Blender is incredible FREE 3d software, but it is difficult learn and cumbersome to use.

Better Blender injects a sense of normalcy and intuitiveness into the program, and makes learning and using Blender much easier.

 

Better Blender is a "drop-in" replacement that provides:

• Left mouse centric.
• Maya-like controls.
• Consistent selection system across all editing modes.
• Traditional click, marquee, and lasso select including shift-add/drop.
• Alt-key based navigation system.
• Radial menu system (pie menus) for fast function and tool access.

With Better Blender noobs and pros alike will find it extremely useful because it packs many enhancements and "feels" like other apps such as Maya, Silo, 3ds MAX, Cinema4d and others.

Better Blender was forged by 3d pro Raden Slipicevic with the following goals in mind:

1. Streamline the UX and GUI.
2. Traditional and consistent selection and navigation system.
3. Keep the Blender default hotkeys in-tact (as much as possible) so tutorials and help files still make sense.

 

What, exactly, is it?

Better Blender consists of a collection of addons, a hotkey configuration, and a few extra themes that are already packaged up into a single folder, which you simply place into your Users's path.

You can easily "take it or leave it" by adding or removing the folder.

 

Get Involved

Better Blender is an open source project, hosted on Github. We encourage you to post feedback, feature requests, and bugs on GitHub.

If you want to help make Better Blender even better, we also encourage you to contribute your modifications, themes, addons, and other coding skills to the project through GitHub.

 

Installation

1. If you haven't done so already, download the official Blender Application.
2. Download the Better Blender ZIP package and unzip (it expands as a folder named "2.76").
3. Place (or replace) the "2.76" folder at the following path:
   If a folder named "2.76" already exists, backup that folder to a different location on your machine so you can revert back to your original settings if you happen to not like Better Blender.

   
   Windows
   C:\Documents and Settings\$USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.76
   
   Mac
   /Users/YOUR_USER_NAME/Library/Application Support/Blender/2.76
   
   Linux
   $HOME/.config/blender/2.76
   
   

4. Launch Blender.
5. Get comfy, and refer to the video (above) as well as the key map reference.

 

Links

Better Blender contains the following addons and themes

rtheme theme by Pawel Lyczkowski.
cadlike theme by Mike Gieson.
Object and Edit Modes Sculpt Mode
Wazou's Pie Menus
Wazou's RMB Pie Menu
Retopo MT
Mesh Check
rRMB Menu
Iceking's Tools
Sculpt Tools
Wazou's Retopology Tools
Display Tools
MultiEdit Addon, ToolPanel>Tools Tab, allows you to edit multiple objects.
MiraTools
Offset Edges
EdgeTune
Kjartan’s Scripts
anim_timeline_keymover
BoolTool 0.2
SimpleAlignAddon, ToolPanel (T) > Addons Tab.
Precise Align ToolPanel > Addons . Makes aligning pivot to faces easy
Sculpt/Paint Workflow Suite Sculpt Mode > Brush Size: RMB drag L/R; Brush Strength: RMB drag U/D
HairNet Addon
Microno's SSS Shader also built into the Startup, so I don't have to append when I need it. I'm really not a shaders/rendering guy, so having that as a start point helps a lot.

 

Tips

Change pivot point.

1. Enter Edit Mode
2. Select a point
3. SHIFT + S --> Cursor to Selected
4. Go Back to Object Mode
5. CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + C --> Origin to 3D Cursor