I feel like a helpless n00b

[rumpagump]

So a while ago I download a free version of maya and within days I am makeing stuff, but any thing other than the trial version cost a fortune
weeks ago I download blender
realise that I dont understand any thing that is happening
download tutorials and directions
all the tutorials I found have a differant layout than mine and I dont know enough to find what they are talking about
so far I can some times get the starting cube to move off center, if I am lucky

is there SOME WHERE, some step by step guid to what the buttons do?
why is the interface compleatly counterinuative?
nothing is working. I can open it do some thing write down every thing I did close it reopen it and do the same things and something compleatly differant happens, so here I am
I tried to find good directions and follow them
but every thing about this software is starting to piss me off


please help

[pildanovak]

have you been to elysiun? http://www.elysiun.org

[BogdanOancea]

Check the Manual here: http://mediawiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Manual

and The Elysiun user forum is here: http://www.elysiun.com/forum/

[joeri]

but every thing about this software is starting to piss me off

Time to move on to something else.

[Caronte]

...but every thing about this software is starting to piss me off

3D isn't easy and isn't for everybody.

[Mats78]

Time to move on to something else.

Couldn't agree more.

In theory learning Maya (or any 3d package) isn't any easier than learning Blender, but if the way Blender works doesn't seem to fit your way of thinking, learning it may feel hard. Use the ones that suit you personaly instead.

Mats

[solmax]

there comes a PDF bundled with recent releases of blender, and it gives a quite nice overview of the absolute basics. have you checked that out?

(learning how to learn is probably far more important than learning a specific task. looking at readme's and help files that comes bundled with your software turned out to be a good starting point in many cases)