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04/02/2025 5:27 pm
Hey everyone! As part of my New Year's resolution, I want to learn 3D modeling and animation in Blender3D. I'm more of a hands-on learner (don't want to get too deep into technical details right away, but learn by doing something exciting). Should I start with the famous donut tutorial by Blender Guru, or would making quick small renders be a better approach? Any advice for a complete beginner?
04/02/2025 5:37 pm
Hi, great idea to start learning 3d modeling in Blender, there are a lot of tutorials for this software and community is very friendly.
To start with BlenderGuru's donut tutorial - good choice, he updates it regullary. After it I would move to his chair tutorial, then try the anvil tutorial. Also check out Grant Abitt's beginner guide for a different perspective.
Some advices:
Start with beginner tutorials - this is crucial! It will save you frustration and prevent rage-quitting. Even if they don't teach exactly what you want, you'll learn navigation, basic controls, and proper terminology. Make notes of hotkeys during this phase.
After each tutorial, try recreating everything from memory. Note what you forgot and needed to look up.
Make something similar but different - if you learned to make a donut, try a cupcake. This forces you to think creatively while using tools you know.
Don't obsess over perfection early on. These are learning exercises, not masterpieces. Focus on repetition and basics.
Spend time experimenting freely - dedicate some time to just playing with the tools you've learned.
Don't compare yourself to others - measure progress by what you learned today vs. yesterday.
04/02/2025 5:54 pm
Another important tip: Learn to use reference images from the start! I wasted months trying to model from memory before realizing every professional uses references. Even a simple cube looks better when you have proper reference images.
04/02/2025 6:07 pm
Print out a shortcut cheat sheet and keep it next to your computer. I did this when I first started and it helped a lot. Also, don't try to memorize everything at once - focus on the most common shortcuts first (grab, scale, rotate, extrude). The rest will come with practice.
05/02/2025 10:50 am
do we really need to follow tutorials exactly? can't we just experiment and learn naturally? asking because im stuck on the donut sprinkles for 3 days now...
05/02/2025 10:54 am
@davidmep The tutorials provide a structured way to learn the basics. Yes, you can experiment, but knowing the basics first will make that experimentation much more productive. If you're stuck on sprinkles for 3 days, try moving on and coming back later. The goal is to learn the tools, not perfect sprinkles.
05/02/2025 12:07 pm
I started the donut tutorial yesterday! Quick question - is it normal to feel completely lost with all the shortcuts? My hand keeps reaching for Ctrl+Z every 5 seconds 😂
05/02/2025 1:07 pm
@georgewaria I think it's totally okay to make mistakes when you're learning. Just keep going!
I would also add my suggestions: the key is consistency - even 30 minutes a day is better than irregular 5-hour sessions. Also, keep your first projects simple. My personal mistake was trying to create an entire animated short after just one tutorial 😅