Once you've finished the previous article, "Installing Blender and Changing the Language," it's time to actually make something in Blender. In this article, you'll build a single coffee cup while learning the core operations, from viewport navigation to modifiers.
Don't worry about making mistakes along the way. Blender's Undo lets you step back as many times as you need, so relax and try things out with your own hands.
01Get Comfortable With Viewport Navigation
Before you start modeling, let's learn how to navigate the 3D viewport.
- Rotate the view: drag while holding the mouse's middle button (scroll wheel)
- Pan the view: drag while holding Shift+middle button
- Zoom in and out: roll the scroll wheel
As you move the view around, the screen can end up looking like a jumbled mess. When that happens, press Numpad 1. It always brings you back to a clean, easy-to-read front view.
- Numpad 1: view from the front
- Numpad 3: view from the right side
- Numpad 7: view from directly above
Whatever happens to the view, pressing Numpad 1 always brings you back to that clean starting state. Feel free to spin the view around as much as you like.
If the view won't behave the way you expect, see the supplementary column "Troubleshooting: A Quick-Reference Guide"
02Two Modes: Object Mode and Edit Mode
Blender has many modes, but for modeling you'll mainly use these two.
- Object Mode: select and move an object, such as a cube or cylinder, as a single whole
- Edit Mode: edit the vertices, edges, and faces that make up an object, one at a time, to change its actual shape
You switch between the two with Tab on your keyboard.
If you're trying to move a vertex or edge but the whole object moves instead, the usual cause is that you're not actually in Edit Mode. Press Tab and check that you've switched into Edit Mode.
03Just Three to Remember: Move, Rotate, Scale
The basic operations for changing an object's shape come down to just three keys.
- G (Grab): Move
- R (Rotate): Rotate
- S (Scale): Scale
Used on their own, these can move things in a direction you didn't intend. If you press X, Y, or Z right after the key, though, the action is constrained to just that axis.
- G→Z: move only up and down (vertically)
- S→X: scale only sideways (stretch horizontally instead of flattening everything)
- R→Z: rotate only around the vertical axis, as seen from above
If "I tried to shrink it and the whole thing got smaller" sounds familiar, you likely skipped the axis key. Try to keep in mind, whatever you're doing, "press G, R, or S, then follow it with an axis."
These same G, R, and S shortcuts work identically whether you're moving a whole object or, later in Edit Mode, moving individual vertices, edges, and faces.
04Select Vertices, Edges, or Faces to Change the Shape
Once you're in Edit Mode, you can switch what you're selecting, vertices, edges, or faces, using the number keys along the top of your keyboard (not the numpad).
Three operations do most of the work when it comes to actually changing the shape.
- Extrude (E): pull the selected face outward to create new geometry
- Loop Cut (Ctrl+R): add a cut that runs all the way around the model, adding vertices and edges
- Bevel (Ctrl+B): round off or chamfer a corner
Right after any of these operations, a small panel appears in the bottom-left corner. Click it, and you can fine-tune the numbers, cut count, angle, and so on, afterward. If it doesn't come out right the first time, you can adjust it there.
While trying out Extrude (E), it's easy for the mouse to jump somewhere unexpected and leave the shape a tangled mess. If that happens, don't panic, just press Ctrl+Z. Each press steps back one action, so press it as many times as you need.
Whatever goes wrong, Ctrl+Z undoes it, as many times as you need. If you ever think "wait, did I just mess that up?", pressing Ctrl+Z is really all you need to remember.
05Finishing the Shape With Modifiers
Modifiers let you add processing on top of a shape without destroying the original data. That reassurance, that you can always tweak the numbers or remove it later, makes them well worth learning. Start with these two.
- Mirror modifier: model just one half of a shape, and it automatically mirrors the other half for you
Before 
After - Subdivision Surface: turns a blocky, faceted surface into a smooth, rounded one
Before 
After
You add modifiers from the Properties panel on the right side of the screen, the wrench icon (Modifier Properties).
If a modifier doesn't seem to be doing anything, see the supplementary column "Troubleshooting: A Quick-Reference Guide"
06Hands-On: Let's Build a Coffee Cup
Now let's put everything you've learned to work and build an actual coffee cup.
Building the Cup Body
- You won't need the default cube, so select it, press X to delete it, then use Shift+A → Mesh → Cylinder to add a cylinder
- Enter Edit Mode and select the top face (face select mode, 3)
- Inset Faces (I) to create a slightly smaller face just inside the top
- With that face still selected, Extrude (E) it down into the cylinder to hollow out the inside of the cup
- Switch to edge select mode (2), select the cup's rim (the loop of edges where the outside and inside meet) with Alt (option on Mac)+click, and round it off slightly with Bevel (Ctrl+B)
Building the Handle
- Press Tab to return to Object Mode, then use Shift+A → Mesh → Torus to add a torus (donut shape)
- Use S to shrink it down and R to rotate it into a handle-like orientation
- Enter Edit Mode, select the half that will be embedded in the cup, and delete it (X → Vertices) so you're left with a half-ring
If it's hard to select because the torus overlaps the cup body, try selecting the torus and pressing /. This switches to Local View, which shows only the selected object and makes it much easier to work with. Press / again when you're done to return to the normal view.
- Press Tab to return to Object Mode, then use G (with an axis constraint) to move it flush against the side of the cup
Joining the Cup and Handle
Select the handle first, then Shift-click to also select the cup body (the key is clicking the cup body last), and press Ctrl+J to join them.
When you join two objects, the origin (the reference point) of the combined object lands wherever the last-selected object's origin was (the "active" object). If things look shifted after joining, check "The origin looks off" in the supplementary column "Troubleshooting: A Quick-Reference Guide".
Building the Saucer
- Use Shift+A → Mesh → Cylinder to add another cylinder
- Flatten it with S→Z, then widen it with S so it becomes a thin disc
- Use G to position it underneath the cup
Leave the saucer as a separate object rather than joining it to the cup. That way you can move the cup on its own once it's sitting on a table.
Smoothing It All Out
Finally, add a Subdivision Surface modifier to both the cup body and the saucer to smooth everything out. But if you add the modifier with no preparation, the corners round off too much and the shape falls apart.
To fix this, add loop cuts beforehand near any area you don't want to smooth out. Where edges are dense, the Subdivision Surface effect weakens, so the shape holds its form better.
The top rim of the cup already has a bevel, so it doesn't need a loop cut. Instead, add cuts in these two places:
- Lower part of the cup body: add 2 loop cuts with Ctrl+R
- Inner cylinder (the cup's inner wall): add 2 more loop cuts with Ctrl+R
The saucer needs the same kind of preparation, but since the target is its top and bottom faces rather than the sides of a cylinder, use Inset Faces (I) instead. Insetting a slightly smaller face on both the top and bottom keeps the edges from turning jagged once Subdivision Surface is applied.
Once that's done, press Tab to return to Object Mode, then add a Subdivision Surface modifier to both the cup body and the saucer.
07What to Do Next
With that, you've used Blender's core operations to build a coffee cup from scratch.
If it felt like a lot to take in, the shape-making really comes down to repeating just these four things.
- Viewport navigation (Numpad 1 always brings you back)
- G, R, S (with an axis constraint)
- Switching between Object Mode and Edit Mode (Tab)
- Extrude (E)
The full, official reference for these operations lives in the Blender Manual. Once you've got the basics down from this article, keep it handy as a dictionary for whenever you get stuck.
Next, let's move on to materials, giving the shape you built color and texture. Using this same cup, we'll recreate the look of ceramic and the look of a wooden tabletop.
Here on make.aimk, we'll keep publishing hands-on articles that walk through each stage of the Blender workflow, one step at a time.
08Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I deleted the default cube. Can I get it back?
A. Yes. Press Ctrl+Z to undo, one step at a time. You can press it as many times as you need, so if something feels wrong, try it first.
Q. An object disappeared. Was it deleted?
A. It's more likely hidden than deleted. Press Alt+H to reveal every object you've hidden (see the supplementary column "Troubleshooting: A Quick-Reference Guide" for details).
Q. My shortcut keys aren't doing anything
A. If an IME (a text input method for languages like Japanese or Chinese) is turned on, single-letter shortcuts such as G, R, S, and E may not register. Try turning it off and see if that fixes it.
Q. Is there a "correct" way to model?
A. There are several approaches, but for the basics, the method in this article, building up from primitives like cubes and cylinders (box modeling), is all you need to start. See the supplementary column "What Kinds of Modeling Approaches Are There?" for how it compares to other methods.
Q. Do the controls change between Blender versions?
A. The basics covered here, viewport navigation, G/R/S, and switching modes with Tab, stay largely the same across versions, so you can follow along with confidence.
Q. How do I save my finished model as an image?
A. That's done through a process called rendering. We'll cover it in an upcoming article on rendering.
Q. After saving, my language setting or layout had changed
A. If the display language reverted, revisit the steps in Installing Blender and Changing the Language.
Supplementary Columns
Troubleshooting: A Quick-Reference Guide
The View Won't Behave, or Zoom/Pan Moves Strangely
Viewport navigation differs slightly depending on whether you're using a mouse or a trackpad. The basic method is "drag while holding the mouse's middle button (scroll wheel)" to rotate, but on a Mac trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can rotate just by swiping with your fingers (on a Magic Mouse, the trackpad-like area is roughly the center front of the body, swipe there to rotate the view). Panning works the same way if you hold Shift while swiping. Zooming can also be done with Ctrl+middle button drag instead of the scroll wheel, worth remembering if a scroll wheel is awkward on your setup.
Numpad 1, 3, and 7 Don't Work (No Physical Numpad on a Laptop or Mac)
On keyboards without a physical numpad, like most laptops and MacBooks, shortcuts like Numpad 1 won't work as-is. Enabling "Emulate Numpad" under the Input tab in Blender's Preferences lets the number keys along the top of the keyboard stand in for the numpad instead.
Can't Select an Object (Clicking It Doesn't Turn It Orange)
The object you're trying to select may be hidden behind another one. Rotate the view a little so you can actually see it, then click again.
The Screen Went Completely Black or White
This can happen if you accidentally pressed a display-toggle key, or if you've zoomed in so far that you're inside an object. Pressing Numpad 1 to return to the front view usually restores the normal display.
The Toolbar or Sidebar Disappeared
The Toolbar (the strip of icons down the left edge) toggles with T, and the Sidebar (the detail panel on the right edge) toggles with N. If either vanished, just press the same key again.
The Origin Looks Off, or You Want to Center It On Screen
An object's "origin" is the reference point used for its move, rotate, and scale operations. With imported objects in particular, the visual position and the origin's position can end up out of sync.
If you just want to center it on screen without moving the origin itself: with an object selected, press Shift+C to reset the whole view so every object fits on screen. To frame only the selected object, press Numpad . (period) instead (from the menu, this is the same as View → Align View → View Selected).
If you want to actually move the origin itself to the object's center: from the top menu, choose Object → Set Origin → Origin to Geometry.
Origins can be a fiddly topic. If it isn't cooperating, sometimes it's actually faster to just delete the object and rebuild it.
Resetting an Individual Transform
If you've been trying out move, rotate, and scale so much that you've lost track of where you started, these keys reset each one back to its default (no movement, no rotation, no scaling).
- Alt+G: reset location
- Alt+R: reset rotation
- Alt+S: reset scale
Joining Objects Together
To combine two or more objects into one, select all of them (whichever you selected last becomes the reference), then press Ctrl+J.
A Modifier Doesn't Seem to Be Doing Anything
If a modifier (Solidify in particular) produces an unexpected shape, the object's scale not being set to "1" is a common cause. Choosing "All Transforms" from Ctrl+A resets the scale to "1" without changing how the object looks.
What Kinds of Modeling Approaches Are There?
This article covered "building up from primitives like cubes and cylinders" (box modeling), but there are other approaches too.
- Box modeling (used in this article): shaping basic primitives, cubes, cylinders, and the like, using extrude and loop cut. It's easy to control the shape you're aiming for, which makes it a good fit for learning the basics first
- Tracing over reference images: placing a reference image in the background and tracing its outline with vertices, then filling in faces. Well suited to complex curved forms like human bodies or characters
- Sculpting: shaping the surface intuitively with brushes, like working with clay. Well suited to organic forms such as creatures or terrain
No single approach is the "right" one, it depends on what you're trying to make. Learning the basics with box modeling first gives you a foundation that carries over even when you move on to other approaches.
Edit Mode also has operations beyond extrude, loop cut, and bevel, such as Inset Faces (I) and the Knife tool (K). Once you're comfortable, give them a try.