Quick Access:

• Beginners: 3D Modeling and Animation, Build a Fun Pirate Raft Scene
• Intermediate: Environments, Illustration,  Characters for Games
• Specialized: Architecture, Vintage Car, Mantaflow Fluids
• Free: Donut Tutorial by Blender Guru, Tutorials by Ryan King Art

Blender is a free and open-source 3D software, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for a variety of creative tasks. It supports the entire 3D pipeline, including modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, video editing, and game creation. The world of 3D modeling and animation has seen tremendous growth, blurring the lines between reality and digital art. The detail in 3D animated movies and video games, from the realism of characters, their hair and clothes, to the lifelike representation of water and plants, is a testament to the power of software like Blender.

To help you navigate this expansive field, we have compiled this Best Courses Guide (BCG) featuring the best Blender online courses. These courses have been selected from our catalog of over 1,200 Blender courses. Whether you’re an enthusiast 3D animator, a game designer, or want to start a career in 3D modeling and animation, we’ve got a course for you.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

• Our Top Picks
• Why are Blender Skills Important?
• BCG Stats
• Why You Should Trust Us
• How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Our Top Picks

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Why are Blender Skills Important?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for special effects artists and animators was $98K in May 2022. Their employment is projected to grow 8% from 2022 to 2032, with about 7,400 openings projected each year, on average, over the decade.

There are currently hundreds of job openings requiring Blender skills in companies such as Tesla, Nike, Apple, Activision Blizzard, EA (Electronic Arts) and others. You can check these positions as they are constantly updated on job searching websites: Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor, just to mention a few.

BCG Stats

• Combined, these courses have over 495K enrollments and 732K YouTube views
• 2 courses are free and 8 courses are paid
• The most-represented course provider in the ranking is Udemy, with 6 courses
• The Blender subject is followed by over 4.2K learners on Class Central.

Best 3D Modeling and Animation Course for Beginners (Udemy)

Complete Blender Creator: Learn 3D Modelling for Beginners is aimed towards beginners with little or no experience. Taught by two experienced instructors in the video game industry, this project-based course will teach you how to create 3D models and assets for video games, animation, 3D printing and more using Blender. Whether you are a complete beginner, artist or coder, you’ll find exactly what you need to work with Blender in this course.

By taking this course, you’ll gain:

• A solid understanding of Blender’s interface and tools
• The ability to create 3D models with basic colors and textures
• Knowledge of the principles of modeling and animation
• Skills to UV map and unwrap your models
• The capability to create your own materials and animations.

Also Great Blender Course for Complete Beginners (Udemy)

If you’re a complete beginner looking to learn the basics of and get started with Blender, then Blender for Complete and Total Beginners is for you. From the fundamentals of 3D art to the essential tools for 3D modeling, this course will make you confident in your 3D modeling skills by helping you build a fun pirate raft scene in Blender.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Fundamental concepts of 3D art and how to navigate Blender
• Essential tools for 3D modeling, texturing, and rendering
• Step-by-step guidance on creating a complete pirate raft scene
• Techniques for using modifiers, materials, textures, lights, and cameras
• Introduction to Cycles and Eevee render engines for final image processing
• Tips for continuing your Blender education and engaging with the community.

Best Blender Course for 3D Environment Artists (Udemy)

If you’re passionate about 3D modeling and eager to dive into creating breathtaking 3D environments, the Creating 3D environments in Blender is tailored for you. Whether you’re just starting out with Blender or already experienced in it, this course will teach you everything from scratch. The course is comprehensive, covering everything from the basics to more advanced techniques like working with Geometry Nodes and creating photorealistic textures and materials.

Taught by Rob Tuytel who has been a full time Blender artist for over 15 years. His artwork has been used in art books, featured in 3D artist magazines, museums, and even on TV.

By taking this course, you will:

• Master the basics of Blender and navigate its interface confidently
• Utilize Geometry Nodes to create realistic grass and trees
• Learn to organize your workflow for large environment scenes
• Apply 4K and 8K PBR textures to enhance the visual quality of your environments
• Gain inspiration and motivation to build your own dream 3D environment.

Best Blender Course for 3D Illustrators (Skillshare)

Are you interested in 3D design and illustration? Learn Blender 3D: Become a 3D Illustrator by Mastering Blender is the perfect starting point for you. Instructor Arash Ahadzadeh, with a track record of guiding over 50,000 designers, offers a hands-on approach that focuses on practical skills over theory. This beginner-friendly course is not just about learning the theories but learning 3D modeling in Blender in a simple and engaging way. Whether you have zero experience in 3D modeling or some experience in 2D modeling, by the end of this course, you’ll have two real-world projects at hand for your portfolio.

In this course, you will learn:

• The basics of 3D design and an in-depth understanding of Blender’s features
• Practical skills through project-based learning, creating a low-poly beach and a modern room
• Techniques for realistic and stylized modeling, applying materials, and textures
• How to implement 3D lighting and rendering for professional-quality results
• Advanced tips and tricks to refine your work and prepare it for a professional portfolio.

Best Architectural Visualization Blender Course (Udemy)

Master Architectural Visualization – Blender 3x – Design is ideal for anyone interested in mastering architectural visualization using Blender 3.x, whether you’re a designer, architect, or 3D enthusiast. It’s perfect for beginners with no experience in 3D modeling, and it guides you from the basics to more advanced techniques. This course will teach you how to successfully design and model stunning interior scenes in 3D in Blender step by step. You’ll start from 2D house layout and move all the way up to 3D modeling of rooms and lighting. This course is a great choice because it offers a non-destructive 3D modeling workflow, real-world lighting conditions, and the use of PBR shaders for realistic materials. It’s designed to be accessible and efficient, helping you to complete projects quickly while achieving high standards.

By taking this course, you will:

• Gain core skills in creating photo-realistic interior scenes
• Learn non-destructive 3D modeling and master the architectural modeling workflow
• Discover shortcuts and smart workflows to speed up your projects
• Understand how to design with real-world sizes for accurate renders
• Control lighting elements and use PBR shaders for realistic materials
• Manage large scenes and use the MeasureIt add-on for precise dimensions
• Set up and control cameras for high-quality images, videos, and 360 panoramas.

Best Blender Course for Vintage Car Modelers (LinkedIn Learning)

Good news for all the car lovers out there! If it was your dream as a designer to build a 3D vintage car in Blender, then this is your chance. In Blender 3.0 Vintage Car Creation, you’ll design a 1952 Nash-Healey Roadster in Blender, complete with all its components in detail. You’ll learn the basic tools and techniques of Blender and digitally render your car.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Setting up reference images in Blender for accurate modeling
• Detailed modeling of the car body, external pieces, spoked wheels, and interior
• Techniques for creating realistic tire treads and undercarriage
• Applying materials and textures to give your model a lifelike appearance
• Rendering high-quality images and animations of your vintage car.

Best Blender Course for 3D Character Design (Udemy)

Do you want to become a 3D character artist? Then Blender Character Creator for Video Games Design is tailored for you. This beginner-friendly project-based course will teach you how to model your own video game characters in Blender. You’ll be able to create a complete character ready to be implemented into a video game that you can also add to your portfolio.

By taking this course, you will learn to:

• Model a character from scratch using Blender
• Shape your character with both broad and fine details using sculpt tools
• Apply texture painting to add color and intricate details to your character
• Rig your character with bones for animation
• Animate your character to bring it to life
• Optionally, integrate your character into the Unity game engine.

Best Mantaflow Fluid Simulation Course (Udemy)

If you want to master the art of fluid simulations, Mantaflow Fluid Simulation Guide in Blender is for you. Mantaflow is an open-source fluid simulation framework. In other words, it is used to create realistic fluid flows in Blender. This course covers the basics of fluid simulation and applies that to simulate different kinds of motions of water under different situations. By the end of this course, you’ll see your water animations come to life.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• The fundamentals of fluid simulation in Blender 3D
• Detailed understanding of domain settings and their impact on simulations
• How to incorporate various elements like flow objects and obstacles into your simulations
• Techniques for creating realistic water materials
• Utilizing the ocean modifier for enhanced effects
• Hands-on experience through three comprehensive tutorials covering particle simulation, interaction with rigid bodies, and crafting a realistic waterfall.

Stephen Pearson also has another course on Mantaflow, Mantaflow Fire & Smoke Simulation Guide in Blender.

Most Popular YouTube Tutorial for Beginners (Blender Guru)

Blender 4.0 Beginner Donut Tutorial (NEW) is a unique and interesting free course because here, you’ll learn the fundamentals of Blender while making your very own donut! Yes, the outcome is a donut. But along the way, you’ll learn the essential concepts of Blender starting from its interface, modeling and shading to lighting, rendering and the final animation.

In this course, you will learn:

• Navigating and customizing the Blender user interface
• Basic and advanced modeling techniques
• Sculpting details into your 3D models
• Applying textures and materials for realism
• Utilizing geometry nodes for complex patterns
• Animating your creations and adding dynamic effects
• Setting up lighting to enhance the mood and appearance
• Compositing and rendering to produce the final animation

Also Great Tutorial for Complete Beginners on Youtube (Ryan King Art)

Blender Complete Beginner Tutorial Series will help you get up and running with Blender. You’ll learn the basics of Blender, from its interface and workspaces to modeling houses, environment, lighting, simulation and animation.

Here’s what you’ll learn from this course:

• Basic navigation and shortcut keys in Blender
• Understanding the Blender interface and workspaces
• Modeling a house and environment from scratch
• Applying basic lighting and materials to your 3D models
• Mastering UV mapping and texturing techniques
• Creating particle systems and cloth simulations
• Animating your models and rendering your final project.

Why You Should Trust Us

Class Central, a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

I (Archisha) am a Guided Project Instructor and a Beta Tester at Coursera, having tested many courses before they’re officially launched. I have taken over 50 online courses in various subjects. My experience as an online learner and teacher has given me some perspective on what to look for in an online course. I used my experience to evaluate each course in this list.

How We Made Our Picks and Tested Them

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how we approached this task.

First, we combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid courses.

Second, when choosing courses, we considered the following factors:

• Instructor experience: we looked for certified instructors with extensive experience in Blender.
• Course content: we looked for courses that covered a wide range of topics, from the basics to more advanced techniques.
• Student reviews: we read student reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course.

To evaluate each course, we watched some of the course videos and read the course syllabus. We also looked at the course’s rating and reviews on Class Central and course provider sites.

Ultimately, we used a combination of data and our own judgment to make these picks. We’re confident these recommendations will provide you with the knowledge to master Blender.

Fabio has revised the research and the 2024 version of this article.