Easy Switching to Blender from Other 3D Software

We've compiled a list of our most useful tips when it comes to switching to Blender. These will save you a lot of time when you're first starting out.
If you're looking for a comprehensive course, check out our new exclusive that goes through the switch for an experienced artist.

Switching to Blender for Experienced Artists

00:00 -
00:51 - Embrace the Blender Way
03:08 - Controlling the Gesture Based Workflow
07:37 - Work non-destructively
10:17 - Undestanding the 3D Cursor and Origin Point
15:53 - Lock Camera to View
17:12 - Understanding the Properties Tabs
20:47 - Fixing a Broken UI
22:47 - Use Addons
22:18 - How to Use Maya-Style Groups
26:19 - How to set up HDRIs
27:42 - Assigning Materials
29:25 - Selecting Backfaces

Our episodes are also available on all major podcast services!

[Karin_]

Considering that I only have one more year of being a student after this month, and now Maya requires proof, this is just the video for me! Thanks

[gabe]

21:40 You can join and split the viewports by clicking and dragging on the corner of the view where the mouse will change to a little + sign, it does an auto split / join. Splitting the viewport to a separate window that you can put on a separate monitor is nice also, Window > New Window.

[ehabcharek]

for that last tip, you don't have to go to wireframe mode to be able to select the back faces
you need x ray to be enabled
wireframe mode has x ray enabled by default.
the x ray toggle is the little 2 squares icon next to the wireframe icon in the top right

[collectiveunconsciousd]

Im gonna be using both and this tutorial was extremely useful. Everyone who's switching, you already know all these things, you just gotta figure out the navigation and that's it. The issue is when you start doing tutorials and try to follow the shortcuts from scratch it gets real confusing. It's better to follow this guy first and get used to the navigation.

[dcgphile]

As an industry professional working on AAA studios, I wouldn't have switched to Blender if I hadn't immediately utilized gads of addons, and customized the ever-loving bejeebies out of the hotkeys. After doing that (admittedly tedious and time-consuming) initial legwork, I now love Blender and use it every day.

Although, my dirty little secret is that I still use Rizom for complex UV mapping. But I do have an addon for getting models into Rizom and back automatically.

[AdamM]

Hey Morten and Henning. Would you guys still recommending 'embracing the Blender controls' even if you are working alongside other software like Zbrush / Maya / Substance etc that have Industry Standard control sets? Is using the industry compatible mappings in Blender still not worth it even though it would make controls consistent across all softwares in the workflow? Also the argument can be made for the industry standard controls as being more efficient than Blender native controls (ie. W, E, R keys for Move / Rotate / Scale are right next to each other on the keyboard whereas the corresponding hotkeys for Blender, namely G, R, S are not).

Genuinely curious on what you think of this as someone who is trying to switch to Blender from Maya (became too expensive for me)

[panparkiiet]

YESS I was looking for that exactly!!!

[Igoreshkin]

Switched from 3dsmax 4 years ago. No regrets. I love how in Blender you start new scene and you already be able to create something and edit mesh by simply hiting TAB key not like in 3dsmax, where you need to add specific modifier to start editing mesh.

[ProfKisuto]

Thank you for this! Everything seems so neat except the moving origin point - seems super clunky. But I guess I'll have to actually see.

[FabioPereiraS]

11:59 Why Blender Isn't 3D Industry Standard
00:00 10 Tips for Switching to Blender

In you want to select all faces in edit mode, just press A on the keyboard. This also works if you want to sellest all the meshes. To grouping object (you dont need external plugin) you can just parrent them by pressing Ctrl+P and to remove the pairing press Alt+P :) Remember to chose keep transform if you want to keep it :)

[howcc]

now i can use both blender and maya, i got it easily from ur video since i done a donut before from blender guru but i forgot many thing.Before i was study maya and zbrush in college so i can now use three of this software as well

[workflowinmind]

I agree on everything besides #1, do customize it, do bend it, Blender is not perfect but it's highly customizable (I'm a T.D)

[espenstoro]

To everyone getting triggered: Consider the fact that blender is free, and rather than switch, you can expand your toolkit without a license. I have my professional recording software, but I'm always checking out free alternatives. None have made me switch, but they have fun tools I can use. Doing things differently is a good way to get inspired.

There, world peace.

[artur]

To be honest, I recommend using industry standards. In the beginning is kinda hard to get used to and there are some bugs that you may have to fix by yourself, but it is much more intuitive to use a gizmo and your own shortcuts than very weird keybinds that make you jump all over your keyboard to make something simple as move a edge along X axis.

[malache]

i mean i installed maya config addon and its much better. navigation makes sense now and hotkeys are still blender ones so i dont see any issue with tweaking blender a bit.

[mariomorales]

I just have a Joystick with many of the Blender Hotkeys mapped to it, I find it very usefull for navigation, I can go from Zbrush to Blender, and stop trying to fight with the shortcuts of both programs

[luciferteaparty]

I needed this. Max is way to expensive to keep up with

[ProjectAtlasmodling]

I don't know if you're still looking at the comments but if you do something like s and shift+x you will scale on only the z and x axis.
Also double taping and axis will change the axis. Essentially going from global to normal and back.

[tibbegamedev]

I have not used many different addons, but I really recommend Real Sky.