Bounding Box
The Bounding Box is a rectangular box, circumscribed around all vertices of the mesh. Usually, Bounding Box is used for
fast calculations of the physical object’s interaction, for example, collisions.
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Tutorials
Displaying icons with the unknown id in the UI
To display an icon next to a property, text label, or on the operator button in the UI, we need to specify its identifier in the “icon” or “icon_value” parameter. But not all types of icons have their identifiers known in advance. For example, we cannot predefine the icon’s identifiers for procedural textures and materials because they are generated at runtime.
To get the identifier of such a dynamic icon, we can use the “icon” method of the “UILayout” class.
Autocomplete for developing Blender add-ons in the Eclipse IDE
The Eclipse IDE, like PyCharm, and Visual Studio Code, is one of the most popular IDEs for development, including Blender add-ons development. To improve the convenience of developing Blender add-ons in the Eclipse IDE, we can add an autocomplete to it – the code completion for the Blender Python API.
By the Pavel Geraskin tips.
Autocomplete for developing Blender add-ons in the Eclipse IDERead More »
Making subpanels in the UI
The easiest way to split the user interface into several visual groups is to registers several separate panels in the Blender Python API and merge them by setting the same “bl_category” parameter. In this case, we get some arranged vertically panels, which can be independently collapsed and expanded.
Accessing custom attributes created in Geometry Nodes
With Geometry Nodes in Blender is easy to create additional custom attributes for objects and transfer the necessary data to them. However, there is no direct access to such created attributes.
Accessing custom attributes created in Geometry NodesRead More »
Making a copy of an object using the Blender Python API
There are two ways to create a copy of an object in a scene:
- By calling the duplicate operator,
- By using the object’s “copy()” method.
Making a copy of an object using the Blender Python APIRead More »
Selecting scene camera with shortcode
It can be difficult to quickly find and select the scene camera from many other objects in large scenes. However, we can make an operator and assign its call to a hotkey to find the scene camera in a moment.
Delete Geometry Node
Geometry Nodes has a node that allows us to remove required vertices from a mesh. This is the “Delete Geometry” node.
Using UV coordinates for working with mesh geometry
With the coordinates of the UV, we can manipulate not only materials but also the geometry of the mesh itself. We can connect the UV coordinates with the mesh geometry using “Geometry Nodes” in Blender.
Using UV coordinates for working with mesh geometryRead More »
Mixing materials by the UV coordinates
UV coordinates can be used for mixing materials directly on the mesh. This can be useful if, for example, the shape of the mesh is cylindrical or closed or the UV boundaries correspond to the boundaries of the mesh.
Message Bus
In Blender API there is a module that we can use to track the changes of any object’s properties available through the Python API. This module names “Message Bus”.
Let’s look at how we can make an event handler function to track changes to a property. For example – the location of the 3D cursor.
How to arrange objects along a curve without distortion
The simplest way to arrange objects along a curve in Blender is to use two modifiers: “Array” and “Curve”. However, in this case, the object is distorted – its shape adjusts to the shape of the curve. In some cases, for example, when designing curbs or tank tracks, this is undesirable.
There are several ways to arrange objects along a curve without distortion. One of them is to use an intermediate mesh.
How to arrange objects along a curve without distortionRead More »
Setting up the scene environment for convenient retopology
To make our retopology process faster and easier, the scene environment may be slightly adjusted.
First, let’s enable snapping, set “Face” mode, and enable snapping to “Active” in the “Snapping With” section.
Also, check the “Backface Culling” checkbox so that the active retopology points do not magnetize to the backside of the processed mesh.
Setting up the scene environment for convenient retopologyRead More »
Displacement with Geometry Nodes
Let’s look at how we can use displacement with the “Geometry Nodes” in Blender.
First, add a cylinder (with the 0.1 diameters, without upper and lower closing polygons) to the scene: shift+a – Mesh – Cylinder.
Switch to edit mode (tab) and add edges to make the uniform grid: ctrl+r – 100 – Enter.
Ortho lighting
When the scene is lighted with “Spot” or “Point” light sources, the rays from such lamps do not propagate in parallel. This makes noticeable distortion, for example when lighting with textures.
The parallel ray’s propagation (orthogonally to its plane) we can get from the “Sun” lamp, but such light source does not support lightning with textures.
How to calculate the Bounding Sphere for selected objects
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.
How to calculate the Bounding Sphere for selected objectsRead More »
How to install an add-on to Blender
To install a third-party add-on to Blender:
If the add-on is provided as a ZIP archive – don’t unpack it!
Localization of Blender add-ons – with API
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.
Localization of Blender add-ons – classical way
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.
Blender: 100+ modelling tips
A video tutorial with a compilation of over a hundred tips for speed up modeling in Blender.
Using the Molecular add-on in Blender
Working with the Molecular add-on version 1.1.2. in Blender 2.92 tutorial.
Author: Pavel Blend
Vector Displacement
A two-part tutorial on how Vector Displacement works in Blender, how to use it in practice, and how to create geometry using only the Shader Editor nodes.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Autron: Erin Woodford
Another way to add code autocomplete when developing Blender add-ons in Visual Studio Code
To improve the speed and convenience of developing Blender add-ons with Microsoft Visual Studio Code, this IDE can show the code auto-completion for common Blender API types.
This way of adding autocomplete is by Zen3515.
Creating a clock in Blender with nodes
Making a clock in Blender with nodes tutorial. The result is a procedural real-time clock shader.
Author Dr. Blender
Procedural Weathering and Wear
Creating and using procedural erosion and wear shaders in Blender 2.9 tutorial.