Blender Donut Tutorial Part 1 (2026)

Main ideas and lessons

• What Blender is and why this tutorial exists

  • Blender can perform 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, shading, and rendering.
  • The video is part 1 of a donut tutorial, remade for major Blender releases (this one for Blender 5.0).
  • The creator says it’s beginner-friendly and points to a separate course for “post-donut beginners.”

• Getting Blender set up

  • Install Blender from blender.org, or use the portable zip version if you can’t install software.

• How to navigate the 3D viewport (core camera controls)

  • Learn to orbit, pan, and zoom so you can model comfortably.
  • Use axis gizmos to reorient when you get lost.
  • Use “focus/view selected” to quickly jump to the active object.

• Core modeling workflow concepts

  • Start from a primitive mesh that best matches your target shape.
  • Adjust primitive parameters (size, radii, resolution).
  • Switch to smooth shading for a nicer appearance.
  • Use a non-destructive modifier workflow (e.g., Solidify and Subdivision Surface).
  • Understand Object Mode vs Edit Mode:
    • Object mode: select/move objects.
    • Edit mode: edit mesh geometry (vertices/edges/faces); object selection is limited.
  • Use hotkeys extensively and keep a hotkey reference document nearby.

• Building a donut base

  • Delete the default cube.
  • Add a Torus and adjust:
    • scale (size)
    • minor/major radii to resemble a donut
    • torus resolution settings
  • Switch from flat shading (default) to Shade Smooth.

• Using a “mug” as an easier step toward the donut

  • Instead of making icing immediately, the tutorial builds a coffee mug first.
  • Steps for the mug:
    • Add and resize a cylinder
    • Enter edit mode, delete faces to create a hole
    • Add thickness via Solidify
    • Round corners via Subdivision Surface
    • Add loop cuts / inset operations to control smoothing and avoid messy geometry

• Saving safely

  • Use Save As with versioning (add a number) rather than overwriting.

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Methodology / instruction steps (detailed)

1) Download and launch Blender

• Download from blender.org (use the big download button).
• Installation:
  • Windows: install the executable.
  • Mac: drag the app into the Applications folder.
• If installs are blocked:
  • Use the portable zip:
    • unzip and run Blender from the folder.

2) Configure viewport readability (optional but recommended)

• If Blender appears too small on a high-resolution display:
  • Preferences → Interface → Resolution Scale
  • Set to around 1.5–1.8 (tutorials may go higher).

3) Learn navigation in the 3D viewport

• Orbit:
  • Click and drag with Middle Mouse (scroll wheel button pressed).
  • If you don’t have a middle mouse:
    • Use the top-right orbit control circle (click + drag), or
    • Enable:
      • Edit Preferences → Input → “Emulate 3 Button Mouse”
    • Then orbit with Alt + Left Click Drag.
• Pan:
  • Shift + Middle Mouse drag
  • Or use the on-screen “hand” icon.
• Zoom:
  • Scroll wheel up/down, or click the magnifying glass control.
  • Alternative: Ctrl + Middle Mouse.

4) Reorient and focus on objects when lost

• If you’re upside down:
  • Click the colored axis gizmo (Z is top).
• To focus on the selected object:
  • Numpad Period = View Selected
  • If you don’t have a numpad:
    • Tilde ( ~ ) + drag (menu shows “View Selected”).

5) Start the donut: remove the default object

• Delete the cube:
  • Press Delete, or use X → Delete (author prefers X).

6) Add the donut base (Torus) and configure it

• Add a torus:
  • Add menu (top) or Shift + A
  • Under Mesh, choose Torus
• In the “Add Torus” options panel:
  • Set size/scale smaller (author goes from default 1m to about 0.1)
  • Adjust minor radius until it matches a donut cross-section
  • Use Shift while dragging for smaller increments
  • Adjust resolution:
    • keep one value around 48
    • increase the other to around 18 (author mentions ~16–18)

7) Smooth the donut surface

• The donut looks “flat” because it defaults to flat shading.
• Fix:
  • Right-click the object → Shade Smooth

8) Build the stepping-stone mug (cylinder approach)

• Add a cylinder:
  • Shift + A → Mesh → Cylinder
• Resize it to sit over/around the donut:
  • radius ~0.13
  • adjust height/depth roughly for scale
  • set vertices low-ish (author uses ~14) since Subsurf will add smoothing later

9) Separate overlapping objects (don’t overlap unintentionally)

• Use Move:
  • G (grab/move), then click-drag
  • you can move from anywhere because it follows the cursor
• Constrain movement to an axis:
  • while moving, press X, Y, or Z
• Use View Selected if needed.

10) Switch between Object Mode and Edit Mode correctly

• To edit mesh geometry:
  • Enter Edit Mode via the mode dropdown (top-left), or
  • Press Tab to toggle Object Mode ↔ Edit Mode.

11) Edit the mug: create a hole

• In Edit Mode:
  • Use face selection mode (author uses 3 for Face Select)
  • Select the top face(s) to remove (the “lid”)
  • Press X and choose deletion of faces
    • result: the mug becomes hollow (but still too thin)

12) Add thickness non-destructively (Solidify modifier)

• Open Modifier Properties / Wrench → Add Modifier
• Choose Solidify (under Generate, or search “solidify”)
• Adjust thickness in the modifier options
• Key idea:
  • Modifiers apply after the base mesh, so they’re non-destructive.

13) Round the mug edges (Subdivision Surface modifier)

• Add Subdivision Surface modifier:
  • increases geometry and smooths corners
• Increase levels (viewport shows incremental smoothing)
• Watch for artifacts:
  • subsurf can deform corners if it averages points across the mesh.

14) Fix smoothing artifacts with loop cuts and inset

• If smoothing is too broad:
  • In edit mode use Ctrl + R (Loop Cut)
  • Click to confirm placement, then slide
• Add another loop cut if the lower area misbehaves
• If you see messy topology (“star”/bad smoothing), it may involve ngons (faces with more than 4 vertices)
• Remedy: use Inset
  • Press I to inset a face and create tighter, more controlled edge loops
  • Position the inset so ugly geometry stays underneath where it won’t be visible

15) Maintain flexibility by staying non-destructive

• Since Solidify and Subdivision are modifiers, you can later adjust thickness and smoothing without rebuilding.
• The tutorial frames this as a best practice for iterative client changes.

16) Save progress safely with versioning

• Use File → Save As
• Name versions like: name_XX
• Blender convenience:
  • press + or - on the numpad (or on-screen plus/minus) to auto-increment the file’s version number.

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Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker/creator: Unnamed primary instructor (narrator; refers to themself as “Andrew” at one point).
• External source mentioned: blender.org (download site).
• Materials mentioned: A free Google Doc containing common Blender hotkeys (link provided by the creator; not shown separately here).