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Step 5 of 146:25

Add a Torus and adjust scale

Major Radius 0.1 m Minor Radius 0.057 m Minor Segments 18
Shift + A › Mesh › Torus
AI tutor · Step 5
Why is my torus so huge?

Blender adds it 1 m wide. Set Major Radius to 0.1 m in the Add Torus panel before clicking away.

6:25
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TodayFri, Oct 9
This weekOct 4–10
Overall progress38%
Today's focus Blender 3D Modeling Fundamentals Step 6 of 14 36%

Navigate the 3D viewport, shape primitive meshes in edit mode, and work with a non-destructive modifier stack.

Continue 25 min
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Building course Ableton Live Sampling Hacks Watching the video…
The Ultimate Guide to TypographyStep 3 of 10 20%
After Effects Beginner FoundationsStep 1 of 15 0%
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Share the tutorial

In YouTube, tap Share and pick MindStep. Or paste a link. Any public tutorial works: 3D, design, motion, photography, music, code.

After Effects for Beginnersyoutube.com
Messages MindStep Notes Mail
02

MindStep watches it

Not just the transcript. It watches what's on screen too: the menus, the values, the shortcuts. Then it fact-checks the video. You can leave while it works.

Building courseAfter Effects Foundations
Read the video
Watched 15 steps on screen
Writing 5 lessons
03

Learn it, step by step

Lessons that explain why. Every step with the exact values and the moment in the video. Quizzes and flashcards so it sticks. Today keeps you moving.

Today's focusAfter Effects FoundationsLesson 3 · Smoothing motion
Continue18 min
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Summaries tell you what a video said. MindStep teaches you to do it. This is the actual course it built from Blender Guru's donut tutorial. Try the tabs.

  • 01
    Lessons that explain whyA goal for each lesson, the reasoning behind it, and the key concepts.
  • 02
    Exact stepsValues, shortcuts and menus read off the screen, each linked to its moment in the video.
  • 03
    Mistakes and pro tipsWhere people usually get stuck, and how to get out of it.
  • 04
    PracticeA quiz, flashcards and an exercise to prove you can do it alone.
  • 05
    ReferenceA cheat sheet, a glossary and the full transcript with on-screen notes.
Blender 3D Modeling FundamentalsBlender Guru · Beginner · 4 lessons
Lesson 2 of 45:39

Sizing and Smoothing the Donut

GoalSpawn a Torus, give it real-world donut proportions, and apply smooth shading.

We start with a primitive called a Torus, which is naturally ring-shaped. When you add a primitive, Blender shows a temporary operator panel in the bottom-left corner. Click away and its settings lock in.

Real dimensions matter. A default Torus spawns 1 metre wide, which causes lighting problems later, so we scale it down to a believable 10 centimetres.

Primitive meshA basic starting shape: cube, sphere, cylinder, torus.
Shade SmoothInterpolates light across faces so it looks curved without more geometry.
Major radiusDistance from the centre of the hole to the centre of the tube.
Common mistakeClicking off the torus before adjusting the Add Torus panel locks the settings. Delete it with X and add a new one.
Pro tipHold Shift while dragging any number slider to move the value in tiny, precise increments.
Sizing and Smoothing the DonutSteps 4–6 of 14
Checkpoint

A smooth, realistic-sized torus sitting centred in your viewport.

Quiz · 1 of 6

Why do we set the cylinder's vertices to only 14 when modelling the mug?

Low-resolution geometry is easy to edit. A Subdivision Surface modifier does the heavy smoothing later.

Flashcard · tap to flipOrbit the viewport
AnswerHold the middle mouse button and move.
Cheat sheet
Orbit viewportMiddle mouse
Pan viewportShift + Middle mouse
Add objectShift + A
Grab / moveG, then X / Y / Z
RotateR
Glossary · 10 terms
TorusA ring with a circular cross-section, the donut shape.
VertexA single point in 3D space, the basic building block of a mesh.
EdgeA straight line connecting two vertices.
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Step 5 · Sizing and Smoothing the DonutAdd a Torus and adjust scale
This stepLesson 2Whole course
Explain simplerWhy does this work?I'm stuckTest my understanding
Ask anything about this step…
Features

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Not to keep you scrolling.

Follow along, one step at a time

Put the phone next to your screen. One step, its values and shortcut, and a jump to that exact moment in the video.

When the video is wrong, you'll know

MindStep fact-checks what it watches. Mistakes in the original get flagged right inside the lesson.

The video says
12 points equals 1 inch, and 1 inch is 16 pixels.
Correction1 inch = 72 points = 96 pixels. 12 points (one pica) = 16 pixels, a sixth of an inch.
From The Ultimate Guide to Typography · lesson 2

Courses that belong together become a program

Same software, shared concepts, or one course building on another: MindStep notices and puts them in the right order. Without re-watching anything.

1
After Effects Beginner FoundationsBen Marriott · Beginner
Builds on keyframes, easing and pre-comps
2
Magic Shading in After EffectsIntermediate · same software
Typography stays out. Nothing in common with these two.

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3D product renders
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Blender basicsViewport, meshes, modifiers
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Materials & lightingStudio light, HDRIs
Follow
Blender Guru, Ryan KingCreators who teach this well

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Technique · Blender Shade Smooth without adding geometry Right-click › Shade Smooth

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How did I smooth the donut?
Right-click › Shade Smooth. It smooths the look without adding geometry.Blender Fundamentals · lesson 2 · 9:30

A shortcut sheet for the software you're learning

Open a course that uses shortcuts and MindStep offers to make a sheet: the shortcuts this tutorial actually uses first, then the most important ones for the software. It shrinks into a circle that opens over any page. Mac or Windows.

Used in this course
Delete the default cubeX
Add a TorusShift + A
Add loop cutsCtrl + R
Inset the bottom faceI
Essential Blender
Toggle Edit ModeTab
ExtrudeE
Grab / moveG
BevelCtrl + B
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Questions

Good to know.

Which videos work?

Any public YouTube tutorial where someone shows how to do something: software, design, music, photography, cooking, code. Talks and vlogs work less well. There's nothing to follow.

Does it replace the creator's video?

No. Every lesson and step links back to its exact moment in the original video, so you keep watching the creator, just with a plan. MindStep credits the creator on every course and share card.

How accurate are the courses?

MindStep watches the screen as well as listening, so values and shortcuts come from what's actually shown. It also fact-checks the video and flags corrections in the lesson. You can always jump to the source moment to check.

Can the tutor see my screen?

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