Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Working in Blender
Blender incorporates a dizzying amount of functionality in a single application, and learning to use all the tools
as efficiently as possible is a daunting proposition. Even after the initial shock that every beginner feels upon
seeing the properties window, experienced users often still sense that there is a great deal of potential that they
havenotfullytappedinto.Indeed,manyBlenderusersuseonlyasmallfractionofitscapabilitiesforcontrolling
their work environments. These capabilities include options available in the User Preferences window and a
variety of lesser-known techniques and workflow shortcuts. Furthermore, by gaining insight into the design
principles behind the Blender interface, you can prepare for the ways that new changes in the code base will
help to enhance the power, flexibility, and accessibility of the interface in the future.
In this chapter, you will learn to
• Understand the difference between datablocks and objects
• Set the options available to you in the User Preferences window
• Use lesser-known methods for selecting, grouping, and organizing 3D elements to speed up your work-
flow
Data and Data Access
As I wrote in the introduction, this is a topic for people who want to push the envelope of their Blender abilit-
ies—people who know how to use Blender but want to know more. Likewise, this is a chapter for people who
know Blender's interface and workflow but want to know it better, to understand it more deeply, and to learn to
use it faster and more efficiently—in short, to master it.
This chapter is intended to help you get beyond simply knowing how things are done in Blender and to truly
explore the way you do things in Blender. In this chapter, you'll learn about the preferences you can set to take
control of your own working environment. You'll learn about workflow tricks and techniques to give you more
options for how to get from A to B in your Blender work. This chapter is intended to give you the knowledge
and the confidence to start telling Blender how you want things done.
Understanding how Blender handles data internally is an important part of mastering Blender. Blender
handles data in a unique way, and if you're coming from other 3D packages, you may find it somewhat foreign.
But once you understand it, it is fairly straightforward and enables Blender to deal with very complex data op-
erationswhilemaintaining consistency inthewayyouaccessandmanipulate thedata,whetherdirectlythrough
the Blender interface, through Python scripts, or through the proxy and linking system. The good news is that
post 2.5 versions of Blender have much more informative interface tools for examining data. One of the most
important is the Outliner.
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