Blender Foundation's CG Software

In 2002, Blender Foundation released a computer graphics software, called Blender, under the terms of the GNU General Public License (Blender Foundation, 2022). These terms gave the public the freedom: to run, to study, to share and to modify Blender as they wish; making Blender an open-source software. Since 2002, Blender has evolved through the Blender Foundation's and community's efforts, into sophisticated computer graphics software.

Features of Blender

• 3D modelling capabilities - features include a 3D viewport for navigating models; tools for directly manipulating the vertices, edges and faces of models' wireframes; sculpting tools which resemble working with clay, and that can make use of pressure sensitive peripherals; and a geometric node system for mapping transformations and parameters, in order to procedurally create models.
• Scene rendering capabilities - features include camera tools; specialised rendering engines for realism; lighting tools and dynamics; and a compositional node system for mapping image transformations, in order to add compositional effects to renders.
• Texture/Material modelling capabilities - features include painting tools that can also make use of pressure sensitive peripherals; customisable materials with parameters that resemble physical properties and affect appearances of surfaces; tools for mapping surfaces, and adding textural displacements, or textural illusions to them; and a shader node system for mapping transformations and parameters of surfaces, in order to procedurally create materials and textures.
• Window management capabilities for controlling the display of the software. Windows can be created and deleted as needed. Multiple windows can be displayed on the screen at the same time. The contents of each window can be switched at anytime between a selection of options. Examples of content options include the 3D navigation environment, a timeline for animations, an asset manager, and an image viewer. Arrangements of windows are known as workspaces, and these can be created, deleted and switched between, as needed too. Default workspaces include setups for 3D sculpting, texture painting, procedural model generating, and animating.
• Asset management capabilities for controlling the organisation of assets. Data such as models, materials, images, and animations can be cataloged within the software, to be reusable, and to create portfolios. Catalogues are independent to the directory paths of the files containing the data.
• Physics capabilities for simulating physical dynamics including: collision, fluid, and cloth simulations.
• Animation capabilities - features include tools for adding bones with movement constraints to 3D models; and 2D animation tools too.
• Software Extension capabilities made possible thanks to Blender's innate abiltity to interpret the Python programming language.

Review

At the start of 2022, I had the opportunity to teach Blender for a digital school that offered a 3D modelling course to students. I had about 6 months experience with it prior to that, and had to learn on the job. So my review is from the perspective of someone who has about a year's experience in computer graphics. Blender is not easy to use at first, but that's not because of a bad user interface. All computer graphics software is difficult at first. There's just a tonne of different elements to it.

Pros

• It's free.
• It has a large community around it, with lots of educational material available for it.
• The models you build with it are compatible with standard game engines.
• The models you build with it can be 3D-printed.
• Any models ripped from video games can be imported into it.
• It has powerful procedural generation capabilties.
• It has a python API.
• It's available on Steam, where you can track the amount of hours you've spent in your life using it.

Cons

• Not all addons for blender are free.