Python

How to check what version of Python interpreter is used in Blender

To find what Python interpreter version is used in current Blender version type the following commands in Python Console window in Blender:

It means that the version of Python used in Blender is 3.7.0.

To make it more readable type the following command:

or with full info:

Porting add-on from Blender 2.7 to Blender 2.8

In the latest version 2.8 of Blender developers have made many changes in API, so all the scripts and add-ons written for earlier Blender versions (2.7 and below) have stopped working. To run your add-ons in the new Blender 2.8, you need to port them – correct their code to work properly with the new Blender API.

To enable your add-on in Blender 2.80 you have to make the following changes in code:

Using Microsoft Visual Studio Code as external IDE for writing Blender scripts/add-ons

Blender has its own built-in text editor for writing scripts and add-ons, but it’s much convenient to develop them in external IDEs that provide the user with more features such as autocomplete, syntax highlighting, integration with version control systems and other tools that make development faster and easier.

One of these IDEs is Visual Studio Code from Microsoft. This is a free universal environment that supports development with various programming languages, including the Blender API language – Python.

How to check if Blender object property/attribute is read-only

To check is an attribute/property of any Blender object (mesh, node, modifier, etc.) read-only:

  1. With the is_property_readonly function, execute the following command:

<object> .is_property_readonly (‘<property name>’)

  1. Through the rna structure, execute the following command:

<object> .bl_rna.properties [‘<property name>’]. is_readonly

For example, for the “is_editmode” mesh property (is the mesh in edit mode or not):

How to get the version of the add-on installed in Blender

A complete list of add-ons installed in Blender we can get using the addon_utils:

Having the add-ons list, we can get the version of the desired add-on by its name with the following code:

Where the ADD-ON_NAME is the name of the desired add-on.

If the add-on is missing a version indication, the default result will be returned.

 

How to programmatically switch between vertex, edge and face selection mode

Change the mesh_select_mode property to switch in mesh edit mode between vertex, edge and polygon selection mode in Blender.

For vertex selection mode:

Edge selection mode:

And face selection mode:

The multi-select mode is enabled too. For example for vertex and face selection mode:

In BMesh for vertex, edge and face selection mode:

For multi-select in BMesh:

 

Learning loops

In general, the “loop” is usually a sequential selection of several points, edges or polygons of a mesh.

However, there is an element in the mesh structure, which is also called a “loop”. It is a combination of one vertex with one edge of the mesh. Let’s try to learn what these “loops” are for.

How to pass command line arguments to a Blender python script or add-on

When starting Blender from the console it processes all parameters passed through the command line. However, some scripts and add-ons for proper work may require specifying their unique command line arguments. If you specify such additional parameters in the command line, Blender will also try to process them, which is likely to result in an error. Blender provides a special way to exclude such arguments from own processing.

Creating radio buttons in the Blender add-ons interface

State switches so-called “radio buttons” are used in the case to limit the choice by one value from several available ones. There are a lot of such buttons in the Blender interface, for example, switching between RGB and BW rendering modes or setting the texture mapping mode. Such buttons can be created in the Blender add-ons interface too.

Let’s create our own radio button switcher.

How to programmatically check if the operator is registered in Blender API

Single add-on or script can contain several different operators, and not all of them may be registered in the API by the register() function. To verify that the required operator is registered in the Blender API, run the following command:

Where:

_operator_bl_idname_ – the text value of the bl_idname operator property.

For example for an operator:

the command will look like this: