Blender Workshop Program

Program at a glance

The full course is 84 hours across nine phases, run as three terms: weeks 1–10, 11–18 and 19–28, with a break between each.

Phase	Weeks	Hours	Focus
1. Foundations	1–2	6	Introduction, interface, objects, modifiers, workflow habits
2. Modelling	3–6	12	Topology, hard surface, sculpting, retopology
3. Look development	7–10	12	UVs, shaders, texturing, lighting, rendering
4. Animation and rigging	11–14	12	Keyframes, graph editor, rigging, character animation
5. Grease Pencil	15–16	6	2D drawing and animation, 2D in 3D, mixed pipelines
6. Procedural	17–18	6	Geometry Nodes
7. Simulation	19–21	9	Rigid body, cloth, fluids, smoke, fire, particles, hair
8. Scripting	22–24	9	Python, bpy, operators and panels, addons
9. Pipeline and capstone	25–28	12	Compositing, real-time export, capstone project

Intro workshop · 2 hours, repeatable

Every participant leaves with one finished render and a saved .blend file, starting from Blender's default startup scene, so nothing needs to be downloaded.

Time	Block	What happens
0:00–0:10	Welcome and setup check	Blender installed, preferences set, default startup scene open
0:10–0:25	What Blender can do	Short tour of modelling, animation, Grease Pencil, simulation, scripting
0:25–0:45	Interface and navigation	Workspaces, viewport movement, selecting, move/rotate/scale
0:45–1:20	Guided build	Turn the default cube into a simple prop: extrude, loop cut, bevel, Subdivision Surface modifier
1:20–1:35	Material and light	One shader, one light setup
1:35–1:45	Render and save	Eevee render, file saving habits
1:45–2:00	Showcase and next steps	Share renders, pathways into the full course, short placement poll

Entry and pathways

The intro workshop is recommended but not essential, because week 1 covers the same introduction for everyone. Professional 2D artists can take a shorter route straight to Grease Pencil, and the simulation and scripting phases can be taken as focused blocks.

Pathway	Who it suits	Route	Hours
Full pipeline	Beginners wanting everything	Optional intro, then weeks 1–28	84 (+2 optional)
2D fast-track	Professional 2D artists	Optional intro, weeks 1–2, 11, 15–16	15 (+2 optional)
Simulation block	Anyone needing FX	Optional intro, weeks 1–2, 19–21	15 (+2 optional)
Scripting block	Technical artists, developers	Optional intro, weeks 1–2, 22–24	15 (+2 optional)

Week-by-week schedule

Each row is one 3-hour session. Rigging, Geometry Nodes, simulation and scripting get two or three weeks because they are where learners usually stall. A one-hour office hour runs every week, and the 1:1 column shows the weeks when each round of individual sessions takes place.

Week	Phase	Topic	By the end, participants can	1:1
1	Foundations	Welcome and introduction, interface, navigation, objects	Build and organise a scene with confident viewport control
2	Foundations	Modifiers and non-destructive workflow	Complete a first scene using a modifier stack
3	Modelling	Polygon modelling, topology, edge flow	Model clean, quad-based forms
4	Modelling	Hard surface: booleans, bevels, modifier stacks	Model a mechanical or architectural object
5	Modelling	Sculpting: brushes, multires, dynamic topology	Sculpt an organic form	Round 1
6	Modelling	Retopology and cleanup	Turn a sculpt into production-ready geometry	Round 1
7	Look development	UV unwrapping	Unwrap models with efficient, low-distortion UVs
8	Look development	Shader nodes and PBR materials	Build realistic materials in the shader editor
9	Look development	Texture painting and procedural textures	Paint and generate textures for a finished asset
10	Look development	Lighting, cameras, Eevee and Cycles	Light and render a polished still
11	Animation	Keyframes, dope sheet, graph editor, timing	Animate objects with controlled timing and spacing
12	Rigging	Armatures, parenting, weight painting	Build and skin a basic rig
13	Rigging	IK/FK, constraints, drivers, shape keys	Build an animator-friendly control rig	Round 2
14	Animation	Character animation, walk cycle, NLA	Animate a rigged character through a cycle	Round 2
15	Grease Pencil	Drawing tools, layers, frame-by-frame animation	Draw and animate in 2D inside Blender
16	Grease Pencil	2D in 3D, effects, mixed 2D/3D scenes	Combine hand-drawn and 3D elements in one render
17	Procedural	Geometry Nodes: attributes, fields, instancing	Build a reusable procedural setup
18	Procedural	Geometry Nodes: scattering, curves, node groups	Create a procedural environment or effect
19	Simulation	Rigid body, soft body, cloth, caching	Set up and bake physical simulations
20	Simulation	Fluids, smoke, fire	Simulate liquids and gaseous effects	Round 3
21	Simulation	Particles, hair, force fields, simulation zones	Direct particle and procedural simulations	Round 3
22	Scripting	Python console, bpy data API, automation	Script repetitive tasks
23	Scripting	Operators, properties, panels, UI	Build custom tools with their own interface
24	Scripting	Addon structure, handlers, packaging	Ship a working installable addon
25	Pipeline	Compositing, render passes, video sequence editor	Finish renders with post-production
26	Pipeline	Real-time export: GLB/glTF, optimisation, Unity and WebXR handoff	Deliver assets to real-time and XR platforms	Round 4
27	Capstone	Project planning, build, mentor check-ins	Develop a portfolio-grade project	Round 4
28	Capstone	Completion, presentations, showcase	Present finished work

Online delivery

Every 3-hour session follows the same shape, so participants know what to expect and the workload stays manageable on screen.

Minutes	Block	Purpose
15	Recap and questions	Review last week's take-home work
40	Live demonstration	Instructor builds while explaining
10	Break	Screen rest
60	Guided practice	Participants follow along, help requested in the chat or breakout rooms
35	Challenge	A short independent task on the same skill
20	Wrap-up	Share results, set the take-home task

Supporting arrangements

Record every session and publish a starter .blend file before each one.
Keep one shared channel for asynchronous help between sessions.
Pin one Blender version per term so menus and tools match on every screen.
Consider 4E Synkron Live to broadcast the instructor's Blender view and let participants share theirs for quick checks.

Mentorship and support

Every participant gets individual time throughout the course: four 30-minute 1:1 sessions plus a weekly one-hour office hour open to everyone. The course is sized for up to 20 participants, so each 1:1 round takes 10 hours and is spread across two weeks.

Round	Weeks	Focus
1	5–6	Goals, setup check, review of early modelling work
2	13–14	Look development and animation review, choosing a specialism route
3	20–21	Specialism check in Grease Pencil, simulation or scripting, capstone topic agreed
4	26–27	Capstone review and next steps

How the load stays balanced

Group sessions stay at 3 hours. Individual help moves into the 1:1 slots and the office hour rather than eating into live practice time.
Each round runs over two weeks, about 5 hours a week at 20 participants and 3.75 at 15.
The office hour is weekly and open to all; participants bring a file or a question.
At 20 participants the total is 152 contact hours over 28 weeks: 84 group, 28 office hour and 40 mentoring, about 5.4 hours a week.