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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
Stepper · 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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9:41
MindStep
TodayFri, Oct 9
This weekOct 4–10
Overall progress38%
Navigate the 3D viewport, shape primitive meshes in edit mode, and work with a non-destructive modifier stack.
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25 min
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Today's focusAfter Effects FoundationsLesson 3 · Smoothing motion
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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.
- 01Lessons that explain whyA goal for each lesson, the reasoning behind it, and the key concepts.
- 02Exact stepsValues, shortcuts and menus read off the screen, each linked to its moment in the video.
- 03Mistakes and pro tipsWhere people usually get stuck, and how to get out of it.
- 04PracticeA quiz, flashcards and an exercise to prove you can do it alone.
- 05ReferenceA 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.
New · Learn anything
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Not just YouTube.
Anything you learn from.
Say what you want to learn. MindStep plans every way in: a course written for you, free textbooks and classics it finds on its own, the best videos, or your own book. Each one becomes a real course.
Intro to Psychology
14.2 StressorsYouTube tutorialPaste a link or share it from YouTube.
PDF or ebookWhole books fit. Steps link to the page.
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Lesson 1 of 5 · Psychology 2e · Chapter 14
Defining stress: appraisal and physiology
Tell the stimulus, response and appraisal models apart, and map the stress pathway in the body.
An event becomes stressful when we judge it as a threat and our resources as not enough. That judgement switches on a chain in the body: the hypothalamus, the pituitary, then the adrenal glands and cortisol.
Cognitive appraisalGeneral adaptation syndromeHPA axisCortisol
1Perceived stressorAppraisal triggers the nervous system
→
2HypothalamusReleases CRF
→
3Pituitary glandSecretes ACTH
→
4Adrenal cortexReleases cortisol
→
5Body-wide responseEnergy up, other systems down
Watch on this topic
7:36HPA axis: what is its role in stress?Animated biology With arpanMake it a course
8:44What is the HPA axis, aka the stress responseDoc SnipesMake it a course
7:36HPA axis: what is its role in stress?Animated biology With arpanMake it a course8:44What is the HPA axis, aka the stress responseDoc SnipesMake it a courseA diagram for every lessonThe main idea as a flow, a cycle, its parts or a side-by-side, drawn in the same calm style as the app.
Real pictures, always creditedThe book's own figures when they're openly licensed, otherwise free images from Wikimedia Commons, with the author and licence.
Videos on exactly that topicOne or two short explainers per lesson. Watch in place, or turn one into its own course.
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Step 5 · Sizing and Smoothing the DonutAdd a Torus and adjust scale
This stepLesson 2Whole course
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LayoutModelingSculptingUV EditingShadingAnimation
tutorial_donut1.blend
Object Mode · View · Select · Add · Object
User Perspective
(1) Collection | Cube
(1) Collection | Cube
Add Torus
Major Segments48Minor Segments18
Major Radius0.1 mMinor Radius0.057 m
Scene Collection▾ CollectionCameraCubeLight
Blender Donut & MugStep 4 of 14
⌘Shortcuts · Blender⌥⌘→ done · ⌥⌘← back
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16:436/14Dock it by the cameraDrag the panel to the top and it lives in the menu bar around the notch. Hover to open.
Why does this work?Stepper answers hereStepper floats beside youAnswers appear as bubbles on screen, no chat window. Minimise them into the Stepper circle.
SMLVideo + step, any sizeThe video on top, the step's exact values and keys underneath. Small, medium or large.
15:38Picks up where you stoppedThe video resumes where you left it, and only jumps when you move to the next step.
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Features
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Follow along, one step at a time
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Ableton · Step 2 of 18
Shorten slice tails with Fade Out
Fade Out 1.03 sMode Slice
01:06
Done, next step
When the video is wrong, you'll know
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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.
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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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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 Stepper see my screen?
Only when you show it. Attach a screenshot or a photo of your screen and Stepper compares it with the step you're on: the settings, the expected result, what's off. Without one, it never pretends to see your project; it asks one good question instead.
Do I need an account?
No. Your library and progress live on your phone. An account is only needed for Pro sync and Studio teams.
Can I leave while a course is building?
Yes. It builds in the background and shows up on Today when it's ready, usually in a minute or two.
Android or web?
iPhone first. Mac and iPad come with sync. Android is on the list. Tell us in onboarding if you need it.
Can I learn from books, not just videos?
Yes. Add a PDF or ebook, photograph the pages of a paper book, paste an article link, or import a screen recording. Steps link back to the page or moment. Ask for a subject and MindStep also finds free, legal books for it (OpenStax textbooks and Project Gutenberg classics) or writes a course from scratch. Courses from your own books stay private.
Where do the pictures in lessons come from?
Diagrams are drawn by MindStep from the lesson itself. Pictures are the book's own figures when they're openly licensed, otherwise freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons. Every picture shows its author and licence.
Is there a Mac app?
Yes, in beta, in two sizes. A small panel floats on top of the software you're learning in, with the current step, its values and shortcut, and the moment in the video; it can dock by the camera in the menu bar. When you sit down to study, open the full app: your library, plans, progress and every course in a wide view. It doesn't record your screen: it only knows which app is in front, so it can show that app's shortcuts.
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