Blender
What is Blender?
Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite.
It supports the entire 3D pipeline, including modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, and video editing.
Okay, what does that mean for me?
It means you can create almost anything you can imagine in 2D or 3D — from illustrations and animations to physics-based simulations.
In our scientific area, Blender is often used for creating publication-quality images and movies to communicate results clearly.
Oh wow, that’s pretty cool. How do I start?
If you want to jump right in to making scientific images check out the following Youtube Tutorials, from 2 amazing Blender creators (and scientists):
- PyMOL scenes to Blender – Export your scenes from PyMOL to Blender (Easier and quicker for those already familiar with PyMOL), by Verena Resch.
- Molecular structures in Blender – Open .pdb and .xtc directly on Blender (Steeper learning curve, but full control of molecular information in Blender), by Brady Johnston.
If you want to learn a bit more about blender first:
- Check out our Blender tutorial page for a simple hands-on introduction, applied to our use-case.
- You can also explore official resources like the Blender Beginner Tutorials.
Other Useful Information
Where to download?
You can download Blender for free from the official website.
It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Where to find examples of stuff to do?
- Blender Demo Files – test scenes and example projects
- Blender Artists Community – artwork, tips, and discussions
- BlenderNation – news, tutorials, and showcases
- Blend Swap – free models shared by the community