Blender 3D: tutorials, articles, tips, notes
If the object you need is located in a hidden collection, it can be difficult to find it in large scenes.
To find out in which collection the desired object is located by its type, we need to execute the following. For example for cameras:
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[(obj.name, obj.users_collection) for obj in bpy.data.objects if obj.type=='CAMERA'] # [('Camera', (bpy.data.collections['camera'],))] |
This code will return a list of cameras and collections in which they are located.
Modules used in Blender scripts and add-ons are located in the same directory as the script or add-on, or in the Blender installation directory by the “blender_version\python\lib\” path. However, it is possible to load a module located elsewhere on the hard drive.
To do this, we need to load the module by its absolute path.
Continue reading “How to import a Python module by the absolute path”
Most often, for quick simplified calculations with the object’s geometry, their Bounding Boxes are used – the minimum parallelepiped into which this object is inscribed. But sometimes the Bounding Sphere – the minimum sphere into which an object can be inscribed – can provide greater accuracy and simplify the calculations. While the location and size of the object’s Bounding Box is available in Blender at once, the Bounding Sphere we need to calculate manually
Let’s write a function that, based on the object list, returns the coordinates of the center of their Bounding Sphere and its radius.
Continue reading “How to calculate the Bounding Sphere for selected objects”
Unfortunately, Blender’s interface does not support word wrapping and multi-line text blocks. Text lines that are too long to be displayed in the panel are cut off. However, multiline text can still be displayed on the panel using several text elements instead of one.
First, let’s create a simple panel in the N-panel of the 3D Viewport window and place a label element with the desired text on it.
Continue reading “Multiline text in Blender interface panels”
Freeze Transform – the Blender 3D add-on that allows you to save the current object transformations, next, move, rotate or scale the object, and then easily return it back to the saved position any time.
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Are you crazy about music? Music can change the mood and talk to you. Listening to music is a favorite hobby and entertainment for most people.
Here is an addon that does the job for you. ‘BMusic Player’ is an addon that takes all the music to one place inside Blender. Plays almost any format like mp3, wav, FLAC, M4A, aac etc. In addition to it, there will be detailed documentation about the addon and you can check it here.
BMusic Player v1.0.1 (Initial Release)
Key Features:
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Finally feel the music…!
Cameras in Blender are always defined by two FOV angles – vertical and horizontal.
One of these angles is always set by the user through the camera parameter – Feild of View (or a combination of the Focal Length and Sensor Width parameters).
Continue reading “Vertical and horizontal camera FOV angles”
Swords Constructor – the Blender 3D graphical editor add-on for easily creating different variations of swords and sword-like objects from a set of library elements and quickly manage their configuration.
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To manipulate object transformations with matrices, Blender includes the “mathutils” module in which the “Matrix” class is defined. With this class, you can simply create the necessary transformation matrices – translation, rotation, and scale.
The following command is used to create a scale matrix:
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from mathutils import Matrix scale_matrix = Matrix.Scale(SCALE_VALUE, MATRIX_SIZE, AXIS) |
The classic way of localizing a Blender add-on (translating it into different languages) is convenient because requires just a single Blender Python API call – to get the currently used locale. This way is maximum universal, but Blender would not be Blender if it did not provide users an ability to localize add-ons through its own API.
The principle of creating multilingual add-ons using the Blender Python API is not much different from the classical one – we need to create a dictionary with all the variants of translations for all text strings from our add-on and use this dictionary in the localization.
Continue reading “Localization of Blender add-ons – with API”
When referring to the mesh geometry – its vertices, edges, and polygons, Blender operates with the original data without the usage of modifiers added to the object.
For example, the number of vertices of the active object, we can get with the following command:
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len(bpy.context.active_object.data.vertices) |
And it will be returned without considering the object’s Subdivision modifier, which modifies the mesh’s geometry, increasing it.
Blender add-on “Save Selected” updated to v. 1.0.2.
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In order to navigate to an URL-address from Blender – to open the required address in the browser, we can use the system operator “wm.url_open”.
To demonstrate this let’s create a simple tab in the N-panel with a single button, by clicking on which the required page will be opened in the browser.
Continue reading “How to make an url button in Blender interface”
Blender add-on “Specification sheet” updated to v. 1.1.0.
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To have the access to the current context, for example, to work with operators, and to the scene data, for example, to work with meshes, we use two predefined structures from the Blender Python API: “bpy.context” and “bpy.data”.
For example, we can pass them to a function:
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import bpy def my_func(context, scene_data): print(context, scene_data) my_func( context=bpy.context, scene_data=bpy.data ) # <bpy_struct, Context at 0x00000000050EF568> <bpy_struct, BlendData at 0x0000000007FA6408> |
However, in the “bpy.context” structure there is a “blend_data” pointer that links to the scene data. With this pointer, we can access scene data without passing it separately and explicitly.
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import bpy def my_func(context): print(context, context.blend_data) my_func( context=bpy.context, ) # <bpy_struct, Context at 0x00000000050EF568> <bpy_struct, BlendData at 0x0000000007FA6408> |
Blender add-on “TimeMe” v.1.3.0 update.
In Blender, we can select and deselect mesh vertices through the “select” property for each vertex.
However, to deselect a vertex, it is not enough to set it’s “select” property to “False”
Blender add-on “Save Selected” updated to v. 1.0.1.
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If you want your add-on to be available for all Blender users around the world, you need to make the localization – translation of its interface into different languages.
The simplest way to make your add-on multilingual is the classic way, it is used in many other programs and requires the minimal usage of the Blender Python API.
Continue reading “Localization of Blender add-ons – classical way”
We can delete collections in Blender through the “collections” list in “bpy.data”.
To remove a collection we need to use the “remove” method from the collections list, specifying the collection to be removed in the parameter:
Continue reading “Removing collections through the Blender Python API”
Blender add-on “Area Switcher” updated to v. 1.1.0.
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We can assign constraints to objects through the object “constraints” property.
To add a constraint to the currently active object, we need to create a new constraint in the object’s “constraints” list, specifying its type in the parameters:
Continue reading “How to add a constraint to the object with Blender Python API”
Blender add-on “EEVEE Materials Override” updated to v. 1.3.0.
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Gumroad |
