Blender

So I thought I'd try Blender 3D open source software for my next learning project.
Yeah, I've heard it was tough to learn.
Whoa.

Download here.

I downloaded the zipped file: blender-2.48a-windows.zip
Unzipped and double clicked blender.exe
I get TWO windows. One is the regular Blender window and another looks like a DOS popup saying I don't have Python installed. I don't know what that means. But it says "continuing happily" so I'm "happified" it's continuing. lol If I close that popup message, however, Blender closes also. (UPDATE: 5Mar09 Explanation - Bottom line is, you do NOT need to download/install Python. Ignore message.)


I'm looking for GOOD Newb tuts, right now.
Some seem to want me to memorize the entire navigational quagmire with shortcut keys before I even begin to make something.
I spent some time poking around and clicking here and there to familiarize myself with the Interface somewhat.
I like to familiarize myself with the Menus when I'm first learning, not just memorize a bunch of shortcut keys.

Can Zoom In/Out with the mouse wheel.
Undo/Redo? Ctrl/Z/Ctrl/Y? Can't find those.

I kinda liked two views instead of just the one.
Right mouse click on the line dividing the two "toolbars" at the bottom of the screen and select Split or Join from the popup.
Then look in the View Menu for your View options.
The bad news with that, though, is you lose some of the menu options on the "toolbar"? They don't wrap, they disappear.

Here's some YouTube Video Tuts that look pretty good. I watched Lesson 1 and 2 so far.

I'm going back to 7th grade now, lol...and try to ignore all the nasal sniffs, lol...

Blender Tutorial Lesson 1 (S,R,G, Shortcuts)

MMB (Middle Mouse Button) rotates the cube in 3D space. (or Alt/LMB)
G - Move (Object, Transform, Grab/Move)
R - Rotate - Y, X, Z (Object, Transform, Rotate on Axis)
RMB (Right Mouse Button) back to where you were?
S - Scale (Object, Transform, Scale)
RMB - Select

Blender Tutorial Lesson 2

From Object Mode to Edit Mode (Somehow I lost the ability to choose anything but Object Mode? Had to start over.)
Vertices outlined in Yellow now, not Pink
0 - Camera View (View, Camera) (That's zero on the number pad.)
Triangle icon - the one that is outlined farthest to the bottom right, not the solid one - mouse hover says: "face select mode"
Right click on a side of the cube to select it.
E - Extrude
R - Rotate
Do that a few times.
File, New, Erase All to start over.
Add, Mesh, UV Sphere
Position Sphere on top of cube and save project.

Extrude and Rotate was fun to play with.