Modeling with curves (coming from C4D)

I’m learning Blender, coming from some basic experience with Cinema 4D. C4D leans heavily on spline-based modeling, and I’m trying to transfer those skills into Blender’s curves when appropriate — e.g., revolving a profile to create a vase, or sweeping a curve along another curve to create, say, a molding on a wall.
I’m having trouble understanding the intricacies of curves in Blender, though, and coming up short on documentation and tutorials. For instance:

  • The role of normals and how to manipulate them.
  • Working with Bezier curves feels really cumbersome vs. Illustrator.
  • But SVG import from Illustrator seems to result in a different sort of curve and lacks normals.
  • Extruding one curve along another can sometimes result in the sort of artifacts I’d expect from overlapping polygons.
  • 2D vs. 3D curves.

I’m not necessarily looking for answers to each of these, so much as a good, comprehensive intro to curve modeling (and an understanding of how I should shift my philosophy from C4D). Any suggestions?
Thanks!

for revolving things use the spin tool

for curves doc see wiki pages should give most of the features

2D curves can have faces 3D don’t

should give more specific examples of problems!

happy bl

Or for non destructive spin modelling the screw modifier. Blender is primarily a polygon modelling with curves tacked on so don’t expect everything to transfer across from one application to another.

They have limitations but used as helper objects for deforms, as guides, for importing, and with profiles they’re quite usable for modeling certain kinds of forms.

http://getblended.org/2012/07/modelling-with-curves/