NOTE: This post is based on Blender 4.5. Other versions may diverge on some details.

I remember the first time I opened Blender; I was blinded by a daunting array of menus, buttons, and options. To ease you into the amazing but complex software, I present the absolute basics that you need to start modeling.

1. Sections

Blender is mainly divided into these sections:

• 3D Viewport: Workspace where we can navigate the scene and interact with objects.
• Outliner: Provides a hierarchical tree-like view of all objects present in the scene.
• Properties Editor: Panel where we can modify different object properties.
• Timeline: Used for managing animations.

2. Modes

Blender has two modes:

• Object Mode: Work at the object or component level meaning that you modify the properties of objects as a whole. An object may be a simple cylinder, a USB drive, or even a monkey.
• Edit Mode: In this mode, you are editing the shape and form of an object itself. You can work at the vertex, edge, or face level.

Shift between modes using the TAB key.

3. Navigation

To navigate the viewport, a mouse is recommended (but a trackpad also works).

• Orbit: Press the Middle Mouse button (typically the scroll wheel) and move the mouse around / Place two fingers on trackpad and move around.
• Pan: Press SHIFT + Middle Mouse button and move around / Press SHIFT, place two fingers on trackpad and move around.
• Zoom: Scroll using the scroll wheel of the mouse / Pinch the trackpad.

4. Object Manipulation

• Move: Grab and move the object using the G key.
• Scale: Scale the object using the S key.
• Rotate: Rotate the object using the R key.

To perform an action for a particular axis just press the axis key (X, Y, Z) after the action key. For example, G + Y grabs the object and allows movement along Y-axis only.

To perform an action along a local axis (relative to the object) instead of the global axis, press the axis key twice. For example, S + X + X scales the object along the local X-axis only.