When someone takes an interest in learning 3D animation, the first question they usually ask is, “What program should I use?”

The answer, according to the smartest and most experienced animators, is that it’s a waste of time to argue about this. An app is merely a tool, not what makes you an animator. What matters are an animator’s ideas, patience, and willingness to learn. Every minute spent mulling over “which app is best” is a distraction from actually animating, so just pick one and get started!

I like that answer, don’t you? Anyway, the correct answer is Blender.

It’s not Blender’s excellent features and competitive price ($0) that make it the best. This quirky free program has changed dramatically since the version I downloaded as a teenager in 2004. Its suitability as an industry tool for animators is no longer disputed like it once was. But the thing that makes it the best 3D program hasn’t changed a bit – Blender is licensed under the GNU General Public License as free software. Not just free as in $0, but really free. The program – along with its source code – is free to download, modify, and share by anyone, and is legally stipulated to remain so in perpetuity. It cannot be acquired by another company. It will never charge you a subscription fee. If you expect to spend hours and hours of your time and creativity in a single program, that “feature” should matter to you most of all.

Another thing that hasn’t changed about Blender is how much fun it is to teach. Blender has always been full of features that users find accidentally. The community shares these “secrets” with one another like scholars sharing esoteric knowledge. With this book, I hope to share a little of that magic with you.