After nearly a decade of hands-off from 3d software, I finally got around to explore 3d once again with Blender. These models and shaders are an attempt to understand the inner workings and workflow of this fantastic open source software. All this work has been done using an i5 dual core machine with 8gb RAM and integrated graphics. I started with Blender 2.5 and a lot has changed since then. PBR material shaders were a new development in 2015-16 and most of my initial experiments were in trying to understanding how they work, not to mention getting a handle on basic modelling / lighting etc. in this new environment. But if your basic fundamentals are strong, software is immaterial. All this work – from modelling to finished renders – was completed in 3 months. This included initiation to blender, understanding the basic interface and its tools, options etc etc. A lot of reading, tutorials and struggles later, I was able to get pretty comfortable with the new environment. Credit and gratitude to all the open source champions / gurus / teachers and resources out there. The Cycles Encyclopaedia is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to really understand node based shaders in Cycles. I do keep myself busy with explorations using ver 3.x. A special shout out to all the tutorial creators who keep the interest and learning possible.