Blender 3D By Example – Second Edition by Xury Greer, Oscar Baechler

Blender is a powerful 3D creation package that supports every aspect of the 3D pipeline. With this book, you’ll learn about modeling, rigging, animation, rendering, and much more with the help of some interesting projects.

This practical guide, based on the Blender 2.83 LTS version, starts by helping you brush up on your basic Blender skills and getting you acquainted with the software toolset. You’ll use basic modeling tools to understand the simplest 3D workflow by customizing a Viking themed scene. You’ll get a chance to see the 3D modeling process from start to finish by building a time machine based on provided concept art. You will design your first 2D character while exploring the capabilities of the new Grease Pencil tools. The book then guides you in creating a sleek modern kitchen scene using EEVEE, Blender’s new state-of-the-art rendering engine. As you advance, you’ll explore a variety of 3D design techniques, such as sculpting, retopologizing, unwrapping, baking, painting, rigging, and animating to bring a baby dragon to life.

By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to work with Blender to create impressive computer graphics, art, design, and architecture, and you’ll be able to use robust Blender tools for your design projects and video games.

What you will learn
Explore core 3D modeling tools in Blender such as extrude, bevel, and loop cut
Understand Blender’s Outliner hierarchy, collections, and modifiers
Find solutions to common problems in modeling 3D characters and designs
Implement lighting and probes to liven up an architectural scene using EEVEE
Produce a final rendered image complete with lighting and post-processing effects
Learn character concept art workflows and how to use the basics of Grease Pencil
Learn how to use Blender’s built-in texture painting tools
Who this book is for
Whether you’re completely new to Blender, or an animation veteran enticed by Blender’s newest features, this book will have something for you.

Table of Contents
Introduction to 3D and the Blender User Interface
Editing a Viking Scene with a Basic 3D Workflow
Modeling a Time Machine – Part 1
Modeling a Time Machine – Part 2
Modern Kitchen – Part 1: Kitbashing
Modern Kitchen – Part 2: Materials and Textures
Modern Kitchen – Part 3: Lighting and Rendering
Illustrating an Alien Hero with Grease Pencil
Animating an Exquisite Corpse in Grease Pencil
Animating a Stylish Short with Grease Pencil
Creating a Baby Dragon – Part 1: Sculpting
Creating a Baby Dragon – Part 2: Retopology
Creating a Baby Dragon – Part 3: UV Unwrapping
Creating a Baby Dragon – Part 4: Baking and Painting Textures
Creating a Baby Dragon – Part 5: Rigging and Animation
The Wide World of Blender