How Long Does It Take to Learn Blender?

[@cg_cookie]

How long has it taken you to learn Blender so far? 📖Read the summery or 🎧listen to the full audio episode on CG Cookie: b3d.cgcookie.com/uWo2Y9

[@a3person]

Somewhere between 2000 hours and 2500 hours

[@jujuboohoo]

2 mins the first time then quit. 2 mins of staring into infinity after unzipping and opening 2.79b.

[@jonva13]

I've been working with it off and on for 2-3 years, and I finally feel like I have a decent grasp of the basics. But there is so much that Blender does ...

[@yusufbobat1]

Hello will I be able to learn how to make 3d billboard ads with your course?

[@gert-ib4dy]

10000 hours of boring Kenty tuts😂

[@valleybrook]

The best thing with Blender is that there is so much material on the internet to find the answers on your questions. You run into problems all the time but it's so enjoyful to find the solution to the problem. And I really think that the masters in 3D and Blender are the ones who likes the process and have the perseverance to find the solution of the problems popping up all the time

[@powersprouter]

Oo[

[@MrDebkumarbasu]

For me, I started back in 2022 with the doughnut tutorial. I started not with how long it will take me. Rather i went with what it will take from my side to constantly push myself beyond my comfort zone and currently i have finally conquered my fear of sculpting. It is a very intuitive software and if you want to make it work, then just explore the options it gives. In Bob Ross's words: it's a series of happy mistakes.

[@bubbles581]

Blender takes a lifetime to learn, so the later you start the shorter time it will take.

[@Tertion]

Nice one lol

[@greebly6011]

Emacs user

[@DeltaNovum]

So my internalised fear of failure and procrastination of finally picking up the software and getting jiggy with it, is actually a good thing :D!

[@bubbles581]

@@DeltaNovum absolutely! Now get busy learning! 🥰😝

[@nicolaska1761]

​@@greebly6011Couldn't have said it better

[@cubicbook]

As a long-time digital artist, I believe the central question is not how long it will take you to learn a technique or program, but what you want to achieve. Your efforts should focus on your art; that is what you need to determine first. Then comes the technique. Figuring out your work and techniques is a lifelong process. For me, after four years of learning Blender, the program has proven to be an exceptional tool that always amazes me and my clients.

[@breneworld]

I just found out about Blender earlier this year and I get overwhelmed with the interface but this video gives me hope that I will learn my own way at my own pace.😊

[@RandomCreationsOG]

having 25 years using other 3D softwares I've actually found Blender really easy to pick up and is now my favorite.

[@dashamoony]

About paid vs free resourses: paid is always better (if you know for sure that quality of teaching will be same or better than with free content), because once you're paying for it, you WILL BE watching and learning 😄 Where with the free resourses you'll be "ah, I'll watch it next week, and next week" and then you never watch anything

[@digitalbase9396]

I finally learnt the basics of blender this year, its my favourite software now. I had difficulty in setting up textures and UV maps as a beginner but now it’s easy and powerful. I use photoshop and after effects a lot less now as I do the majority within blender. Other benefits are the ability to import sketch up files directly. I also use exports from solid works as step files via conversion in Moi 3D which creates excellent ngon mesh in obj format. Online tutorials are good. Animation is excellent.

[@sherkhan_5050]

I finally understood the problem. Actually what we are doing wrong when learning. We forgot they are two stages when learning blender, there's bachelor's and master's. Bachelor's meant to be strictly basic but still explores all fields, like 3d modeling/animation 2d animation etc., No advance topics. Then after completing the basics, then move on to master's or advance stuff. What usually happens when learning is we tend to move towards advance first, basics later. Like in Karate kid movie, the kid didn't understand what or why he was doing it until later.

[@noriega211]

Thanks a lot for sharing.❤❤❤ I learnt blender primarily from watching videos, but even after 3 three years I still consider myself a beginner.

[@giannis7707]

Blender is such a great software, im blown away with all the stuff u can make with it, i started it as a hobby because i wanted to bring out my creativity and 3 months in i am able to do so many things, it is amazing,

[@kingalysterianlion5542]

This question LARGLY depends on if you have any experience in any creative medium. Meaning drawing, music, film, cinematography etc. if you have not developed any creative skills whatsoever, it will take you some time because you have not developed a creative habits. But if you have a background in any other creative skillset, you already have the disciplines to learn faster. Read the book “the creative habit” by Twila Tharp.

[@JoseORosario]

I have always used Autodesk products, autocad, 3dsMax, Advance Steel, etc. naturally I went for Maya. learned it since it felt like "home". For a while friends used to tell me learn blender, and I "tried", between quotes because the will was not there and curiosity was very low, so I lacked motivation to learn it. At some point in my career, I got tired of the AutoCrash, specially in maya. That was the motivation I needed, took me around 2 months of casual "blendering" to get used to it, probably 1 hour daily sometimes less. At month 3 I was already re creating my mobile game characters, editing meshes, using armatures, etc. Blender is great

[@paulsaulpaul]

Someone popular in the Blender community that I don't recall the name of (he does environments and is very high energy on stage) said Blender is an art medium in itself. I agree. Hence the unlimited possibilities and endless new techniques. Same as different ways to paint with different types of paint, different ways to sculpt with different materials, different ways to make music with different types of instruments and synths.

[@benlu]

I think to the more philosophical point, I think of the question as when would I get good enough that a company would pay me to work for them

[@visuals_live]

Honestly, this is the REAL question. I’m with you man. Because when people ask they’re asking in a monetary sense, most times.

[@wodan74]

I come from Cinema4D (very high skilled) and Zbrush, but Blender only clicked with me when they revamped the UI (around v2.8 I think). The old version was so confusing, selecting objects etc. Now I find it difficult to go back (especially navigation) to Cinema4D 🙂, and rather use Blender to create. I only use Cinema4D for the Arnold render nowadays.

[@wodan74]

@@misanthrope_01 Cycles is usually ok for me. I also use Radeon Render Pro and even LuxCore with Blender. Depends on the job. My 3D renders are most of the time used as a start point for Photoshop editing.

[@GaryParris]

i similarly came from other software and lastly Cinema 4D and it was even more enjoyable using Blender than C4D, won't use anything else except FreeCAD for 3D, blender is 99.99% used

[@kraney195]

As you have experience on both, can you tell me how smooth is it switching or transitioning between the two if you were to use both in the same workflow? Like do they have the same shortcuts and buttons for navigations? is the UI placement similar? I want to use C4D as an overall software, but use blender for modeling due to its superior tools

[@GaryParris]

A lot of good points in this. There are so many variables. any complex software is going to require trial and error, troubleshooting, difficulty, setting expectations accordingly, and fun with frustration, key is to persevere without expectation beyond learning and trying things, basics and build upon knowledge. Other skillsets in photography, visual arts, cinema etc can all help with composition, framing, lighting, colour, narrative, realism etc. they can help you think in style, direction, focus and so much more and 3D helps you think in dimensions 2D through 4D, the exciting bit is Blender is a tool to help you bring it to life. Just enjoy!

[@aaron-dx7gz]

I used blender for 24 years. It took me 7 years to learn. There wasn't a lot of tutorials 24 years ago. It should take two years to learn blender now.

[@LawrenceAaronLuther]

If one is project-focused, and better yet their projects are also focused in a consistent direction, then Blender isn't so daunting. I think the main issue beginners have (and I certainly went through this for years) is not having a handle on being creatively focused, so you get pulled in many directions by your own curiosity and find learning whatever software you're using almost neverending. It's a bit like thinking "I'm going to learn cars." That would be a monumentally difficult task, but if one hones in on repairing car engines, detailing car interiors, or even just driving a car on the street, the task will give the study direction. Which isn't to say following impulsive curiosity doesn't have it's merits. It just helps to delineate between: How a tool can accomplish a task vs How different tasks can be done with a tool

[@chuctanundaspiderbone5407]

I came to Blender through Second Life, about the time 2.6 came out, and SL got mesh uploads. But I got so involved in learning Blender, I kind of phased out of SL. How long does it take to learn Blender? Depends on how many rabbit holes you go down. It's a Swiss army knife, after all. I've gotten pretty good at modeling and materials, even making my own textures, and I've tinkered with rigging & animation and some sculpting. I've used it to edit videos for work. Haven't even begun to get into geometry nodes. The possibilities are just endless. I've probably learned more about myself, than I have about Blender. I Think if you want to get professional with it, you have to pick one thing, and set some goals. Then you need to invest in some courses early on that will help you meet those goals. If you try to learn all of Blender, you will likely be learning it for the rest of your life. What could be better?

[@herbertwidodo96]

I have installed Blender on my computer since 2016. I used to think that mastering Blender would be as easy as mastering Adobe Photoshop. Turns out, it's not. I only started learning Blender in 2021. It takes a certain level of courage to step into the world of Blender applications, which require a technical understanding of the physics laws governing objects in the real world.

[@dimitristripakis7364]

Blender is many things: modelling, procedural textures, image textures, lights, animation, VFX, post processing. All these are very different from each other. In my opinion you need a team of 3-4 to make a good result.

[@buuzilla]

whatever is happening on smash in the background is set to very easy and i cant unsee it, your street cred took damage here.

[@khtrammell]

he also has Roy selected... 🤦‍♂️

[@patrickclawson9622]

I like to make excuses to myself for why I'm not "learning" enough, fast enough. There are 26 letters on the keyboard, and Blender has variants of them using the Alt, Ctrl, and Fn keys... plus the keypad buttons... plus the other keys. It's daunting to consider how many commands are available in Blender. The question becomes "How long will it take me to learn how to do what I want to in Blender?" and that's totally subjective. I want to supplant my thirty years of AutoCAD experience, and then animate what I design. It's going to take me some time, and I know it... 😀

[@SpencerMagnusson]

I thought from the thumbnail that Kent colored his hair 😆 good episode!

[@khtrammell]

that's awesome 😆Maybe I should though...

[@JaXuun]

some words from a user that uses multiple DCCs: blender is shortcut focused, it has wierd twirks that others dont have. thats why its tougher to learn it. but its worth it because of the community, feature set, addons ecosystem and of course the price.

[@byAndreasEkberg]

Blender is my Brain Kitchen :) Endless possibilities to make a mess 😊

[@basspig]

It took me 2 years just to learn how to delete the default cube. In all seriousness it's been one of the hardest programs to learn but I think it's partly because I'm so old now that dementia has cut my ability to learn new things. Whereas 25 years ago I was able to learn Maya relatively easily.

[@mankemista-ps3qs]

You should try working out in some sort. The only way to stay cognitively fit is actually physical fitsness if i'm listening to the experts. Learned this on the Huberman lab podcast, and i believe it's true. Hope you're doing fine!

[@basspig]

@@mankemista-ps3qs I used to have Y membership, but I can no longer afford it. I do go for walks when the weather is not too inclement. About 2.5 miles per day.

[@mankemista-ps3qs]

@@basspig Glad to hear about u! Walks are great, i always feel better after one. You should try mixing walking with a little jogging every now and then, it's really fun and you build great cardio without really noticing over time. Stay fit and make cool art!😁

[@basspig]

@@mankemista-ps3qs I was trying to use some free weights, but my lower back injury started acting up, so I can't do that for a while. I do have a bicycle and plan to ride more now that the weather is not so hot.

[@kaninepete]

Is Johnathan on a green screen? Is his room a render??

[@trebmaster]

The question HAS to be broken down to which areas you are talking about. It's not a one-trick pony!

[@greyareaRK1]

I used paid software for a fair while, so it threw me when I encountered discussions of how to get around various problems in Blender that have been more or less solved in paid software for years. It felt like the bad old days, but then I'm still unclear how it all works in Blender. It looks like there are plug-ins that can more than compensate for its drawbacks, particularly in modelling, though it's unclear what the paradign underlying them is. I suppose I just have to suck it up and slog through a few courses. Any suggestions?

[@Damian_h]

I was using it after 2 weeks my weakest point was the interface i thought it was bad but once u get used to it things flow kinda easily. My latest work was mostly on blender a lot of z brush and a bit of max for quick UV's.

[@jostasizzi818]

Please put these podcast and please include chris jones and much more tech devs into it in future episodes

[@hamzanawaz4545]

thanks for using video feed not audio much batter

[@Courage_the_Cowordly_Dog]

*14 light years is a very long time?!*

[@lokisinaryblender]

i do not mind the learning process and time, but the time it takes to render a 5 min. the scene is just way too off.

[@cityonthemoon36]

18:36 that table is right next to me Jordan peterson: "What do you make of that?"

[@RadarLeon]

That line at the start of the video I feel is in years

[@labandazozor]

thank's from Belgium

[@chrystianyaxche5381]

Sometimes I think that sooner or later you need to know Python to really know Blender. It is endless and simple things are linked to complex things.

[@viconichol]

Blender interface is badly organized. Object's properties and global settings are on the same panel. Tools are everywhere. Many parameters are duplicated on different panels. You can't put a gradient into a gradient - big lack for procidural texturing. Messy interface is the main and first problem, though.

[@bUildYT]

very very cool:)

[@cekuhnen]

The term Blender is hard is misleading. It is not the app but the vast capabilities to learn. The new UI still has some workflow issues sometimes being needlessly labor intensive. The same you can find in max maya too. Only in SketchUp you won’t ;)

[@odinniereece4096]

U cant learn blender.. u have to learn 3d art as a whole.. and learning a program becomes easier

[@victordayet]

The answer is 42

[@marcosantos6801]

Blender isn't hard. It's one of the easiest 3D packages around. Houdini...that's hard.

[@Tertion]

I've used Maya, Zbrush and 3dsMax and I really don't know why people thinks Blender is harder to learn than other software...its not.

[@samdavepollard]

agreed; blender is free so it has way more beginners using it; and guess what, beginners have the most questions, so we end up with people thinking that blender specificially is hard; it't not - it's 3d that's hard

[@GaryParris]

Perceptions is paid software is better, easier and shorter to learn, more developed, better supported, more professional, worth the investment, less buggy, more bleeding edge, overall solid and community is better. oh how misguided and misinformed people can be!

[@j_shelby_damnwird]

Blender is easy. Now, Zbrush...

[@Hetav_Rao]

Epic

[@graphguy]

What worth doing is easy?

[@better_dead_than_red]

I love Trammel, great approach But Lampel is not my cup of coffee

[@Eren_Yeager_is_the_GOAT]

probaly somewhere between 1 second and 1,000,000 years

[@mikethom2119]

Isn't the answer 42

[@raoulette]

"I know that I know nothing." Socrates.

[@CUPRUMSPARADISE]

1st like I guess

[@MarcoCapelli74]

Actually it took me more or less tree weeks. 😂 Best time investment ever made.

[@ancientclown]

I had come up with an idea and thought an animation might be the best way to share it so looked at Blender as the way to go. My approach was to find tutorials that covered the things i would need to know to complete this specific project and 6 months later (many hours a day) i had completed my first short animation that was under 1 min. when i came into it knowing nothing at all. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6euYZZ8pJqiqNU

[@mh294m]

C'mon, it's not that hard, I feel it's much easier than most 3D software tbh

[@CGJackB]

I love listening to this podcast and now I can watch it too!!

[@pooves]

25 minutes of making excuses for a dumpster fire user interface.

[@daan3898]

I recently found a golden tip and it did not revolve around art, the channel was about art. ❣Get good at anything and someone will pay you to do it. ❣ even made it into a short clip for future self-me to remember.

[@anon64mus66]

This sort of delusional hobbyist talks makes people more confused than educated.

[@j_shelby_damnwird]

Do you realize how incredibly patronizing, condescending and flat-out arrogant this comment sounds? I guess deep down you do, otherwise you wouldn't hide behind a random troll YT account.