I recently received a book on Blender 3D architecture, Buildings and Scenery from the folks over at Packt Publishing. The author is Allan Brito, those who frequent BlenderNation might have heard his name a few times. I must say, it’s a good book, and I would have no trouble recommending it to folks interested in Blender. Here is my review on it:

Given the limited supply of Blender books available, I believe a book on Blender’s use in architecture is long overdue. Architecture is one of those industries where incorporating Blender into the workflow gives companies an advantage over others, yet the extent to which these advantages are recognised is, simply speaking, dismal. The book “Blender 3D: Architecture, Buildings and Scenery” has managed to address this issue and explain in a clear and concise way the advantages Blender provides, its limitations, and how to implement this tool into existing workflows. This focused approach allows the book to guide anyone, be it a novice or a trained expert, in the use of Blender.

One of the plus points of this book is that it doesn’t try to force the reader into using Blender for all tasks. Unlike other books which would try to promote an “ability to accomplish everything” relying on one program, this book recognises the areas in which Blender is limited, and guides the reader in the use of alternate tools which are more specialised in a certain field. Such examples include The GIMP, YAFRAY, and various script extensions to Blender. When introducing these external tools alongside Blender, the author chooses to focus only on relevant tasks instead of trying to document each feature of the application, which would be highly unnecessary and likely to be inadequate.

Another benefit is that the book explains how Blender is to be used, instead of letting users who are familiar with other 3D packages adjust on their own, since Blender’s interface and highly hot-key driven workflow are often seen as obstacles. This approach, also seen when introducing The GIMP as a tool (which has similar interface issues), gives the reader a firm foundation when using the tool, instead of later developing inefficient techniques when using the application.

Experience in using Blender is not a prerequisite for reading this book. Though the book doesn’t give a reader a lot of practice in modelling, it provides enough information to allow the reader to discover their own modelling style through experience. For those new to 3D graphics, this might be a hindrance, but for those who have used other packages, this would mean that the focus is solely on architecture, and hence a much more enjoyable read. Points are explained clearly and jargon is limited, though it enforces proper terminology when appropriate and covers architectural conventions which makes it easier to incorporate into existing workflows. Furthermore, the book’s focus is on architecture, but many of the techniques described can be applied to other uses, such as photorealistic rendering, modelling techniques, and animating processes.

The language used is informal, friendly and easy to follow, which encourages the reader to decide whether or not certain steps are appropriate for the job at hand, instead of instilling a “word is law” rule in the reader. Diagrams are clearly labelled, though beginners might find they will have to search for buttons and panels, as Blender’s interface is extremely customisable and prone to change in the future.

One demonstration of the books ability to communicate techniques well to the reader is how I was able to follow entire concepts introduced within the book without having to try them out on a computer. Other technically demanding books would normally require experimentation of tools and features before readers could be comfortable with a certain concept.

Unfortunately, the book is based on an older version of Blender. Blender, being open-source, develops all too rapidly, and changes – such as interface rearrangement – can confuse new users. One important example of this is when the book describes a UV editing mode to texture models, the mode of which is now non-existent – it was removed in a recent version of Blender.

Though the book does an excellent job of introducing Blender to architects, one aspect I believe it could expand upon is how Blender is going to progress in the future. Many people are concerned about using open-source applications, meaning that if the book could explain Blender’s rapid growth in popularity – potentially used as a representative for all major open-source applications – this could remove a lot of doubts companies might have.

Also, there were certain simple grammatical and spelling mistakes present within the text which detracted from the professional aspect of the book, which is extremely detrimental when trying to sell open-source software to commercial companies. Some of the formatting was not standardized, and the screenshots showed a lot of different interface layouts, which would confuse new users who are not familiar with Blender’s freedom when customising workspaces. These minor irritations aside, the book’s delivery of points is pretty good.

In conclusion, the book makes clear points, and delivers them in an easily understandable form for any audience. The use of chapter summaries helps the reader understand how each point has benefited them and which techniques should be used when. It takes into account current industry standards, and instead of fighting them, provides viable methods to collaborate with these standards, thus making it easy for readers to realistically apply knowledge they have gained from the book.

…and that’s it! I hope you found it useful, and I’m going to take a break for a few days. If you have any more questions about the book, feel free to drop a comment.