Blender is a 3D modelling, animation and rendering tool for Windows and Unix operating systems. This article is an beginner's guide to using the Blender user interface from the point of view of a Microsoft (MS) Windows user. This article includes SVG content, so it is best viewed using an SVG-enabled browser such as Firefox or Opera, or using Windows Explorer plus Adobe SVG Viewer.
Some terms I use in this guide:
Blender does not have a MS Windows user interface nor does it use standard MS Windows controls. Instead, Blender implements its own set of controls and its own window manager. The reason is that it allows Blender to run on more than one operating system without a lot of customization.
The Blender window manager only allows windows to be arranged horizontally or vertically in non-overlapping panes, so a Blender window behaves like a MS Windows pane. The window manager allows you to show as many windows as you like, and will even show more than one window displaying the same controls and the same information.
The diagram below shows the window elements in Blender.
If you place your pointer on the border around a window and hold down the right mouse button, Blender will display a context menu (with no title) with the following menu items:
Headers are explained below. Note: When you redisplay a window's header, it is always placed at the bottom of the window by default.
If you place your pointer on the border that is touching another window, hold down the left mouse button and move the pointer to resize the two adjoining windows.
A Blender window has a header which is a combined tool bar and menu bar. If you hold down the right mouse button in the header, Blender will display the Header context menu items:
Window headers have the following controls in common. Starting from the left …
All other controls shown in the window header depend on the type of window.
This section provides a brief overview of the windows that are shown by default:
The fact that there are three windows isn't obvious until you grab the border between each pane and resize them. Notice that User Preferences' and 3D View's headers are at the bottom of their respective windows, while Buttons' header is at the top of the window.
The User Preferences window provides general tool commands, such as file commands, edit and help in its header, and tool configuration settings in its body. Note that in a typical MS Windows application, tool configuration settings would be shown in an Options dialogue window.
The 3D View window is the graphical editing window.
The Buttons window shows various control panels. (At this stage, I can't see any theme for these panels.) Depending on the size of your monitor, some controls in the Buttons window may be clipped or hidden. To show these controls, place your pointer on the window's background, then press the right mouse button to show the Panel Alignment context menu:
Each panel has a title bar containing a triangle-shaped minimize control. When you press this control, the panel will shrink to show only the initial letter of its title or the front tab sheet.
A panel can have one or more tab sheets. Selecting the title of the tab sheet will display the contents of that tab sheet.
It is not possible to manually resize a panel.
This article has described the basic operation of Blender's user interface from the perspective of a MS Windows user.