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Recommended
Kyle W.
Corporate Videographer
Automotive, 201-500 employees
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Kyle: Hello, my name is Kyle, I'm a videographer. I give Blender a four out of five. And for more reviews...
Ach H.
Motion Designer
Animation, self-employed
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Ach: Hey, my name is Ach. I'm a 3D motion designer, and today I want to talk about Blender, which I give...
George T.
Design, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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I have been working in blender for over 5 years, i am an interior designer and blender gave everything i wanted in this field : Redering, modeling, lighting, materials.... Blender has everything for me to work on a big projects. I started working in blender and i think ill never change it, maybe i will add some but i will never change blender to other 3D software.
Blender is Open-source software which is Free which is very important thing if you compare it to other softwares. Blender can give you same result as paid softwares. In this program you can make a lot of things, you can : Paint, 3D models, Sculpting, Video editing, Rendering, Animation and many more things. Blender has it's own Rendering engine so you don't have to buy it and trust me it's very good...
It's not an industry standard and ill try to explain why.... Blender is new program and lately it got better that's why many people don't use it, they think that it's a free program and they don't look at it seriously, also many big companies already have stuff which work on Maya or 3Ds max and they don't want to get a new team member who works in blender, because big companies make big projects, every team member is making his part in this project and if one of the team member uses different program, he/she could not use others assets, materials, lighting and many other stuff.... to cut a long story short, Blender is not industry standard because many people don't use it and they still use 3Ds max, maya or any other software.
Micalen R.
Computer Games, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Overall I've had a rather pleasant experience using blender. The amazing lighting system and effects tool really makes this one of the best animation software. 3D modelling is made pretty simple once used to all the tools and functions. There are a lot of features that I haven't used or at least not to its full potential as some features can be very confusing to use. Blender the best free 3D software to use and one of the best overall.
Blender is free software which is always a pro! It is also one of the best 3D modeling software out there. I love how easy it is to import objects into blender as well how simple conversions are. Blender has an amazing lighting system which I use to create cool animations for game scenes. The rigging system is a very useful tool for creating in-game animations. There are many different tool to help you sculpt and create models. It has a pretty powerful text system which is very different to the text system of a drawing software. This text system can create 3D objects of the text which can then be edited and animated.
The few cons I have with blender mainly include that the software is not the most user-friendly. It can be very confusing to use at times. There's a lot of features which is create but it lacks tutorials to learn how to make use of those features. Likely other tutorials can be found online. The software can become very system heavy but that only for complicated models.
Mohammed A.
Research, 501-1,000 employees
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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Blender is a powerful and feature-rich 3D creation software that offers a lot of benefits for professionals in the industry. However, its steep learning curve, unintuitive interface, and performance issues may make it less appealing to beginners and casual users.
It costs nothing to download, use, or edit Blender, and its source code is available to the public. Blender's comprehensive feature set includes support for 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, video editing, and compositing, to name a few.
Blender's learning curve is high, and its interface can be complicated for first-time users.
Amber B.
Computer Games, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I have used blender since 2014. I enjoyed the earlier versions, and prefer it over Maya in ease of use and price. Do not recommend any update past 2.79 if you are looking for ease and an actual useable application.
I enjoyed the earlier versions of it, with ease of use, hotkeys, and a clear, labeled interface
The new version is too chaotic, too massive of a change. The hotkeys no longer work/are not the same. Unable to create/edit anything because unable to figure out how everything works, even with the guide. Had to Change back to the old format (2.79) in order to do anything.
Vikash K.
Architecture & Planning, 501-1,000 employees
Used daily for 1-2 years
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It is a very versatile software and can be used for loads of stuff be it game development, modelling, animation, walkthroughs, etc.
It's free, the community is great and you can get help with anything. The workflow and the quality is good. And you can even composite your work using blender.
Some features are not built in blender so you have to install 3rd party plugins and for an average user this could be cumbersome.
Anton I.
Media Production, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 6-12 months
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We needed a showing gadget for our entry level makers, yet we had no additional licenses on some other programming projects for them. We chose to permit them to use Blender taking everything into account, and they undoubtedly cultivated past what we could have done using more standard programming. By and by we are endeavoring to do the change to Blender primarily from Autodesk programs.
Blender has all the part and limits of any thousand bucks, try level programming projects out there, and For nothing!!! Allowing the illustrating, etching, the use of parametric modules, UVing, invigorating and conveying, without changing to another program.
The grandiose assumption to ingest data. You should get some help here by basically chasing after an online course. The instrument stash is huge and gadget handiness has all the earmarks of being a piece unconventional. There in like manner give off an impression of being as fair number of configuration changes with each new transformation - for the potential gain, at last - yet requiring steady progressing moreover. I at times think it is best used for learning and experimentation and not such a lot for the normal person's ordinary creation.
Balazs K.
Architecture & Planning, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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We doing architectural and product visualization, blender is excelent choise for these
We can create soo beautiful visualizations with blender including drone videos with embedded buildings / urban 3D models
A bit difficult for beginners, but there are thousands of tutorial videos, so everybady can learn easily and free
Deni H.
Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 1-2 years
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I really enjoy working with Blender, because there are so many sources of information and learning due to the wide community involved in developing Blender.
Blender is an open source 3d and animation software so we can participate in developing its features in it. And most importantly it's free.
We have to learn on our own to determine the right settings in adjustment to the hardware we have.
Verified reviewer
Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees
Used monthly for 2+ years
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We are constructing models for games, websites, desktop applications and animations. Once you get the philosophy that goes with the software it integrates nicely into the pipeline and is very easy to use and get results. Having support from some 3D rendering farms on the cloud generates a resource and costs optimization in our production pipeline.
The community is the best part of this software. There is always someone you can ask, and they are all willing to give a hand or a pointer in the right direction. There is also plenty of materials for almost every possible topic. It has become a fundamental piece of software that many artists use for their daily work and there is always a new plugin that will add more tooling to your creative process. And you can always create, modify or better any thing that you have in mind as it is open source, but it also has API access to almost every functionality.
I believe that the community has been constructing a great piece of software and has eliminated any thing I could have had against it.
Tristan C.
Computer Games, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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Great software that I use every day for making assets. The best part is that it can do everything other software can do but for free
There are so many features for everything you need
It can be a bit intimidating for beginners but everything needs time and practice
Michael A.
Graphic Design, self-employed
Used daily for 1-2 years
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I use Blender on a daily basis to design 3D models of objects found in historical dig sites. I also use Blender to tweak the designs of others from many of the popular online modeling communities.
Blender is free. It's open-source and has an active developing community that works hard to keep the software as up-to-date as possible with today's fast pace. I primarily use Blender to design 3D models for later printing and the built-in tools for model design work wonderfully.
If you're looking to create 3d movies, be prepared for work. The open-source nature of the software is also a downfall if you're looking to create fully immersive 3d worlds. Plugins and scripts are required for more expansive work, and finding the right plugin is a hassle in itself.
Sascha U.
Design, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I've been using Blender for over 10 years now, and it's been quite an adventure. In recent years Blender has quickly gone from being seen as a tool used by amateurs to a fully fledged 3D app. Companies like AMD, Google, and Apple have been contributing large amounts of funding and code to Blender, and it's starting to see use in many production environments. Blender truly makes high quality 3D available to all.
Blender is free and open source; Recently it has seen a lot more funding and has quickly gained popularity and seen increased use in production environments. Blender is very powerful and tries to be a bit of a swiss army knife. Though it may not be the best at anything, as a jack-of-all-trades it can do a lot. Blender makes 3D accessible to anyone.
Blender can have a bit of a steep learning curve for new users, and is lacking in some areas or functionality.
Tony T.
Design, 11-50 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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It is an essential part for my 3D career and I love that this software is free so it would be available to everyone who is interested in learning 3D. My overall experience has been good so far and I look forward to work with this software more for my projects.
I like the powerful tools for 3D modelling, 3D sculpting and the animation feature. The fact that this software is totally free made me love it more than any other software like 3Ds Max or Maya. The tools bundled with the software can help me create anything I want in 3D environment, the software is easy to learn and work as well.
There are some limited options compare to paid license software like 3Ds Max and Maya and sometimes when I'm working with a project, there is a bug that can crash the program but I'm careful person and always save my work frequently so that is not a big deal for me.
Sajjan A.
Information Technology and Services, 201-500 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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Blender is so cool too with may functionalities like of paid tool. Rally loved it.
Blender is a free software and can perform incredible functions. The functionalities of blender includes 3D modelling, texturing, rendering, UV unwrapping, sculpting, fluid simulation, smoke simulation, particle simulation and may more to go. Using these functionalities one can make interactive 3D applications and develop video games. The system has keyboard shortcut for all the functions which saves time. The biggest advantage of this software is it has addons which makes the software modular.
Blender has many features and it takes long time to learn and understand those features. It takes time to learn and become a quick user otherwise you have to memorize multiple functionalities. The toolbars and other layouts can be customized according to user. The new user may not have idea and cam make them uncomfortable.
Freddy A.
Design, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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We needed a modelling tool for our entry level designers, but we didn't have any spare licenses on any other softwares for them. We chose to let them use Blender instead, and they probably achieved more than we could have done using more traditional software. Now we are all trying to make the switch to Blender mainly from Autodesk programs.
Blender has all the feature and capabilities of any thousand dollars, enterprise level softwares out there, and for FREE!!! Allowing the modelling, sculpting, the use of parametric plugins, UVing, animating and rendering, without having to switch to any other program.
With the amount of features that Blender has to offer, you can feel overwhelmed by the amount of options (and hidden options) that you are presented with. At the beginning you'll have to familiarize yourself with the UI concepts, with the shortcuts and the overall workflow of Blender, and that can be a really steep curve to learn for starters.
Ray A.
Health, Wellness and Fitness, self-employed
Used other for 1-2 years
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Overall, Blender is a very powerful tool, that can be used for video editing. However, because it is designed to be a 3-D graphics tool which also has video capabilities, it is not the easiest tool to use. I continue to remain intrigued by Blender and in a year or two will revisit it's video editing workflow.
Blender is used by professionals around the world. Because it is open source and has such wide usage and effort behind its development, it is very unlikely that Blender will ever fade away. Using Blender for your projects ensures long-term access to your files and you'll accumulate skills that will be useful well into the future. I used Blender only for video editing so I cannot comment on its other...
After reading and watching many tutorials on using Blender for video editing, I hoped to rely on Blender exclusively for video creation. While Blender indeed offers powerful video editing features, the average person will not find it easy to use. Blender cannot automatically detect resolution and frame rates so if you have video from different cameras and wish to edit these different resolutions...
Ralph G.
Motion Pictures and Film, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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Our initial interest with Blender was sparked by its price: free. Autodesk's fee structures are not too bad if you are a power user, but the cost of having software seats for employees while they are learning is really a pain... so we started exploring Blender. Pretty quickly we discovered that it offers what we needed from the Autodesk products and more. We have come to appreciate the drag-and-drop...
Blender is an absolute Swiss Army knife for 3D modeling, animation, painting and video compositing/editing. It is free, and open source. After experience with Maya and 3DS -- which we admittedly liked very much -- we have moved to Blender exclusively because of its awesome selection of tools and add-ons. We use it for creating animations, 2D art, sculptures and 3D printed items.
About my 3-stars rating for ease of use: None of the 3D modeling and animation applications are easy to use if you do not have a background in those disciplines. I consider Blender to be 5-star ease of use... but on your first day with it, you will be confused. Fortunately, there are lots of tutorial videos on Youtube, and from Blender. Blender has a relatively regular update cycle, so you will always want to look for tutorials based on the version you are using.
Verified reviewer
Internet, 10,001+ employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Blender has been amazing as my software for 3D animations. The power that it offers while remaining completely free is excellent.
Coming off of a trial of the expensive 3DS Max software, I was amazed at how fully-featured and - in some ways - better Blender was as a free 3D modeling and animation software. The biggest pro of Blender is that it is free and open-source. Despite this, Blender receives constant and game-changing updates. Blender's complete UI overhaul and introduction of the Cycles renderer are 2 recent examples. This makes me very confident in the software, as I know it won't become outdated any time soon.
Blender has a completely different methodology for adding and manipulating objects compared to Autodesk Maya/3DS Max, SFM, etc. This isn't necessarily bad - you can get used to it, and it works fine. However, I do wish there was a preset that made Blender perform more like Autodesk or SFM. I also wish the 3D cursor could be improved, as it currently feels very finicky to position and unintuitive. Maybe a preview window or some distance information can be relayed to demonstrate where the 3D cursor is relative to my curretn viewport.
Ali L.
Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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I love Blender, whenever i use it, i keep wondering how come all this power is free. and appreciate all the people who worked on it and made it possible.
Blender is a free open source software, it allows anyone to get started with 3D design and modeling very easily without paying anything, other 3D design and modeling software are very expensive. the fact that Blender is open source it make it evolve very fast and it's widely used in big projects and competes with other big names in the market of 3D design software. There are so many tutorials about...
Blender may seem very complicated and huge to new users, but it's easy to use once you start learning how to use it.
Stacey B.
Computer Games, self-employed
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Blender works well for me building 3d models for using in Unity game development. Plugins are available with support direct export from Blender to Unity, handling model conversion and scaling for you. Extensions are simple to install and greatly expand the functionality of the software. I have worked with various 3D modeling software since the early 90's. This is hands-down the best free 3D modeling and rendering package available.
The already intuitive interface has matured over the life of this product. Sitting down with Blender after using other products entails a learning curve, but the differences are logical and functional. Support for 3rd party extensions allows for more advanced modeling and rendering supporting Production quality work an a small budget. While there are extensions for sale for use with Blender, there is also a large collection of free extensions, improving modeling, simplying complex operations on models. Support via website tutorials, online documentation as well as a large number of YouTube tutorials make learning the software extremely simple and straight forward. If you want to do something in Blender, chances are someone has documented how to do it.
The learning curve is initially very difficult The interface is setup in a logical fashion but it is different enough from other 3d modeling software that you really need to take some time initially learning basic operations. Once you have basic operations and hotkeys under control, the software becomes much easier to use.
Fabio R.
Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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Blender3D is a software you can rely on. It never crashes, even if you stress it with big renders and enormous models. It can handle them with no problems. Blender has become our internal go-to solution when we need something related to 3D and animation.
Blender3D is an experience. The software is extremely fast in all its operations and the tools are well thought and extended almost every two months. It is a software that grows so fast you will have trouble following it! The community around Blender is great too, and you'll always find help and suggestions while using the software. For us, the best part was the ability to customize and extend the software using Python plugins. Blender exposes all its functionalities to plugin developers and you can create real amazing things and extend its capabilities with almost no limits.
Plugin development (even if it has been improved in the latest versions) can be difficult sometimes, especially the debug part.
Iqra Z.
Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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I edit videos for my company and sometimes also for my own freelance project. So I prefer to edit my videos using Blender. Because blender tools are really awesome. I have created a number of professional animations using the blender. I really like and love Blender therefore my overall experience with the blender is really incredible.
Blender is a very awesome and free 3D creation software. You can create and compose feature films using Blender. Designing Animations is very easy in Blender. There are lots of video editing tools and options are available in Blender. So even you can edit your videos up to the professional level in Blender. The interface is really awesome and you can even customize window layout and shortcuts according to your requirements.
The tools, features, and functions of blender are awesome. I never faced any problem or issue during the use of Blender. Even I export my work in a professional way according to my requirements, so according to my experience, there are no cons.
Verified reviewer
Graphic Design, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Ever wondered what a graphic designer does? It's like creating a magic trick. I used to design things for a living and for the past 10 years I've seen a bunch of changes in the industry. Software has come and gone, and I've been around for all the good ones. At the start of my career, I wasn't making enough money to justify investing in software, so I picked up a copy of Blender and I was really happy with it.
If you're looking for an easier to use, and constantly improving 3D modeling software for free, Blender is the one for you. I know this, because I just tried it out, and all I can say is I'm impressed! With so many free software options out there, I can't imagine why anyone would use Blender over others! From its high quality, to the constant improvements and updates, Blender has me hooked. I never struggle with the software. The community is the best, and I love that it is always trying to stay ahead of the game. Keep up the good work, Blender devs!
It is tough to embrace the way it works, so it takes a long time to get used to and learn to work in it. The latest versions go to improve this by making the intuitive and logical interface better and better. It is very power hungry and drains my laptop battery very fast. It is not optimized for portable devices. Should be run on desktop computers only as it heats up the system.
Tam N.
Research, 1,001-5,000 employees
Used daily for 2+ years
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I use Blender for my teaching. My students love using Blender since it is very simple and easy to use. However, as mentioned, Blender crashes very often. Therefore, I always ask my students to save their Blender projects very often.
Blender helps you model 3D objects with all basic functions, i.e., translation, rotation, scaling. You can easily put textures and animations onto the 3D models. Blender also supports animation mode where you are able set up each animation frame and preview what your animation looks like. This is very helpful for your video editing. Blender also gives you the Scripting mode where you can code with Python to handle your 3D objects.
Blender has so many versions. This causes a lot of issues when you save and load your .blend files with different Blender versions. Blender sometimes freezes and unexpectedly shuts down. Therefore, make sure that you save your Blender project more often.
Verified reviewer
Civil Engineering, 11-50 employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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Blender allows you to do things you could only otherwise do with very expensive applications. It is surprisingly sophisticated for FOSS. Kind of like going from driving a Chevy to piloting a SpaceX rocket compared to most other software.
If you're looking for a program to start your journey designing in 3D, Blender is an amazing, amazing tool. There almost nothing you can't do with it. It plays well with a broad range of other Open Source software say, for example QGIS or Unreal Engine. It makes it possible to do virtual sculpture with every kind of digital tool you can imagine and, oh yeah, it's a decent video editor as well.
The steep learning curve. You're going to want to get some help here by at least signing up for an online course. The tool box is huge and tool functionality seems a bit idiosyncratic. There also seem to be as fair number of layout changes with each new version - all for the good, ultimately - but requiring constant learning as well. I sometimes think it is best used for learning and experimentation and not so much for the average person's day-to-day production.