# Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Blender Interface

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Here\'s a preview screenshot of Blender\'s interface, after a new
installation.

!Blender initial startup
display{width="800"}

For those familiar with older versions of Blender, this will look very
different. The redesign makes it much easier to find things.

For a detailed rationale explaining the redesign, read
this.

## Why does Blender use its own windowing system instead of the operating system\'s?

Blender follows its own user interface conventions. Instead of making
use of multiple windows as defined by your particular OS/GUI, it creates
its own "windows" within a single OS/GUI window, which is best sized to
fill your screen. Many people accustomed to how applications normally
work on their platform of choice, get annoyed by Blender's insistence on
being different. However, there is a good reason for it.

The essence of the Blender UI can be summed up in one word: *workflow*.
Blender was originally created by a 3D graphics shop for their own
in-house use. Being a key revenue engine for them, they designed it for
maximum productivity, speed and smoothness of operation. That means
avoiding "bumps" that slow down the user. For example, windows never
overlap, so there's no need to keep reordering them. You don't have to
click in a window to make it active, just move the mouse. There is a
minimum of interruption from popups asking for more information before
performing some action. Instead, the action is immediately performed
with default settings, which you can adjust afterwards and get immediate
feedback on the results.

Blender may not be "intuitive" to start learning, in that you cannot
simply sit down in front of it and figure out things on your own,
especially from a position of knowing nothing at all. But once you have
picked up some basic conventions, you will find it starts to make sense
and *then* you will be free to experiment and discover things on your
own.

## \"Save changes on exit\" prompt

As of Blender version 2.79, you are prompted on exit when there are
unsaved changes. You can change this behaviour in *Edit → Preferences →
Save & Load → Save Prompt*.

Prior to that version, Blender was not asking about unsaved changes.
Instead, Blender saved changes, when it closes, to a file called
\'quit.blend\'. The next time you use Blender, you had to select *File →
Recover Last Session* to resume right where you left off.

