Here are 9 easy steps to use blender software on your laptop. It is free software that is used to create a 3D suite. You can create 3D animated videos, games, and pictures. It was the internal production tool for the Dutch animator’s company NeoGeo by a developer Ton Roosendaal.
Can You Use Blender on a Laptop? You can use blender software on your laptop by installing it your device and you can operate it with a 3 button mouse emulation or numpad. You must get a laptop that meets the requirements of this software.
This software is somehow tricky to use, and a 3 button mouse with a scroll wheel has prime importance in its operation. When you are using it on a laptop, then a mouse with a scroll wheel is not available.
Blender system requirements:
It is a cross-platform software. It runs on approximately all the operating systems. This system has some minimum requirements which you need to fulfill to operate it.
Here is a chart of comparison of minimum and recommended requirements for a device to run blender software:
| Minimum requirements | Recommended requirements |
| 4GB RAM | 8 to 16 GB RAM |
| 2GHz CPU | Intel Core i5 and above |
| Graphics card with 1GB of video RAM | Graphics card with 4 GB RAM |
| 1280×786 display | Full HD display |
| Mouse trackpad or pen tablet | Scroll wheel or Numpad |
Laptops that can run the blender software 2020:
It is powerful software, and not all gadgets can handle it. If you use it on your device with average specs, it will underperform. You need to upgrade your equipment or maybe replace it with a new one.
| Brand Name | RAM | Processor | Display | Price |
| 2020HP | 8 GB | Intel core i5 | 15.6 inches full display | $748 |
| ASUS Vivo book | 16 GB | Intel core i3 | 15.6 full HD display | $363 |
| Lenovo 130 | 8 GB | 15.6 HD LED backlight | $399 | |
| Skytech legacy mini gaming computer | 16 GB | Ryzen 7 1700 8-core 3.0 GHz | Full HD display | $290 |
| Dell Inspiron | 4GB | Intel Celeron N 3060 | 11.6 HD Display | $289 |
| HID evolution ASUS | 16 GB | 9 4900 HS Turbo to 4.3 GHz | 14inch Full HD display | $1599 |
Contents
Can You Use Blender on a Laptop?
Initially, for major command in a blender, we use Numpad and scroll wheel mouse, but you can use many other ways to do this. In the same way, you can use it on your laptop.
Before working on it, just go to file >user preferences or press Alt plus left mouse click. The following are some simple ways to use this software on the computer.
It has 3 button mouse emulation, and by enabling it, one or two-button mouse can take its place. You can enable it by following steps.
From the file, the menu selects user preferences. Then click on the input tab and put a checkmark next to the 3 button mouse. Finally, click on the save user setting to keep it on your gadget for future use.
When this setting is enabled, then you can rotate the object by pressing the ALT+ Left mouse button and drag. To pan, the view press shift+alt left mouse button and drag the object.
When you are using Apple, then follow these instructions to command the object.Option+mouse button and drag to rotate the object. To select the object press command plus mouse button. You can also use BOTIM on your device with this method.
Emulate Numpad
When you are operating this app, the number keys on the number pad work differently than on the number keys at your keyboard. By enabling the Numpad emulation, the number keys on the keyboard start working like Numpad.
To enable it first to go to the File menu and select user preferences. Then click on the input tab. Put a checkmark next to the emulate Numpad.
Click saver user setting to save the changes. Now you can select different views from the number keys at the top of the keyboard. You can also use Bumble Web on your laptop.
Zooming the object
You can zoom any object in this software using Numpad. First of all, place the 3D cursor at the location you want to zoom and press ctrl and Numpad dot. You can zoom in by pressing Numpad dot(.). By pressing Numpad 5, you can pop into any realistic view.
You can also use checkboxes for auto depth and auto-rotate selection in the interface tab. You can simply zoom in and out any object by simply swiping up and down with two fingers.
Add loop cuts
Loop cuts and slides create a cut through a loop and generate one or more loop. After this, you can slide them between previous or next loops. To add loop cuts on your gadget, follow these steps.
First press Ctrl R to initiate the cuts, then you can specify the number of cuts using different methods. You can use any numeric key to determine the number of cuts. You can also use page up and down to do this. To increase the number of cuts, use numpad+ and to decrease the cuts use Numpad-.
Proportional editing
Proportional editing can quickly alter any organic shape. It is beneficial in shaping facial animation and changing body shape in animated pictures and videos.
In editing, mode selects the proportional editing button (The circle with a smaller circle in it) on the 3D view toolbar, or you can simply click the hotkey O to enable the proportional editing.
You can select a single vertex or a group of the vertex in it. Press right-click to choose and circle select C for a group of the vertex.
Rotating translating and scaling the object
You can quickly turn and scale any item by using some keys on the keyboard. Just press ctrl plus R, then swipe on the trackpad with two fingers. By these keys, you can rotate the keys left or right. Press ALT plus SHIFT to swipe the figure up and down.
To scale any object, you should press S, and when you want to stretch the object on a particular axis, just press X Y or Z. Each letter corresponds to the respective keys.
To translate the object, you just need to select the object and drag. You can also click on the right and left and drag the object to translate it to the right and left, respectively. You should save the Wi-Fi password, otherwise, your laptop will keep asking for a network security key.
Panning the object
Moving the object around in blender is called panning. When you are moving the object left or right, just press shift and swipe on the trackpad with two fingers. Swiping in the right direction will move the object in the right direction, and down swiping will move it down.
When you are moving the object up and down, press ALT and swipe with two fingers. To bank any object, you should press shift ALT altogether and then swipe with two fingers.
Benefits
It is a miracle software, and it can do outstanding work for you. It is open-source and free software for everyone. It can also perform UV unwrapping raster graphics editing and sculpting apart from 3D modeling and animation.
The skin modifier is an excellent feature of this software. Customization of all the features and tools is a unique thing about it.
It allows you to add base mesh and simple shapes easily. User preferences and keyboard shortcuts can save a lot of time for you. Its new version is also expected to have 2D animation as well. It is an earning source for various graphic designers. It also contains dozens of addons for you.
Disadvantages
Apart from all its marvelous abilities and features, this software has some issues for you also.
Difficult to operate
It features a whole 3D world and animation resides inside this. That’s why when you are a beginner in this field, you will feel difficulty in operating this software.
When you are using it on your gadget without a mouse, it becomes more difficult as you have to memorize a lot of keys combinations to compensate for it. People usually struggle more when operating it on the notebook.
This can create confusion when you have to deal with a lot of toolbars at the same time. Despite its being a free software you can download at home, there is still a need for proper teaching and learning.
Slow processor lagging
Usually, it processes very slow or lags in its performance when your gadget is fulfilling only minimal requirements for this. This can make slow progress in all 3D modeling animation and graphics. Your device will also lag when you will play video games. Try to use the tool with recommended requirements for it.