Learn to: Create realistic animations with this free, open source software Build 3D objects with meshes, curves, and surfaces Take advantage of new features, including the incredibly powerful Cycles renderer Jump into Blender and start animating Is your head full of images that would be marvelous in motion? Make it happen! This plain-English guide shows you how to use Blender, the open source animation suite that lets you produce professional results. You'll learn to create 3D objects, get them moving with animation and rigging, set the scene with cameras and lighting, and maybe even go pro. Become friends with Blender-- learn your way around the interface, understand how the editors work, and use the 3D manipulator Make a scene-- create 3D scenes, add objects, work with meshes and modifiers, use curves and surfaces, and set colors Add texture and light-- explore texture mapping, paint textures on a mesh, and light your scene Get moving-- use animation curves, create shape keys, add skeletons to your mesh, and animate with armatures Share your stuff-- export objects, render scenes, and refine them using Blender's video sequence editor and node-based compositor Visit the companion website at www.blenderbasics.com for supplemental files and a variety of screencast tutorials that illustrate creating, rigging, lighting, and rendering models. Open the book and find: Help understanding how Blender thinks How to use the 3D cursor An introduction to digital sculpting in Blender Ways to take advantage of modifiers Tips on adding text Different lamp options for lighting Important principles of animation Ten great community resources.