Disorientation in the 3D View

Blender's 3D View allows you to see any part of your scene from just about every possible angle. However, many new users and users migrating from other 3D software packages find that they very easily become disoriented. Models flip upside down, and they find the whole thing very difficult to control.

The reason for this disorientation is because, by default, Blender uses an orbiting style in the 3D View known as Trackball. It's extremely flexible; when I'm modeling, I personally enjoy having the freedom that the Trackball style provides for orbiting my view to any arbitrary, off-the-wall angle. However, if you're not used to this behavior, I admit that it can be frustrating to use.

Fortunately, Blender offers a Turntable orbit style that's much more like the orbiting style featured in other 3D software, and it's often less disorienting for new users. To switch to the Turntable orbit style, go to Blender's User Preferences (Ctrl+Alt+U) and look in the Input section. On the left side, under the label of Orbit Style, is a pair of buttons. By default, the Trackball button should be activated. Left-click the Turntable button to switch orbit styles. If you find that you prefer the Turntable style over Trackball, left-click the Save As Default button at the bottom of User Preferences and that setting will persist each time you start Blender.