Learn how to diagnose and fix common shading problems in Blender, such as dark spots, strange shadows, and incorrect lighting on your 3D models, to achieve a clean, professional look.
Incorrect face normals are the most common cause of shading issues. Select your object, enter Edit Mode (Tab), select all geometry (A), and press Shift + N to recalculate normals to face outside.
Overlapping geometry can cause z-fighting and shading errors. In Edit Mode with everything selected, press M and choose By Distance. This will merge any vertices that are in the exact same location.
For models with both smooth surfaces and sharp edges, enable Auto Smooth. Go to the Object Data Properties (green triangle icon), expand the Normals section, and check Auto Smooth. Adjust the angle to control which edges appear sharp.
Imported models sometimes contain bad custom normal data that overrides Blender's calculations. In Object Data Properties, go to the Geometry Data panel and click Clear Custom Split Normals Data if the button is available.
Internal faces or holes in your mesh can disrupt shading. In Edit Mode, go to Select > Select All by Trait > Non-Manifold to highlight problematic geometry that may need to be manually cleaned up.
Pro Tips for Perfect Shading
In the Viewport Overlays menu, enable 'Face Orientation' to see normals as blue (outside) and red (inside). You can also display normal vectors from the same menu to see their direction.
For precise control with Auto Smooth, enter Edit Mode, select the edges you want to be sharp, right-click, and choose Mark Sharp. This will make them crisp regardless of the Auto Smooth angle.
Don't forget the basics! In Object Mode, right-click your model and select Shade Smooth for organic surfaces or Shade Flat for low-poly, hard-surface objects.
For advanced hard-surface models, add a Weighted Normal modifier. It can produce superior shading results by adjusting vertex normals based on face area, creating cleaner surfaces.
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