and Shrinkwrap, auto remesh, normal map baking.

Materials, textures and light

Surfacing a model and lighting it, with the free libraries worth using.

Blender textures: how to add a texture, UVs, procedurals

Textures in Blender: add an image with Image Texture, UV coordinates, colour space, procedural textures (Noise, Voronoi) and painting with Texture Paint.

Free 3D textures: PBR sites, licences and use in Blender

Free 3D textures: Poly Haven and ambientCG under CC0, ShareTextures and its licence, PBR maps from 1K to 8K, and use in Blender with Node Wrangler.

Texel density in Blender: values, calculation, checker

Texel density in Blender: how to calculate it, which value to choose, checking it with a grid or the Texel Density Checker add-on, and evening it out.

Blender UDIM: create, load and paint texture tiles

UDIMs in Blender: tile numbering from 1001, placing UVs across tiles, creating tiles, naming files with <UDIM>, then loading and painting textures.

Blender HDRI lighting: load, rotate, hide the background

Light a Blender scene with an HDRI: Environment Texture, rotation with a Mapping node, strength, transparent background, sun lamp, EEVEE and Poly Haven.

Blender lighting: light types, soft shadows, 3-point setup

Point, Sun, Spot and Area lights: settings, watts and W/m², soft shadows, three-point lighting, Light Linking, Cycles vs EEVEE and noise in renders.

Volumetric Lighting, Fog and God Rays in Blender

Volumetric lighting in Blender: god rays and volumetric fog with a volume cube or World volume, Cycles and EEVEE settings, Glare Sun Beams, render times.

Cel shading in Blender: how to make a toon shader

Cel shading in Blender: an EEVEE toon shader (Shader to RGB, Color Ramp), the Toon BSDF in Cycles, and outlines with Solidify, Freestyle and Line Art.

Substance Painter free? Adobe's offers and free alternatives

Substance 3D Painter: free with the Education licence, otherwise subscription or Steam. Free alternatives: Blender Texture Paint, Ucupaint, Material Maker.

Normal map in Blender: what it is and how to bake one

What a normal map is, why it is blue, OpenGL vs DirectX, how to use one in Blender and how to bake a normal map from high poly to low poly in Cycles.

How to bake textures in Blender: color, roughness, AO maps

Bake textures in Blender with Cycles: UVs, the target Image Texture node, Diffuse, Roughness, Normal and AO bakes, Selected to Active, margins and fixes.

Blender UV unwrap: seams, Smart UV Project, texture paint

How to UV unwrap in Blender: mark seams, Unwrap or Smart UV Project, check stretching, pack islands, then paint and save a texture in Texture Paint.

Where is materials and properties in Blender: glass, slots

Find the Material tab in the Blender Properties editor, add materials and slots, set up the Principled BSDF and make a glass material for Cycles and EEVEE.

Ambient occlusion: what it is, SSAO, and AO in Blender

What ambient occlusion is, why corners darken, how SSAO, HBAO and GTAO work, and where AO sits in Blender 5: EEVEE Fast GI, Cycles, AO pass, node and bake.

Subsurface scattering (SSS) explained, with Blender settings

What subsurface scattering is and how to set it in Blender: Principled BSDF Weight, Radius and Scale, Random Walk methods, EEVEE since 4.2, skin values.

Open Shading Language (OSL) in Blender: write OSL shaders

Open Shading Language (OSL), Sony Imageworks' shading language: enable it in Blender Cycles (CPU or OptiX), use the Script node, write a first shader.

Animation and rigging

Making it move: armatures, walk cycles, cloth, and the 2D techniques Blender borrows.

Blender animation: how to animate in Blender, step by step

How to animate in Blender: keyframes, Timeline, Dope Sheet, Graph Editor and interpolation, animation principles, characters in Pose Mode and Playblast.

3D animation: stages, the 3D animator's job and training

3D animation: definition, the stages of a production, techniques, the 3D animator's job, training and showreel, software, and rendering animations.

Blender rigging: armature, weights and IK step by step

How to rig in Blender: create an armature, bind the mesh with Ctrl+P and automatic weights, Weight Paint, Pose Mode, inverse kinematics and Rigify.

Walk cycle in Blender: animate a looping walk

Animate a walk cycle in Blender: the four key poses, timing in frames, pasting a flipped pose, and making the loop with Make Cyclic in the Graph Editor.

Idle animation: what it is and how to make one in Blender

Idle animation: the loop a character plays while standing still. Breathing, weight and fidgets, then keys, the Cycles modifier and the NLA in Blender 5.2.

T-pose in Blender: A-pose vs T-pose and the rest pose

The T-pose, reference pose of a 3D character: why rig in a T-pose or an A-pose, how to get back to it in Blender, make it the rest pose, and Mixamo.

Smear frame: definition and 4 techniques in Blender

Smear frames in animation: the principle, how they differ from motion blur, and four ways to create them in Blender, from a shape key to Grease Pencil.

Rubber hose animation: the style and how to do it in Blender

Rubber hose animation, the 1920s and 1930s style with jointless limbs, and how to animate it in Blender with Bendy Bones, Stretch To, IK and Grease Pencil.

Rotoscoping in Blender: definition and method

Rotoscoping: where the technique comes from, then drawing over a video with Grease Pencil and cutting out a subject with Blender's masks and tracking.

Blender camera tracking: match 3D to footage, step by step

Blender camera tracking, step by step in Blender 5: track markers, solve the camera, read the solve error, add a shadow catcher and composite the shot.

Stop motion in Blender: frame-by-frame effect, 3D and photo

Stop motion in Blender: hold each pose (Constant interpolation, Stepped Interpolation), animate on twos, Grease Pencil, brickfilms and photo editing.

Blender Grease Pencil: drawing and 2D animation in 3D

Get started with Blender Grease Pencil: the 2D Animation template, Draw Mode, layers, onion skinning, frame-by-frame animation, Line Art and rendering.

3D clothing in Blender: sew and simulate garments for free

Create 3D clothing for free in Blender: Cloth simulation, pinning, Sewing seams, collisions with the body, rendering fabric, and other clothing software.

Mixamo to Blender: auto-rig, download and import

Mixamo to Blender step by step: the free Adobe auto-rigger, FBX download settings, importing in Blender 5, chaining clips in the NLA and common fixes.

Pose mode in Blender: reset poses, rest pose, pose library

Blender Pose Mode step by step: move and rotate bones, reset a pose with Alt+G, Alt+R, Alt+S, set a new rest pose and build a pose library of assets.

Blender show all keyframes in timeline and the Dope Sheet

How to show all keyframes in the Blender Timeline and Dope Sheet, insert keys with I, edit them, set interpolation and easing, and fix hidden keyframes.

How to turn on onion skin in Blender 3D: settings and fixes

Turn on onion skin in Blender: Grease Pencil overlay and layer icons, Keyframes, Frames and Selected modes, colors, Fade, and Motion Paths for 3D objects.

How to make an IK rig in Blender: inverse kinematics

Build an IK rig in Blender: leg bones, IK control and pole target, the Inverse Kinematics constraint, Chain Length, Pole Angle, Auto IK, Rigify and fixes.

Can't select vertex group of armature in Blender? 7 fixes

Weight painting in Blender 5: bind a mesh to an armature, select a bone to see its vertex group, use Draw, Blur and Smear, and fix 7 selection problems.

In-betweening: what it is and how to do it in Blender

In-betweening explained: keys, breakdowns, timing, spacing, ones and twos, then Blender: interpolation, Pose Breakdowner and Grease Pencil Interpolate.

Getting started

The interface, the shortcuts and the free assets that shorten the first week.

Beyond the guides

Pricing: what an hour of rendering costs, and what the tiers change.
Render time calculator: one frame time and a frame count give you the duration and the cost before you upload anything.
Blender render farm: how the service works, from the add-on to the finished frames.
Security: where your scene goes, who can reach it, and how long it is kept.