text:
Set image texture node label based upon characters in filename/filepath string
I want to import a set of 4 images. Upon import, I want to rename the image texture node that is created for each imported image to represent the type of image that is being loaded, i.e. (Diffuse, Normal, Spec, Roughness). How do I pass the filepath/filename of the image I am importing as a string, tell the script to look for certain characters in the passed string (COL, NRM, SPEC, ROUGH) and rename based upon the returned characters?
I would assume I can complete the rename function by using if-else statements. Any help or examples you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
The script below creates a new node category, places a custom node inside of it to import pbr textures, and allows you to import multiple import multiple images at one time into the node editor. I am looking to expand this script to include the functionality I have mentioned above.
Here is the working code:
import bpy
from bpy.types import NodeTree, Node, NodeSocket
import bpy, blf, bgl
from bpy.types import Operator, Panel, Menu
from bpy.props import FloatProperty, EnumProperty, BoolProperty, IntProperty, StringProperty, FloatVectorProperty, CollectionProperty
from bpy_extras.io_utils import ImportHelper
from mathutils import Vector
from math import cos, sin, pi, hypot
from os import path
from glob import glob
from copy import copy

def node_mid_pt(node, axis):
    if axis == 'x':
        d = node.location.x + (node.dimensions.x / 2)
    elif axis == 'y':
        d = node.location.y - (node.dimensions.y / 2)
    else:
        d = 0
    return d

def get_nodes_links(context):
    space = context.space_data
    tree = space.node_tree
    nodes = tree.nodes
    links = tree.links
    active = nodes.active
    context_active = context.active_node
    # check if we are working on regular node tree or node group is currently edited.
    # if group is edited - active node of space_tree is the group
    # if context.active_node != space active node - it means that the group is being edited.
    # in such case we set "nodes" to be nodes of this group, "links" to be links of this group
    # if context.active_node == space.active_node it means that we are not currently editing group
    is_main_tree = True
    if active:
        is_main_tree = context_active == active
    if not is_main_tree:  # if group is currently edited
        tree = active.node_tree
        nodes = tree.nodes
        links = tree.links

    return nodes, links

# Implementation of custom nodes from Python
# Derived from the NodeTree base type, similar to Menu, Operator, Panel, etc.
class MyCustomTree(NodeTree):
    bl_idname = "CustomTreeType"
    bl_label = "Custom Node Tree"
    bl_icon = "NODE"

# Defines a poll function to enable filtering for various node tree types.
class MyCustomTreeNode:
    @classmethod
    def poll(cls, ntree):
        b = False
        # Make your node appear in different node trees by adding their bl_idname type here.
        if ntree.bl_idname == 'ShaderNodeTree': b = True
        return b

# Derived from the Node base type.
class MyCustomNode(Node, MyCustomTreeNode):
    '''A custom node'''
    bl_idname = 'CustomNodeType'
    bl_label = 'Import PBR Textures'
    bl_icon = 'NODETREE'

    # Additional buttons displayed on the node.
    def draw_buttons(self, context, layout):
        layout.operator("node.nw_add_multiple_images", text="Select Images")

    # Optional: custom label
    # Explicit user label overrides this, but here we can define a label dynamically.
    def draw_label(self):
        return "Import PBR Textures"

class NWAddMultipleImages(Operator, ImportHelper):
    """Add multiple images at once"""
    bl_idname = "node.nw_add_multiple_images"
    bl_icon = 'NODETREE'
    bl_label = 'Open Selected Images'
    bl_options = {'REGISTER', 'UNDO'}
    directory = StringProperty(subtype="DIR_PATH")
    files = CollectionProperty(type=bpy.types.OperatorFileListElement, options={'HIDDEN', 'SKIP_SAVE'})

    def execute(self, context):
        nodes, links = get_nodes_links(context)
        nodes_list = [node for node in nodes]
        if nodes_list:
            nodes_list.sort(key=lambda k: k.location.x)
            xloc = nodes_list[0].location.x - 220  # place new nodes at far left
            yloc = 0
            for node in nodes:
                node.select = False
                yloc += node_mid_pt(node, 'y')
            yloc = yloc/len(nodes)
        else:
            xloc = 0
            yloc = 0

        if context.space_data.node_tree.type == 'SHADER':
            node_type = "ShaderNodeTexImage"
        elif context.space_data.node_tree.type == 'COMPOSITING':
            node_type = "CompositorNodeImage"
        else:
            self.report({'ERROR'}, "Unsupported Node Tree type!")
            return {'CANCELLED'}

        new_nodes = []
        for f in self.files:
            fname = f.name

            node = nodes.new(node_type)
            new_nodes.append(node)
            node.label = fname
            node.hide = True
            node.width_hidden = 100
            node.location.x = xloc
            node.location.y = yloc
            yloc -= 40

            img = bpy.data.images.load(self.directory+fname)
            node.image = img

        # shift new nodes up to center of tree
        list_size = new_nodes[0].location.y - new_nodes[-1].location.y
        for node in new_nodes:
            node.select = True
            node.location.y += (list_size/2)
        return {'FINISHED'}

### Node Categories ###
import nodeitems_utils
from nodeitems_utils import NodeCategory, NodeItem

# our own base class with an appropriate poll function,
# so the categories only show up in our target tree type
class MyNodeCategory(NodeCategory):
    @classmethod
    def poll(cls, context):
        b = False
        # Make your node appear in different node trees by adding their bl_idname type here.
        if context.space_data.tree_type == 'ShaderNodeTree': b = True
        return b

# all categories in a list
node_categories = [
    # identifier, label, items list
    MyNodeCategory("SOMENODES", "Import", items=[
        NodeItem("CustomNodeType"),
        #NodeItem("node.nw_add_multiple_images"),
        ]),
    ]

#def multipleimages_menu_func(self, context):
    #col = self.layout.column(align=True)
    #col.operator(NWAddMultipleImages.bl_idname, text="Import PBR")
    #col.separator()

def register():
    bpy.utils.register_class(MyCustomNode)
    nodeitems_utils.register_node_categories("CUSTOM_NODES", node_categories)

    #bpy.types.NODE_MT_category_SH_NEW_TEXTURE.prepend(multipleimages_menu_func)
    #bpy.types.NODE_PT_category_SH_NEW_TEXTURE.prepend(multipleimages_menu_func)
    #bpy.types.NODE_MT_category_CMP_INPUT.prepend(multipleimages_menu_func)
    #bpy.types.NODE_PT_category_CMP_INPUT.prepend(multipleimages_menu_func)

    bpy.utils.register_module(__name__)

def unregister():
    nodeitems_utils.unregister_node_categories("CUSTOM_NODES")
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(MyCustomNode)

    #bpy.types.NODE_MT_category_SH_NEW_TEXTURE.remove(multipleimages_menu_func)
    #bpy.types.NODE_PT_category_SH_NEW_TEXTURE.remove(multipleimages_menu_func)
    #bpy.types.NODE_MT_category_CMP_INPUT.remove(multipleimages_menu_func)
    #bpy.types.NODE_PT_category_CMP_INPUT.remove(multipleimages_menu_func)

    bpy.utils.unregister_module(__name__)

def pre_frame_change(scene):
    if scene.render.engine == 'CYCLES':
        # Scan materials to see if I have a custom node within any of the trees.
        for m in bpy.data.materials:
            if m.node_tree != None:
                for n in m.node_tree.nodes:
                    if n.bl_idname == 'CustomNodeType':
                        print(n.bl_idname)
                        # One of our custom nodes, let's update it.
                        # When we set the value that will trigger an update inside the node.
                        # Even if we change it to the same value it was.
                        v = n.some_value
                        n.some_value = v

if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()
    bpy.app.handlers.frame_change_pre.append(pre_frame_change)

Okay, I'm taking a look at this really fast... Why do you need to create a node to import image texture nodes? Can't you just import from the Import  PBR Textures operator you created in the toolshelf? Also, you are importing things like bgl and blf, which you don't need.

So in order to scan a filename and return a string based on what is found, you need to create a function similar to this
def get_label_from_filename(filename):
    # Here we anticipate what kind of map names users might use. For example COL, COLOR, DIF, DIFFUSE, etc all mean the same thing
    # To add another category (say reflection) then do this 'reflection':["ref", "reflect", "reflection"]
    # The list of synonyms can be as large as you want!
    map_names = {'diffuse':["col", "color", "colour", "dif", "diffuse"]}

    # Strip the extension and lowercase
    filename = path.splitext(filename)[0].lower()

    original = filename

    # We will iterate over the dictionary and then over each of the
    for key, synonyms in map_names.items():
        for s in synonyms:
            if s in filename:
                filename = key.upper() # You could fill map_names with the uppercase version, but I find typing in lowercase easier

    # If the filename remained the same, let the user know the image wasn't named correctly
    if filename == original:
        filename = "UNRECOGNIZED TYPE"

    return filename

Then call the function right after you load the image in your operator. Then you can set node.label = get_label_from_filename().
I have commented the code, but here are some more detailed explanations of the more confusing parts.
map_names = {'diffuse':["col", "color", "colour", "dif", "diffuse"]}
This is a dictionary. It holds key-value pairs. You can add more to this by creating a new key, and pairing it with a list. The reason we are using a dictionary is because it allows us to have a single variable to reference when iterating through it later. You could create separate variables for each list, but that would be a bit more cumbersome to code.
for key, synonyms in map_names.items():
We assign the variable key and the variable synonyms to the key-value pairs found in map_names. We are required to call .items() when iterating over the dictionary. The next layer in the loop iterates over the synonym list for each key. Then if the synonym is found in the filename, we set the filename to the key in uppercase.
Now, this isn't the only way to do this. And this system is very user-dependent. If the user is too lazy to name the textures, this method will not work.


text:
Enum Property callback forces scene update
I have an enum property and a callback function defined like so:
def asset_callback(scene, context):

    # Function that return properly formatted list of items
    items = get_assets()

    return items

class PipelineProperties(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):

    asset_categories = bpy.props.EnumProperty(
        name="Asset Categories",
        description="Categories for Project Specific Assets",
        items=asset_callback
    )

Setting up my Enum Property with a function meant to generate a dynamic list and populate the enum with this list, forces scene update continuously. I only want this function to run once, and then I plan on using a persistent handler bpy.app.handlers.load_post, only execute the callback after the file is loaded.
Is there a way around the forced scene update trigger on the callback function for an EnumProperty?

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
Enum Property Error: expected a string enum, not tuple
I'm writing an addon that generates a list of categories that I want to set in an enum property. The enum property is defined as such:
class PipelineProperties(bpy.types.PropertyGroup):
    asset_categories = bpy.props.EnumProperty(
        name="Asset Categories",
        description="Categories for Project Specific Assets",
        items=[
            ('init', 'init', 'test', 0)
        ]
    )

def register():
    bpy.types.Scene.pipe = bpy.props.PointerProperty(name='Pipeline Properties', type=PipelineProperties)
    bpy.utils.register_module(__name__)

def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_module(__name__)
    del bpy.types.Scene.pipe

The enum property is accessed by:
bpy.context.scene.pipe.asset_categories

Here is the code where I assign a new value to this enum property:
scn = bpy.context.scene
scn.pipe.asset_categories = bpy.props.EnumProperty(
            name='Asset Categories',
            description='Testing',
            items=[('new', 'new', 'test value', 0)]
        )

Here is the error message:
scn.pipe.asset_categories = bpy.props.EnumProperty(as_name_list)
TypeError: bpy_struct: item.attr = val: expected a string enum, not tuple

What is this error and why am I getting it? How would I go about setting the value of the enum property I have defined to something else?

You are attempting to assign a property definition as a property value:
scn.pipe.asset_categories = bpy.props.EnumProperty(...)

Should be:
scn.pipe.asset_categories = 'new'

Or, if you actually want to change the definition, uou must manipulate the type instead of it's instance:
del bpy.types.Scene.pipe
bpy.types.Scene.pipe = bpy.props.EnumProperty(...)

Where ... are all the enum arguments

What if I have a long list of these different categories? Say for example 'new, blue, true', and I want the enum property to hold all of these new values?

@lvxejay please ask a separate question for that (its not closely related to this one)

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Register a Persistent Handler in Addon
I have an addon with various modules and submodules. One of these submodules is specifically for handlers. When testing my addon, I noticed that whenever I installed and loaded the addon, the handler within my handler module would not register. How do I register a persistent handler as part of a submodule in an addon? And, how do I make sure that the handler is only registered once, and unregistered if the addon is removed?
import bpy
import os
from bpy.app.handlers import persistent

@persistent
def my_load_handler(dummy):
    print("Load Handler:", bpy.data.filepath)

def register():
    bpy.app.handlers.load_post.append(my_load_handler)

def unregister():
    bpy.app.handlers.load_post.remove(my_load_handler)

Why not call register() from the other module?

Blender only calls register() and unregister() on the top-level module, i.e. the file that has the bl_info dict in it. You're responsible for calling things on your submodules.
You could be importing a module that handles registration on something wildly different. For example, a register() function in some submodule could register a new user here on Stack Overflow. Blender doesn't know which function does which, and thus only calls that one top-level register() function.


text:
Blender Read Only Properties
Is there a way to check whether or not a Blender RNA or ID property is "Read-only" in python?

The property itself will have an is_readonly property.
Test code run in the py console.
>>> for prop in C.object.bl_rna.properties:
...     if prop.is_readonly:
...         print("%s (%s)" % (prop.name, prop.identifier))
...
RNA (rna_type)
Users (users)
Is Updated (is_updated)
Is Updated Data (is_updated_data)
Is Indirect (is_library_indirect)
Library (library)
Preview (preview)
Type (type)
Mode (mode)
Local View Layers (layers_local_view)
Bounding Box (bound_box)
Proxy (proxy)
Proxy Group (proxy_group)
Material Slots (material_slots)
Modifiers (modifiers)
Constraints (constraints)

Not sure you can make custom ID properties ( eg obj["prop"]) read only.

Yes indeed there is. Here's a very simple example using a World datablock and the .is_property_readonly(*property*) function.
import bpy
scn = bpy.context.scene
wld = scn.world
for a_prop in wld.keys():
    if wld.is_property_readonly(a_prop) is True:
        print("The property, %s, is 'Read-Only'" % a_prop)

This code would produce the following output:
The property, cycles, is 'Read-Only'
The property, cycles_visibility, is 'Read-Only'

The function .is_property_readonly(*property*) will output a boolean value, either True or False.


text:
Change or update audio start with video texture start frame
I am looking for a way to link the video texture start frame with the audio start frame in the video sequencer.
My intention is as follows

Import multiple movies as Image plane in Blender
Then import the respective audio track in blender video sequencer. Align the audio track by matching the start frame in the video texture and video sequencer. This is a manual process. But I am ok with it. I am not sure how to link the start frame of video with the start frame of audio. - This is what I need.
Then animate camera pan and zoom and update the video start texture according to the animation manually.
Then I expect the audio start frame to be adjusted automatically - This is what I want to happen

I searched google and found that drivers in blender can be used for these purposes. But soon realized that there are no drivers for both the options. I also tried to create a custom property. But had no success.
Please suggest

Maybe related? http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/47804/access-audio-strips-sample-data-in-python-for-a-cross-correlation

Here is a workaround solution
A custom property, named "audio" is added to the movie texture, with a value of the soundstrip name.  Every time the script is run it updates the audio strip, pointed to by the audio key, to have the same frame_start as the tex.
import bpy

context = bpy.context
scene = context.scene
sequences = scene.sequence_editor.sequences_all
# all the textures with audio custom prop
textures = [t for t in bpy.data.textures if "audio" in t.keys()]

for t in textures:
    audio_strip = sequences.get(t["audio"])
    if audio_strip:
        audio_strip.frame_start = t.image_user.frame_start

That works for me. Brilliant

I am now trying to use the texture path to load the audio from the same video and do the same.

Thanks a lot for this. Its a good start for me to learn some Python coding in Blender.


text:
How to render turntable of .obj file
I am new to blender. I have a .obj file that I need a rendered turntable of (meaning I need to spin the obj and render a frame every 10 degrees or so). Importing the .obj file works fine. However, I cannot even add a camera to the scene. I am trying this:
cam = bpy.data.cameras.new("Camera")
cam_ob = bpy.data.objects.new("Camera", cam)
bpy.context.scene.objects.link(cam_ob)
bpy.context.scene.objects.active = bpy.context.scene.objects["Camera"]

I also tried this:
bpy.ops.object.camera_add(view_align=False, enter_editmode=False, location=(0.0, 0.0, -4.0), rotation=(0.0, 0.0, 0.0))

but when I run
bpy.ops.render.render()

It says
ERROR: Cannot render, no camera

What's the correct way of doing this, and what's the best way of repeatedly rendering the .obj while spinning it?
Thank you.

Do you really need to automate the process with python? How will you make sure the camera is the right distance from the camera so it's framed well without checking it manually?

Another script earlier in the pipeline calculates the bounding box and orients the obj file so that the sizes and shapes are pretty consistent. I'm pretty sure that after trying out a few camera positions, I'll find one that works well with everything. Yes, this needs to be automated because it's running on a headless server.

Upvoted for you :) But please accept the answer, if mont29 has solved your issue.

Oh ok didn't know I was supposed to do that. Thanks!

You need to specify the new camera as the active one for the scene, before rendering, like this:
bpy.context.scene.camera = cam_ob

To rotate an object around its Z axis, just do:
from mathutils import radians
my_obj.rotation_euler.rotate_axis('Z', radians(10))

Thanks! I don't have enough rep to upvote but it works now.


text:
How can I offset the start of a fluid simulation
How should I offset the start of a blender fluid simulation? I have a short video with different cameras at different points, and I only want 1 fluid simulation at a time. Adjusting the start / stop times did not help, and the fluid simulation type cannot be keyframed. How should I get about to doing this?

You should use the offset field in the domain's settings:

What you would normally want is a negative offset. For example, if the camera switches at frame #240 (10 seconds at 24fps), the offset should be -240. Blender will skip the first 240 frames. It only starts doing the simulation at frame 240.
Here is an example of an offset at frame 350 (60fps):
Frame #349:

Frame #350


text:
How to import .anm, .anim or .dae_anim files into Blender?
Is there a way to import .anm, .anim or .dae_anim files into Blender and/or convert them to armature actions?
I've imported the .dae (collada) rigged model, but it contains only a single armature action.

Although there are many other animation actions included in downloaded file, which I have no idea how to import to blender.

Hope somebody has the experience with this and help me. Thanks in advance.

Can that help ? https://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Phabtar/Full_COLLADA_Animation_Support_for_Blender


text:
Clipping border doesn't work properly
I'm doing a retopology of an object, which has vertical cracks. I used a clipping border (Alt+B) to display only one half of the mesh and tried to retopologize the crack, but all the vertices are snapping in a wrong way. How to fix it?

Not really a solution, more of a workaround, but maybe separate the mesh parts into multiple objects, and isolate with Local View?

Interesting situation. As I tested it snaps vertices to the opposite side of the mesh because it remains visible inside of Clipping Border while mouse with vertex is hovered over that area. Although I couldn't get that behaviour, maybe it's worth trying to hide everything but selection (Shift+H) ?

Thanks for suggestions guys. I changed the snap element type to Vertex and it works (dunno why it doesn't for a Face type). It's not as precise though- maybe I should report it as a bug?

You got "Snap during transform" enabled (magnet icon) and when you're moving vertices with "G" it snaps them to the nearest surface (cause you have also Face as the type of element to snap to enabled) As this are edge vertices, and you're doing it from considerable distance, it snaps not to the edge faces but to back faces. I would suggest you to try disable first one and snap vertices with CTRL. It would also be helpful to decrease distance to increase accuracy or hide back faces of high poly model to avoid snapping to the wrong ones. You could do it with mask modifier for example.Options, which I'm talking about are selected in the image.

Thanks for suggestions man. Tried to snap with Ctrl as you mentioned but it doesn't work. I changed the snap element type to Vertex and it's working nice now, however it's not the full solution I wanted. Thanks anyway.


text:
How to change the shadow color in Blender Cycles?
I want to change the color of the shadow casting by a cube to green. While it's very easy to do it in Blender Internal (you select the lamp, go to the Lamp data header and change the shadow's color in the Shadow panel) in Cycles there're no such options. How to achieve it in Cycles?

With the Cycles renderer enabled select the cube, give it a new material and set the material nodes as pictured below. Use the Is Camera Ray of the Light Path node as a factor for mixing the Diffuse and Transparent nodes (Is Shadow Ray works good as well).

Change the Hue, Saturation and Value values of the Transparent shader to change the shadow's color, intensity and transparency.

Here's the animated test using the changes mentioned above:

Shadow ray is the proper way to do this as camera ray will color reflections as well which will be noticeable in more complex scenes.

This doesn't seem to work when the shadow is cast on a shadow catcher, is there a workaround for that?

This doesn't work with the self-cast shadows

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
How to create faces/edges from vertices/points?
I can easily delete the faces and edges using delete only edges & faces option. It would be nice to have the possibility to reverse this operation.

Is there a way to create an universal script that may automatically create the faces/edges from vertices/points? This is easy when the vertices are conected with edges- you can use a Fill Holes option, but for vertices/points only it doesn't work. Similar question was asked before  (Create model from XYZ data points) but it is focused on a defined case. Is there a way to create the script that will join vertices/points for any object (like in photogrammetry)?

Is there any cues that the script can use the regenerate the faces? I mean,  if the set of vertices is the only information, there are too many possible answers.

I think @Allosteric brought in a good topic. Are you considering things like vertices index, normals,... everithing lost or inconsistent but the location? If this is the case, it's a point cloud meshing problem (https://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?241950-A-Script-to-Skin-a-Point-Cloud-(for-Blender-2-6x-or-Later)) (https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/7028/wrapping-a-mesh-around-point-cloud-with-cavities)

@Carlo Thanks for the links! Point Cloud Skinner seems to be a thing I need. I asked this question because I want to make meshes from particles. I want to emit particles from object, convert it to vertices and then to meshes. I want to test a retopology posibilities of this method plus it may be helpful for morphing objects (imagine you can generate the same amount of evenly distributed particles for two objects with different vertex count and then convert them to meshes- it'll alow you to morph objects easily using shape keys).


text:
How to set the Physics Type?
I have created a plane and I need to set the Physics Type of the object to NAVIGATION_MESH. I cant figure out, how I should do that. Below is the python script for generating this mesh and setting physics type but unfortunately its not working.
import bpy, mathutils

def create_custom_mesh(objname):
  # Define arrays for holding data
  myvertex = []
  myfaces = []
  zcord = 11.83068 # Constant Z Coordinate

  # vertex 0
  mypoint = [(-4.64863, -4.80997, zcord)]
  myvertex.extend(mypoint)
  # vertex 1
  mypoint = [(-4.02263, -4.80997, zcord)]
  myvertex.extend(mypoint)
  # vertex 2
  mypoint = [(-4.64863, -4.18397, zcord)]
  myvertex.extend(mypoint)
  # vertex 3
  mypoint = [(-4.02263, -4.18397, zcord)]
  myvertex.extend(mypoint)

  myface = [(0, 1, 3, 2)]
  myfaces.extend(myface)
  # Create mesh data
  mymesh = bpy.data.meshes.new(objname)
  # Create object
  myobject = bpy.data.objects.new(objname, mymesh)

  # Link object to scene
  bpy.context.scene.objects.link(myobject)
  # Generate mesh data
  mymesh.from_pydata(myvertex, [], myfaces)
  # Calculate the edges
  mymesh.update(calc_edges=True)
  return myobject

create_custom_mesh("route_plane")
bpy.data.objects['route_plane'].select = True
bpy.data.objects['route_plane'].game.physics_type == 'NAVIGATION_MESH'
print("---------------------------------------------")

What am I making wrong here, cause the object 'route_plane' gets created and being placed at the correct location in the scene but physics type is never set. I need to set the "Navigation Mesh" physics type on an existing object, like 'route_plane' (as in the above code). I can not generate the navigation mesh via the relevant button in the scene properties using GUI.
Please help me, thanks in advance !

The enum for a navigation mesh is 'NAVMESH' not 'NAVIGATION_MESH'.  The python console is your friend here.
>>> C.object.game.physics_type = 'SOMETHING_WRONG'
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<blender_console>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: bpy_struct: item.attr = val: enum "SOMETHING_WRONG" not found in ('NO_COLLISION', 'STATIC', 'DYNAMIC', 'RIGID_BODY', 'SOFT_BODY', 'OCCLUDER', 'SENSOR', 'NAVMESH', 'CHARACTER')

You weren't getting an error because you had the double equals == which is a boolean test
game.physics_type == 'NAVIGATION_MESH'

Which will equate to False, more commonly I make the mistake of one equals, if (x=y) lol.

I dont know why I make such stupid mistakes (double equals '=='), but anyway that fixed my problem, with the enum. I owe you a drink man !! Thanks a lot.


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Rendered image showing grains
So I've increased the resolution of my image. Yet it is still showing grains in some areas. In the picture you can see that there are parts where this white grains suddenly flood up certain areas. I can't get rid of them. What could be some possible solutions?

Possible duplicate of How to avoid noisy renders in Cycles?


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Skeletal animation for multiple meshes
I was wondering how do you make one full body armature, animate it and then apply it to different humanoid character. Currently I am working on several characters that will feature the same movements so I was looking for a way to do one skeletal armature and apply it to different rigs, that way I won't need to do the animations for each character. I've heard about the motion capture files that can be applied to already rigged characters however I was looking for a more personalized way of doing this by myself, if there are add-ons that can help me do that I'll appreciate the information a lot.
P.S. I'm new to do this so please no hate.

Every animation you do will create a - so called - "action" which is a datablock that can be transfered to any other rig. All the bones involved must share exactly the same names.
To understand the thing, try create a simple rig from scratch, parent it with a simple mesh, Shift D duplicate both object and armature and move the new obj-rig away from the original position.
create an animation of the first rig-object;
select the second rig, go to pose mode, open a dope-sheet window, in the header change the drop down menu from "dopesheet" to "action"; change the dropdown menu from "new" (2nd rig has no actions, by now) to the only one you have created.
Now, moving the timeline, both objects move together, as they share the same action and the same bone names.
Note that the action is referred to the local space of the object, so, if the 2 object have different positions, they will move as twins, in their respective position.
The same you can apply with complex models and rigs, if they share the same bone names.


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Add ons for videogame development
I am currently building the assets for a video game using blender; however I will like to start implementing add-ons that would make the task of creating all the assets much faster and easier.
In this case I really need for procedural generation, uv unwrapping, animation and texturing.
What are some of the best add-ons that can be implemented? both general and specific. User experience feedback will be greatly appreciated.

This kind of question is too huge for a specific answer . . . My advice is: http://blenderartists.org/forum/ and http://polycount.com/categories helped me a lot, with Blender Stack Exchange, to understand whis world. Take a look

Dark Blender is a modified Blender Build specifically for Game Asset Creation. You can find it's download link and BlenderArtists thread here.


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boolean modifier leaves cutting edge on face
I have 2 cylinders where I make a difference with boolean modifier.
After applying, I see in the Edit mode that there are 2 edges connecting the outsite with the inside. Is there a way to avoid this or to join the separate faces?

thanks

Title sounds painful.

If you want to convert that Ngon into quads delete it and use Ctrl+E > Bridge Edge Loops; it should work nicely if amount of vertices is the same.

However you can use more convenient way in order to construct cylinder like on your screenshot.

Start with simple cylinder, select its top and bottom faces (Ngons) and  inset them. Press I and drag the mouse to change effect.
With both Ngons still selected use Bridge Edge Loops.

No, you cannot keep the Boolean Modifier from behaving like this ;-)


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Fake user in UV Editor. What is it for?
I wonder what is the Fake User in UV Editor for. Since I know you can't restore the render result after closing Blender (without saving). Any ideas?

Why is it there?
It's basically because of Object Oriented Programming. In OOP, for matter of coding efficiency, you tend to create sub-classes of classes to re-use some or all of their properties. Since Image Textures and the Render Result slot derive from the same parent class, they inherit all those properties. The fake user property is already part of the parent, so there is actually no way for the child class NOT to have it.
Keep in mind that you're not setting a fake user on the render result itself, but on the datablock displaying it. Think of it as a container. This container inherits from ID, which holds the use_fake_user property.
How could it make sense?
Well, there is a case where you can make use of it. The Render Result slot isn't just the pixels, it's a whole datablock with properties attatched. One of those properties is a Render Slot name per slot. If you set the fake user, names you give to render slots will be preserved upon file save. In the example below, I created a render slot named Demo. When saving and reloading, the named slot is kept. If you don't set a fake user, you lose that data.

As I am aware of, there is no benefit in marking a render result as fake user, as rendered image will disappear after closing a project. You can't use it as a texture for example (if it's not saved).
Since render result is treated as image, and all images can be used as fake user, you can click on fake user to mark is as such, but...developers probably didn't make it as exception, either deliberately or either not. You can fill bug if you thing this should be solved.

I GUESS (!) you can add a Fake User to the Render Result because Blender itself treats the render output like a temporary texture (that will be gone after closing, yes); and because it is treatened like a texture, you can add a Fake User to it.
For any "real" texture, the Fake User prevents the texture to get lost if you don´t use the texture in any way (material/node/UV layout etc.) but still want it in the file.

The Render Result will be gone if amount of users is set to 0 and file save and reopened but it will be recreated if render is executed.

@Mr Zak Yeah... That´s what I said. The Render Result will be gone after reopening, but if you add a fake user to it, the image will be gone too, only the Render Result tab reopens (because of the fake user).

If you mark it, the datablock remains but you still need to re-render. If you don't mark it, the datablock is erased, but when you re-render it is recreated. There is no benefit and no difference, which your answer suggest there is (to keep the datablock around). You cannot use the datablock for anything (like texture), unless you save it.


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How to fit an image to the UV Editor window's borders?
I try to place the rendered image inside the UV Editor window so it fits its borders precisely. Unfortunatelly it isn't possible using a Mouse Wheel. Are there any ways to do it?

In addition to what others have already suggested, if your keyboard has a Home button, you can press that too, which will zoom the image to 100% size (if it's smaller than the panel) or to the size of the panel (if it's larger).

I've found a way how to do it. There are two methods:

While in the UV Editor window, hold down Ctrl, then press the Middle Mouse Button and move the mouse horizontally or vertically. You may now manually fit the image to the borders of the window.

While in the UV Editor window, press the F button. An image will automatically fit the window borders perfectly.


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How to make pixelated censor effect?
I wonder how to make pixelated censor effect (which can be animated) in Blender (Cycles or BI). In Photoshop it's quite easy (you select the area, go to Filter-->Pixelate-->Mosaic and that's all. It's still however). I want to achieve the effect from the .gif below. It'll be useful for me if I want to present a 3d naked female model turnover animation for example and I want to censor some obvious body parts :). Do I have to achieve it in the compositor or just using material nodes? Any ideas?

Possibly related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/a/39868/15861

Also related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/24008/how-to-pixelate-a-texture-in-cycles/24012#24012

You can also use glass/frosted_glass with some displacement:)

@Jerryno I've tried that, but even with the Glass node's Roughness value set to 1 the pixels' colors are blured. I want an uniform color of each pixel.

@Gonzou yes that would be a different effect, true.

on BA there is this thread but I don't know if it helps you or get you some ideas http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?355347-Pixelate-Image-%96-repeat-EDGE-CENTER-reposition

@m.ardito thanks, this is interesting. Although my question is not about how to pixelate an image but how to create some kind of object (plane probably) that'll be pixelating everything behind it.

@Gonzou the pixelate effect you want is post-process, for that you need a plane on separate render-layer to get a mask where you wanna pixelate and use it in compositor. If you would like for it to be some kind of physical pixelating object- it would have to be a matrix of boxes with a set of lenses inside every box, each lense pair focusing the rays through a single point and then back to the camera. In that point you would have to place a translucent plane to diffuse the rays. You would not get that crisp colors though and some light would get diffused not into the second lens(es).

@Jerryno, sounds a bit complicated :). I'll try to experiment according to your suggestions.

@Gonzou the solution with the mask has a downside that when the mask moves the pixels doesn't move with it.. Also made a picture of one pixelating cell : https://i.sstatic.net/d6mJ0.png (blue is normal without cell, black is how it should work, red is wasted). My tests don't work very well though, maybe the translucent plane absorbs or diffuses too much energy.

Compositing can be used to create a pixelated effect. Masks can be used to control where the pixelation occurs. The animation below shows an animated pixelated window.

Steps to create a pixelated effect in an animation in Blender 2.76 w/ Cycles.

Create the scene and lighting.
Add an object which will act as a mask for the pixelation region. Put this object on its own layer. See How to output ID masks as seperate files for compositing?
Setup render layers so the scene and the mask are generated as different layers.

Use nodes for compositing in the nodes panel.
Use the pixelation node to generate a version of the scene which is pixelated. Place an inpaint node before the pixelation node to ensure the pixelation works everywhere in the image. Use the mix node to combine the pixelated and original image where the mask is used to determine where it is pixelated. See the nodes setup below for an example.

The blend file for the animation is located here:

The setup has problems on image borders. There should be Inpaint node before the Pixelate one.

@Jerryno, updated the answers to include the Inpaint node. Thanks for the suggestion.

@Ed Tate Very good answer. This is what I need. Sorry for accepting it so late. I had totally missed your answer, when you posted it. Thnx again!


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Mesh lags while following the armature. How to fix it?
I've made a simple rig for my jaw model. While testing it I discovered that tongue IK spline bones don't follow the jaw bone correct (there is a lag there). Has anyone had the similar problem? Thanks in advance for any tips how to fix it.

Are you using drivers?

Yes I do. The deformation JAW bone has 3 drivers applied. It is controlled by by the JAW controller bone (with a custom shape as pictured above).

I think its drivers delay in the vewport when you manually move the bones, I had some kind of similar problem, check if it works ok with keyframes.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to get rid of drivers and test it once more.

try to keyframe the CTRL jaw, I dont think you need to remove drivers

also check this https://themendingpath.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/axis-c2-jaw.png

Deleting drivers didn't help at all. You're right, this blocky movement isn't visible after keyfaming, but somehow it irritates me :). Oh, and thanks for the anathomic tip.

What happens, when you move the jaw and release the operation by right-clicking (cancel)? Do all bones go back to their respective rest position? If not, you almost certainly have a cyclic dependency in your setup somewhere. These do cause lagging as seen here. However, I do not want to rule out the possibility of drivers interfering.

@Anudiz You may be right saying that this is bones dependency problem (cause it has nothing to do with drivers). I've read one thread about it somewhere lately. I'll try to test different combinations and post an answer if find a solution.


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Redo command doesn't work
Undo command (Ctrl+Z) works fine, but Redo (Shift+Ctrl+Z) doesn't work for me anymore. How to fix it?

Thanks for tip @MrZak. I know the 'undo history' shortcut, but Ctrl+Shift+Z was much faster. In previous Blender version it worked well. It's super strange it doesn't now :(.

I meant probably this problem could be quickly fixed by using Undo history. It's strange indeed if it persists (a bug?); you could try to recreate it with default file and post either here or on bug tracker.

Related question. TL;DR: Some types of edits have been deemed unworthy of redo functionality because they rely on the 3D Viewport perspective and/or 3D Cursor position. :-(

Deemed unworthy? This is the 3rd time in a row this week I destroy 2 hours of work becuase of a Ctrl-Z that I pushed in Object Mode instead of in Edit Mode. I'm about to snap.

Is the bug fixed yet?


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Copying Y scale value onto multiple objects
The thickness (Y-axis) are all different value and I have been attempting to reset them all the a particular value without doing it one by one. I also tried using the copy attributes plugin but it only offers to copy all the scale values instead of just the ones for the Y value. Any thoughts how I can copy Y scale to multiple objects?

If anyone is offering a script can I please also be told how to install that, much appreciated.

Here is a script (I don't know if there is another option) for now

copy and paste the script in the blender text editor
select the objects
the object with the right scale should the active object (yellow outline , others red )
in the text editor click Run Script

import bpy

s= bpy.context.object.scale[1]
for obj in bpy.context.selected_objects :
    obj.scale[1] = s

IF your bothered BUT not important, could you make a script that sets the origin to geometry for multiple objects as well :3. Its not needed but good to make my scene look clean with the dots yet again not needed so don't bother if its too much of a hassle already got the main prob fixed ty.

@TheEdge63 I was away at the time, but i have added it now

@TheEdge63 Origin to geometry already works on multiple objects by default..


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How can I control where smoke and fire are emitted from?
How can I control which part of the object the fire/smoke is emitted from so instead of it coming from the corners it is emitted from the top side like a normal log on fire.

Also I can't see the faces of the object even though I am out of edit and wire frame mode can someone please explain that as well.

I'd try using particles! you can then set them to start going up, correcting the misdirected velocity of the fire.


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What is the reason of subsurf making hard edges?
I'm modeling chassis of a car and I've noticed, that in some areas subsurf suprisingly keeps hard edges:

Even though wireframe may not look very simple, there is still no reason for those:

I checked the usual suspects:

Bevel value for edges
Duplicated edges and/or vertices (Merge by distance)

I couldn't find the cause. I suspect I might have pressed some keyboard shortcut, which switched something, because I used Blender a long time ago and a lot of keyboard shortcuts changed since. It's hard to tell though without knowing what to search.
How can I make those edges soft again?

maybe you have inverted normals? Select all and press Shift N. If it doesn't work please share your file: https://pasteall.org/blend/

Yes it is probably due to normals, try to enable face orientation and check your topology, or share your file as @moonboots says

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Changing the radius of a point light
When creating a point light, there is a "radius" value in the properties panel.  This works perfectly.  However, I can't find any way to change this afterwards, in the properties panel or search bar.
https://youtu.be/oRRpTdY5g0U
In this video, I create a couple of lights with different radiuses and test that they work as expected, but cannot see a way to change those radiuses.  Can anyone please tell me how to do this?

Adjust the falloff distance in the point light properties. A radius of 1 create a fallout distance of 25 and it is directly proportional to that. So a radius of 2 has a fallout distance of 50.


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How do I export animation data stored in actions using the Python API?
I am writing an exporter for a custom format, and I would like it to export each action as a separate animation. Based on what I've learned so far, I think the exporter would have to look something like this:
export_rest_pose(armature_object.data.bones)
for action in bpy.data.actions:
    # TODO: set 'action' as the current action, somehow
    frame_begin, frame_end = [int(x) for x in action.frame_range]
    for frame in range(frame_begin, frame_end):
        bpy.context.scene.frame_set(frame)
        export_pose(armature_object.pose.bones)

First, does this look about right, or is there a better way of doing it? In particular, is there a way to get the pose of an armature at a specific frame without changing the whole scene to that frame?
Second, assuming that is the correct way to do it, how do I set the current action?

You can set an object's action like:
object.animation_data.action = action

But note that you should check first, that animation_data is not None (which is the case for objects with zero keyframes set).
frame_set() is not a bad choice. You could also evaluate the F-Curves one by one and avoid the frame changes, but it's easier to set the frame and get the transformations ready to use (e.g. as 4x4 Matrix). It's also ensured that all modifiers, drivers and such are applied.
Quick F-Curve example:
bpy.context.object.animation_data.action.fcurves[0].evaluate(5)
#~ -3.2612

bpy.context.object.animation_data.action.fcurves[0].keyframe_points[0].co
#~ Vector((1.0, -3.2612))

bpy.context.object.animation_data.action.fcurves[0].keyframe_points[0].interpolation
#~ 'BEZIER'


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Finding the armature owning a bone
I'm trying to write a script that constructs a transformation from a bone to an object (for "attaching" objects to animated armatures in a game engine). I can easily find the currently selected bone to construct the transformation from, using bpy.context.selected_pose_bones, but I cannot find any way to find the armature that owns the bone (which I need in order to calculate relative locations).
Does anyone know how to do this?

You can use the id_data property for one of the selected bones (you only need one because it's not currently possible to select multiple bones from different armatures at the same time). It should be as simple as the following:
context.selected_pose_bones[0].id_data

If you want just the armature's name:
context.selected_pose_bones[0].id_data.name

There's also a specialized function if you have a mesh object:
>>> bpy.context.object.find_armature()
bpy.data.objects['Armature']


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Is it possible to manipulate normals explicitly in Blender?
Like the question says, can I manipulate normals explicitly?
The reason I'm asking is because I'm making a game and I want to make some objects that fit together with other objects as they are placed by the engine. For instance, I want to model the dug-up sand besides a hole and want it to transition naturally into the (flat) ground around it, or model a skirt for the character model and want it to fit together with that character's torso.
However, when doing that the "naïve" way, the normals are (of course) calculated as if the object existed in isolation, which means that they point in a different direction from the surface they're supposed to fit together with in the end, creating a sharp edge in the lighting of the compound object, which is a bit disturbing.
Is there any way I can just "set" the normals in a particular direction? Like, straight upwards for the normals on the outer vertices of the mentioned sand, or straight outwards for vertices along the upper edge of the mentioned skirt.

There is a custom split normals branch being worked on by Bastien Montagne(Mont29).  The version I tried used a modifier which I gather is supposed to alter the normals of one object using another but I could not get any results at all so I did not bother to take it any further since I tend to use inset and control loops to alter normals so I can bake them.  Anyways, if you feel like digging around some more, that Blender branch may be a solution for you.

As @MarcClintDion said, this is not possible... Yet. There is a custom Split Normals branch being worked on by Bastien Montagne(Mont29) to try to incorporate this into Blender; However, it's not yet finished - Loop Normal Edition is the current sub-project under development.

I am just solving the exact same problem also for my game and the best solution (yet not perfect) I could figure out is to manually select the vertices along the edge and then hit Alt + N and select Rotate..., then I manually rotated them a little bit so they face the desired direction and that made my game pieces smooth together perfectly.
It is not perfect though because it also rotates little bit the normals on the edge, as you will see. Not a huge deal though.
I yet haven't found a way how to affect only one normal and not all the normals coming from the vertex... Some add-on for 2.8 would be very welcome :)


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Renders doesn't display in Node Editor while compositing
I follow that tutorial step by step:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3sSZ6W7rgQ
and had to stop around 44:00 - I had rendered my image and when I go into Node Editor there is no way to make backdrop shows up. I don't know what's going on. I'm using Blender v2.71. Please help me :)

Do you have backdrop checked and your render layers connected to a viewer node?

Is it possible you could upload a screenshot of what it looks like?

I had backdrop checked but I didn't connect my render layers to a viewer nodes :) In the tutorial he turn on Node Editor and after checking backdrop everything works, but not for me so I stopped. After I connected this everything works fine :) Thanks

no prob, sadly since I didn't actually answer the question I don't get the extra reputation but that's ok. I'm glad I could help.

Note: You can Ctrl - click on a node to quickly connect it to the viewer node.

Related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/q/14971/599

TARDIS Maker comment is a solution to my problem, I just didn't connect render layers to a viewer node.


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how can i make a half cylinder?
here is a picture of the shape i would like to make in blender i have no clue how to even begin making it. what i want to know is how to make this shape in blender so i can use it for a project im doing. i tried adding a cylinder but then i could not figure out how to get the cylinder to be cut in half.

A perhaps simpler way is to use the cylinder primitive.
Add that to your scene,

then in wireframe (Z key), and from the front view,

delete half vertices:

then rebuild top/bottom faces selecting the edge loop and pressing F key

on both sides
then you get

Another way could be to use a boolean modifier, too.

You should next time add this answer to rest of answers in the linked question, this one will become just a duplicate.

Ah, yes that makes quite sense... but since my method is not in the linked answer (and its duplicate) if the OP of this answer wants to choose this new answer as the one "solving better"  his question... how can/should he do? I'm a bit puzzled by all this linked (sometimes nested) previous answers...


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How to pan my view around in a blender game?
How can I pan my camera around in a blender game? I want to be able to use camera controls in my blender game Like panning 360 around with the right mouse button. My view does not need to pan up or down, just needs to rotate around the view like to say I have a cube to represent my character! I want to be able to pan the view around it.

if your going to mark this as a duplicate at least link me to other peoples questions asking this

At top. http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/17964/how-to-set-up-a-orbiting-camera-with-zoom-in-the-bge


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How Do I Use Armatures , I cannot get them to work with my meshes
Im Trying To Learn How To Animate Movement with Armatures but all i can seem to do is move the armatures and not the actual mesh.

Did you assign weights to the mesh, linked to the bones? Or maybe you are in Edit Mode?

i am clueless on how to do this perhaps if you gave me some step by step instructions on how to use them.

Are the bones already connected to each other?

The easiest way is to parent the mesh to the armature with Automatic Weights, and then adjust the weights later on:

Select the mesh (Object Mode), and then select the armature
CtrlP, and then select 'Automatic weights'. Now Blender assigned weights to the mesh and parented them to the bones of the armature, depending on how the bones and mesh are relatively located.

To modify the weights:

You could select the armature and enter 'pose mode', by CtrlTab
Then you select the mesh and enter 'Weight paint mode', by CtrlTab. Now you can select a bone, while you can edit the weight paints of the mesh using the brush


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Composting/Post processing animation
Sorry if this is the wrong place (I tried researching).
1. Could someone explain difference between post-processing and compositing in terms of animation.
2. Is it possible to animate(key frame) compositing ex. A warm feel is added for first 5 seconds(sunset) then its night (so instead of a warm feel a more cold dark feel) so I need to change the compositing throughout the animation.
3. Should I instead just create the animation normally and composite it in another software.

Going through each part of the question, one by one:

Post-processing and compositing are pretty much the same thing. Post processing is generally more color oriented, and compositing is a bit more VFX oriented (keying etc. ). But for all intents and purposes in blender, they are the same thing, and done at the same time, in the same place.
Yes, you can key frame nearly every single property value in the compositor, the key is just to choose the right ones when working with colors, or odd things can happen...
Yes, you'll do the compositing/post-pro last, You can do it all in blender, or use different software, like Adobe After effects, or the now 'free'* Fusion 7. For the color stuff (Post-Pro), you could use After Effects, Adobe Speed Grade, or DaVinci Resolve. Most of this software isn't cheap, which is why I recomend doing it in blender, which for the large part, has a fully capable feature set.

*Non commercial, with some non-key features removed, the full version costs about $1000

Using After Affects for my intro anyway might as well use it for composition, I had a feeling my it would be all this just wasn't sure thanks for clearing it up.

I'd use AE if you have it... I bought it even though I know and used the blender compositor for over a year. Way better in my mind!

Hmmm, its proving quite hard to find tutorials on how to composite or post process 3d animations in AE. Would you know any good sits? Also did you mean AE or blender that's way better in your mind.

AE is better, by far. As far as post processing 3d animations, you render them out as a png sequence (or any other file format, and treat them like camera footage). For composting, you may wan't a depth map[Rendering a depth would be a separate question... just look it up], and maybe some object matts, but otherwise, treat it like regular footage


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Plane won't show in camera/render
Big hill behind tree won't show in camera/render view.

The problem might be in the camera end clipping distance value. Try to increase it if low.


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Particle System, objects emitted colliding
Basically using particle emitter to emit trees for a forest. Problem is they emit to close to each other making it look messy is there anyway I can make the particle system detect the other particles emitted and not collide with each other when emitted. This is being done using hair(needed) and heard about dynamic paint but couldn't work out how it can fix this issue.

I think you could set a big size to the particles
And then use the Molecular Script addon and enable the Activate Self Collision option.

The self collision option was activated but everything still remains the same would you know what I am missing?

You have to bake it with the molecular script's own bake system. You will find the button somewhere in the molecular script's dropdown list.


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Object mode scaling vs edit mode scaling for video game development
When working on video game assets, is it more efficient to model the assets and scaling them in edit mode or rather modify the scale on object mode? Which option is most commonly used by artists?
For example, creating a table using simple cubes. Is it more efficient for game engines and the PC as a whole to work with the table formed by several cubes with different scales (object mode scale) or rather have all specific scales modified in edit mode while maintaining the x,y,z object scale in 1?

I don't think there are any significant efficiency implications, but I typically try to apply scale when making assets for the BGE, as some discrepancies with physics and collision bounds can occur and very large or small scales can cause precision issues.
For external engines I would apply scale just because of the exporting process (depending on the format, the scale may be applied automatically anyway)
It doesn't really matter whether you scale in edit or object mode as long as you apply it with ⎈ CtrlA> Scale when all is said and done.


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Problem deleting animations
So I have a character with multiple animations attached, however not all animations can be deleted while some others can. I use the same method on all of them yet those animations won't go away. As shown in the image, all animations with the prefix 0 gets deleted from the file, however the ones that don't show the number just stay there forever. The way I delete animations is by holding shift and clicking the x button formerly known as unlink. I've also tried space bar -> remove animation and they are still there.

Do the actions exist in the NLA? you may have clicked the push down or stash buttons in the header by mistake.

@sambler for me even if action is pushed to NLA it still unlinks animation in the Dopesheet if holding Shift while unlinking.

@MrZak when you add it to the nla it will be removed from the action editor, you can reselect it and unlink it in the action editor but the action in the nla gets the nla as a user preventing it from getting deleted when the file is saved but as it has a user it remains in the list of actions.

I've found a way to get rid of all the animations. Using the information given by sambler, i deleted everything inside the NLA editor, after that I went on to the action editor and shift + x all animations and now they are gone.


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How to create the distortion of Gas Fumes?
I want to know how to simulate gas that doesn't look like pure smoke. Like the gas one might see coming out the side of a pipe or on a really hot day in the desert. I don't know how to explain it: gas without the smoke.

yes https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/59166/how-to-create-a-heat-distortion-effect-with-a-cycles-procedural-node-set-up-wi this here is what I was trying to figure out!

feel free  cegaton to write an answer to this in your own words so I can vote it best :D thanks for the help so I guess I was looking for how to do heat distortion and not gas.

this one is also helpful https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/18296/how-to-make-a-heat-distortion-effect


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How to add Image as object?
I am trying to find a way to import an image, so that I can use it for 2D animation. Is there any way to use an image so it imports as an object like a plane? Thanks!

see this answer

@Chebhou arguably the answer to the other question should be the answer to this question here, and that other question should be directed here. this has a better tiitle, i think it will reach more people.


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Appended layer not rendering any objects
I'm something of a noob to blender.  I appended a model of an engine to the 2nd layer of my project, and for some reason, no objects from this model show up when I render.  If I add a cube to the 2nd layer, the cube shows up behind an outline of the engine, but not the engine itself.  The object in layer 1 shows up fine.  For the life of me I cannot find why the objects from this model don't show up.  I have the render visibility turned on for all of them, and I can't find anything else that would change visibility (ie the layer is lit, etc.)
Can anyone point out to me what I'm missing? Its probably something obvious.  Here is the file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5q1lnq91oxtpkbg/Blend%20for%20SE.blend?dl=0

Related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/q/6446/599, http://blender.stackexchange.com/q/13610/599, and http://blender.stackexchange.com/q/1756/599

Your material is set up for cycles rendering but you have it set to blender render at the top. Then the object in layer 1 is set up for blender internal rendering.

How do I switch them over to blender internal? Or is there even a reason for me to?

To switch the material to blender internal you can delete the material and then create a new one but you will have to start from scratch. If you create a material while cycles is active that material will work with cycles, if you create a material while internal is active it will be for internal. You have to decide if you want to use cycles or blender internal and then create all your materials consistently in one or the other based on your choice.


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How to make playhead / transport / cursor return to start position in Blender?
Like DAW does? I need this to be able to test animation comfortably. Or how do you do this?

@vklidu please post it as the answer and I'll mark it. Thanks a lot, that is what I wanted!

Stop animation and move playhead to a frame you start from?
Use just Esc

I would like to start from 400th and then when I press stop - it jumps back to 400th

Use the escape key, as vklidu suggested.


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How to reflect\catch light but be invisible on render?
I want a mash was able to catch light but was invisible on render. I want this effect to happen, but the plane was invisible. Is it possible? Or can I cast colored shadow? I need this in cycles. This question is not about "how to make an obect invisible" it's about how to make in catch light.

Fore example

I need this happen

How can I get light accents without white face??? Do you see that light distributes unequally on shaped objects, how can I get only light fingerprint on transparent background?

Check out the Light Path node.. maybe this tutorial will help

Possible duplicate of How to make a cycles light emisson object invisible to the camera?

@brockmann no, compared to that post I need the cube to be invisible but refract\reflect the light.

@cegaton there is no aswer for my question, remove the duplicate please. I need invisible for camera object was visible for light. https://imgur.com/xfMyDN4 at this picture it's invisible for the light.

I couldn't manage to make this "light catcher" using nodes but as a workaround or just alternate method you can use Baking. For this answer I'm using Blender 2.80 Beta and Cycles but the workflow is the same as in 2.79b.
Scene setup for baking

Background needs to be black.
Light should be fully white - you can change color of it after bake.
Object may be simple Diffuse - needs to be UV Unwrapped.

Baking

Bake Type - Diffuse with Influence Direct.
You should get a map like this:

Using it

Now you can use baked map as a mask to combine Transparent shader with another of your likeness. Color Ramp is for fine tuning mask strength.

@sgslav Thanks a lot, mate! I think this is it!


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How do you import a Compositing Node Set-up?
I have a Compositing node set-up for a lomography effect that I want to export or append to other blend files. Is there a way to do this?
I tried grouping the nodes, but the group wasn't appearing anywhere when I tried to append them in. (Node setup attached for whatever it's worth.)

Select all, and press Ctrl+G, then append

I posted a quick text answer, if you need images or don't understand part of it, let me know.

You can do this by making these nodes into a custom Node Group and then appending it to the file. To do this select all the nodes, and press Ctrl+G. (I would recommend not including the Render Layer and Composite nodes, as they will be present in the new file)
Now you can go to your new file and select File > Append and then navigate to the proper .blend file and then into the NodeGroup folder. Select the desired node group, and click Append.
Now you can go into your node editor and use Shift+A > Group to select your node group. You can edit it using Tab.

While the existing answer is correct, here is something to think about if you still can't find your node tree in the file browser when you try to link it.
Pressing N in the workspace allows you to bring up the side panel where there are several options to rename the node; only the one under Node > Properties will change the reference name for linking.

My group I was trying to link was lost amidst a sea of NodeGroup.00n's and geometry nodes, (which are stored in the same place as the compositing).


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Sculpting brush alpha/texture resolution?
Does the image resolution of a brush texture in sculpt mode determine the detail of the stroke?
I'm using a textured brush w/the anchored stroke method and the smaller the stroke, the lower the resolution. It seems unaffected by any dyntopo settings or relative distance. The source images are good sized PSD files with no artifacts. Is there some setting I'm missing?

Yes, it can. However, that isn't your issue. In order for texture resolution to be a factor, you would need the edges created by the Dyntopo system to be shorter than the pixels of your texture. That way, there is enough detail in your mesh to create 'steps' between pixels. But as I said, that isn't your issue. From some testing I just did, it appears that using the anchored stroke type doesn't generate new detail. I'm not sure if that is intentional or not, but it seems that is the reason the detail isn't changing.

Interesting... very succinct explanation... thanks!

I actually just found that all out by testing that myself, so I learned something too!

Quick update: same limitations with the drag dot method, but using the space method with the texture as a stencil and dyntopo on works very well. Thanks again, put me on the right path.


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Skin vs Shrinkwrap
Most of my work with Blender involves modifying stl files of models of fingers, hands and forearms. Sometimes Boolean operations suffice and leave a manifold mesh.  However, when a small portion of the file needs to be modified and added to another file, I'm still faced with too many instances of working with vertices and edges and not getting great results.
The name "skin" suggests that a surface would be formed over some existing objects and create a manifold.  However, the manual's description of working with vertices and the examples seem to indicate that "skin" isn't really suitable for fixing non-manifold objects.  Adventures with shrinkwrap don't yield desired results.
Consider this pivot/hinge.  I want to extend it with a rectangular box. Sizing the box so that it just fits over the pivot part above the hole results in a mesh which would appear to be easy to automatically make it manifold.
I couldn't figure out how to do it.  Have I overlooked something in skin/shrinkwrap or is there another route or add-on which I need to explore?
TIA.
LeftHinge

I think a good starting point may be this:

I used Limited Dissolve mode from X menu. It effectively gets rid of mess edges and faces of the mesh.
Then I used some very basic tweaking like dissolving some edges and vertices to make them not repeat each other, and creating some new edges instead of old ones. I also recalculated normals (Ctrl+N) and made them point outside.

Finally, I added Shrinkwrap modifier, imported original mesh again and wrapped my result atop of it so to be sure (hope so) that the form of the original mesh was preserved (the original mesh is hidden on the screenshot).
blend file here

Your image is the result of shrinkwrapping the cleaned part?  When I tried shrinkwrapping, the hole was covered.  Do you think that was from the messy mesh or did I miss some setting?

No, the original mesh is hidden on screenshot (and thus shrinkwrapping too). If revealed, it looks like this. LeftHinge is the cleaned mesh, LeftHinge.001 is the original mesh. Shrinkwrap is with default settings (it corrects not so much, but let it be). I'm not sure why Shrinkwrap covered the hole for you (probably you haven't corrected everything needed). You may want to look into the .blend for more details.

I think you won't get good geometry with shrinkwrap. Also the skin modifier works completely different (see https://www.blender.org/manual/modifiers/generate/skin.html). You rather would use shrinkwrap to put labels onto surfaces and similiar things.
I opend your stl file and it is really a mess geometry wise. Can you tell how this was created?
I think the best would be to rebuild the mesh.
Edit: Maybe my answer was a bit misleading or even wrong regarding the usage of the shrinkwrap modifier. If you would do a retopology of your mesh you would use the shrinkwrap modifier for the workflow (see tutorials on youtube).
I'm not sure what you want to archieve. I made a .blend with a working (?) shrinkwrap on your mesh.

Thank you for confirming that neither skin or shrinkwrap has options to do the job.  I don't know how the original stl file was created.  I expect that the project would be much easier if I had the original design file and software.

Any opinion on the 2nd part of my question: conceptually, if a sleeve if generally fitted onto a mangled part, shouldn't it be possible to create a "skin" based on "outside" vertices of the two parts?  The "skin" would thus be manifold.

after re-topoing, you can use a shrinkwrap just to make sure your new model lines up nicely with the old.


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Cutting a part into two objects using a plane
I'm still way down on Blender 2.72 learning curve. I've tried to get an answer just working with a basic cube and a plane and I'm not getting the expected result.
Object mode>select cube>shift select plane>modifier (boolean difference)> select cube (again)>apply
At this point, I would expect to see three objects: two pieces of the cube and the plane.  However the plane is apparently fused to a piece of the cube and the other object is the original cube.
Accepting this result and another bunch of commands and I might get to my result.  Do I really need to do this?  Have I overlooked a very simple answer?
BTW, I'm expecting the two pieces of the cube to be manifold.
I've spent a lot of time searching, but I can't seem to find the magic keywords or phrasing.

Partial answer: Don't select both the cube and the plane before going to the modifier.  Select the cube, specify the boolean modifier, specify difference, select plane, then apply.
This results in a part of the original cube (depending on the normals of the plane?) and the plane as the two surviving objects.  I would expect this result if I had started with a cube and another smaller cube and done a difference or an intersection. In other words, slicing with a plane (0 thickness) shouldn't result in loss of the original volume.


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Can you export stl file from one object in one layer?
I had several pieces of a project in different layers.  After modifying a piece in layer e.g. 4, it was selected, active and in object mode.  I selected 'export', 'stl' and executed.  The file statisics show a very large file, and when I import the stl file, the entire project, from all layers, show up on one layer.
What did I do wrong?
TIA

When exporting from File > Export > STL in the file browser tool shelf, in the bottom right tick the option Selection Only.
This will export you current selection though, I don't think there is a direct way to export current layer only, but you can easily select all visible objects if you turn off other layers so it should suffice.
You may need to be in object mode for this to work though

In Blenderv2.79, Selection Only option is at the left bottom.


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Boolean Union couldn't be executed
I have two meshes which I believe to be manifold.  Blender union says it can't be executed. In searching for an answer, interior or duplicate faces were suggested as a problem.  I don't remember encountering that as a problem before.  If that is the problem, it would severely limit the usefulness of Blender to me, and probably many other users who may be equally unaware of having created interior or duplicate faces, or may be frustrated by the time spent trying to avoid or eliminate such constructs.
Trimx file

the topology of your object seems a bit messy but if you give the boolean to the bottom object it seems to work. Then you'll have to apply and to clean a bit with a Remove Doubles

Thank you for your prompt response.  I gather that I need to upgrade to 2.78 to get this to work?   2.74 currently.

I tried with 2.79 but it should work with your version

Upgraded to 2.79 and the union appeared to work.  However, the result is apparently non-manifold????  Now what?  In my simple mind, the union of two manifold objects should result in one manifold object.

I think bugs happen with boolean, especially with messy meshes. Yes you are right, I missed that, it looks like after the boolean it is non-manifold and impossible to fix with the Clean-Up function. So, maybe someone will answer differently but it looks like you don't have other choice than rebuild a clean mesh, and avoid boolean.

Thank you for your advice and patience.  Big rethink coming.


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Loop cut and slide didn't complete the loop
Not only that, the object is no longer manifold, and I haven't been able to fix it.
Look at the right side of the loop.

When a loop cut doesn't complete, it is usually because it hits a triangular face.
Before you did the loop cut, you have a misplaced quadrilateral. On the corner where the cut ends, there is an extra edge. If you move to the bottom corner of the object where the line is, there are two extra vertices.
The image below has the vertices highlighted.

Delete these vertices and then try and complete the loop cut.
You have to ensure that no extra faces like in your mesh exist. If a loop cut fails, your mesh will almost always have an error like this or a triangular face.
Good luck with your project and I hope I helped,
BFB

It's not only tris that stop loops and they are usually easy to spot. ngons are  a more common issue, especially when working in edge select mode.

Yes, good point @metaphor_set. Hertforkc's model does not have a ngon, but it is a valid thing to look for and one i forgot to mention in my reply

I noticed the extra vertices  only after I did the loop cut.  Thought  they were the result of the fail and not the cause of it.   Thank you.

Sorry, no cigar. I just went back to the file which I posted and pulled a copy of the uncut Cyl219W.002 from Object Window 7 and examined it. I didn't find the extra vertices.  Did the Loop Cut and -BOOM- they're back.  Were you able to repair the mesh, finish the loop cut and get a manifold result?

It was a simple enough repair. Delete the face and the extra vertices, the fill the faces. On your uncut model, are there any internal faces? Just an idea. I just found it odd that such formations appear due to a loop cut. Particularly when no misplaced vertex could be found. Check your normals just in case. Doubt it is the problem but who knows? Send the old file if you can

Uncut Cyl219W.002 from Object Window 7 was duplicated and moved to Window 1 just prior to the Loop Cut.  I'll recheck per your suggestions.  As far as simplicity of repair, when I deleted the two spurious vertices, there were about a dozen faces to repair, which I did.  Can't say I was happy about that.  I'm running into too many cases where an operation gives rise to stumbling blocks, which may really stop you several steps down the path.  I have no idea how You know where to look for potential causes for error, but it really strains me  to critically examine the mesh after every operation.

I couldn't find any reason to expect problems when I reexamined the uncut mesh.

Ok. If you ever come across this incident again, send the file before the loop cut so someone can take a look. See if we can help


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How do I export to mtl and obj files with textures for use with three.js?
I have a 15MB blend file from here:
http://www.blendswap.com/blends/view/72717
a quote on the page from the uploader "The textures (included the background), were taken by me and can be used freely."
how do i get this wood texture? (i would like all the included textures)
I am familiar with an .mtl file and seperate image files to be mapped to the object/model.  Can I get blender to ouput this?  How?
Also, I have tried triangulating and checked all the boxes that should be checked during export, but all I ever get is a severly messed up model when viewed with three.js.  About half the faces are missing and no textures.

Ok, so if I'm understanding you correctly, what you're asking is: 1) How do I export to three.js without mesh errors and 2) How do I export the model to three.js WITH the included image textures. Is this correct?

Possible duplicate of http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17712857/how-to-load-textures-from-objmtl-files-in-three-js-in-the-year-2013

Not a duplicate of 17712857.  That question is about loading a texture into three.js. I am trying to get them out of blender.


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Blender mirroring not working
I'm trying to use the mirror modifier in blender, but when I do, the duplicated half won't change with the normal half. I made a video about it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtCjKHoL2uw&feature=youtu.be
Please help

You applied the modifier, that's why.
I only have a short time to explain, but I'll try:
Modifiers are non-destructive while they have been added to an object, but not yet applied. Once a modifier is applied, the effect is committed to the mesh permananetly. It's kind of like flattening layers in GIMP or Photoshop. It's a one-way street.
There are times when you want to apply a modifier and times when you don't. If, for example, you had sculpted a symmetrical body using the Mirror Modifier, but then wanted to sculpt spikes on just one arm, obviously you would want to apply the modifier and then do the non-symmetrical parts.

Oh my god thank you, I'm fairly new to blender.


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Having Troubles Modelling A Car
I can always put so much work into making a car but I always get stuck on making the roof go inwards and the hood. I can't find any tutorials that help me with this. To better explain say you are looking at the car from the front the car goes inwards at certain points I can't do that does anyone know a good tutorial or care to explain?

http://gyazo.com/3cd79309c62f91272487a0a7abdf4205
What I'm talking about is see how it doesn't go straight up and down it has curves. I have no Idea how to do the curves on the front of a car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QT1GNMevfc
I found these tutorials extremely helpful and Darrin Lile is an excellent teacher.
Pete.

subsurface modifier, in short. Dont think this can be answered with a quick answer though. You'll need to work your way through numerous modeling videos either on youtube or the many great training videos DVDs that exist for blender.


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How to pull all vertices from a specific Vertex
I want to create an old tv screen look. The only way I know how to describe it is a very round screen that protrudes outwards. I haven't touched blender in awhile and I know you can have one vertex apply to all when pulling outwards. Otherwise it only affects a couple faces around it. (Sorry for the bad explanation)

Instead of this on the picture I want to pull the vertex and have it apply to the rest of the plane.

Edit Mode Proportional Editing (keyboard shortcut O). works well.

@LordOfPancakes you can mark this as accepted...


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How to automatically render from several camera angles?
I've got an animation that I want to render from loads of camera angles. How can I write a script to automatically loop through all the cameras and render the scene from each perspective?

Also see: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/3502/how-can-i-make-a-camera-the-active-one

Yes, you are right. This helped me: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/8850/how-to-take-images-with-multiple-cameras-with-script


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Blender 2.75 Time Node
Mybe somebody knows, how to get Time node in Node Editor in blender 2.75
I am using Open shading Language ?

What do you mean by time node?  Do you mean the current frame?

There is a time node for compositing, but not cycles materials. Can you provide a link to where you heard about the time node?

@sambler what does the compositor time node do?

I think what you mean is a node that does the same thing as the time node in the compositor.  Unfortunately there is no single cycles node that does this.  However one can be constructed rather easily.
First add a value node and plug it into the color on an RGB curves node.  Then keyframe the value node's value to be 0 at frame 1 and 1 at the last frame.

Then select the value node and hop over to the graph editor...

... select the keyframes, press T, and select linear interpolation.

The output of the RGB curves node will be the same as the output of the time node would be in the compositor.  You could eliminate the RGB curves node and just edit the interpolation curve in the graph editor; but while that will give you a little more control it would be more cumbersome to tweak.  But it is an option if you need the extra control.


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How to delete screen datablock
Is there any way yet to delete screen datablocks in outliner ? I have a couple of temp screens from my old startup file that freeze 2.75.

do you mean the scenes?

Welcome Frank :) This site is not a forum, please start with the tour: http://blender.stackexchange.com/tour and get your first badge ;)

To delete one or several screen layouts you should use Info window:

Here the same technique as for deleting images is used, i.e with Shift pressed click  button near the screen layout name to delete it completely from the .blend (it will disappear after reboot).
To delete many layouts, it may be easier to delete all of them except for one.

As I've got you have this problem only with several ("temp ones") screen layouts. If 2.75 version lags like this, delete them from 2.74 and save it with Ctrl+U, just to be sure.

Also you can try to use bpy.data.screens['BrokenScreen'].user_clear() and reload the file.

Upload your problem .blend to pasteall.org and give a link here. I don't get what "temp.001-full" should delete 2.74. You might want to read some info about organizing your startup.blend and UI layouts

The solution is to go to the Outliner and choose the Data API sub-editor, then untwirl the Screens and search for and check  Runtime Data checkbox for the screens that you want to delete.
After this, save the file and reload and it’ll be cleaned.


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Can't find Spin Menu to create a rotational object
I want to create a rotational solid. I've just created a bezier curve, and i saw many tutorials use the "SPIN" function in the left menu.
I tried looking at it but whitout success.
Where can i find it? I have to enable it in the add-ons menu?
I'm in edit mode with TOP ORTHO visual.
(Blender 2.75 RC1)
Thank you so much

The Spin function works on vertex, while the bezier curves are based on control points. You could transform the curve in mesh (Alt C, mesh from curve) and then use the spin function, but you would loose the interactivity of the modelling process; so the best way, with bezier curves, is to use a screw modifier, instead.
Choose the right axis (in my example z axis).

Would be helpful, I think, if you could mention why this option isn't appearing for curve objects instead of just showing an alternative.

Be sure that you are selecting a Mesh not a curve
-If you have a curve, you can go to Object menu then Convert to, or use Alt + C
*Hint: you can then check the 'keep original' check box to the bottom left, if you need not to lose the curve


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Hiding Bezier curve handles
I use control right click to make shapes with bezier curves and the handles get in the way.  Is there a way to hide the handles.
I've looked and I can not find a way.


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Cutting shape out of extruded subdivided plane

I have a subdivided and extruded plane.  I wish to cut a shape out of it with a cyclic (closed) bezier curve so I can use this topography to do proportional editing on it.  I have found lots of ways to make holes in the plane but no good way to cleanly just cut out the shape leaving this topography in that shape. I have been going nuts over this for a week or so.  Maybe I'm just missing something. Help.

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/50538/how-to-cut-an-object-along-a-curve

Duarte Farrajota Ramos:The problem with the methods shown in the above link is the same as I have been trying.  Problem is I need the cutout to retain the topography of the plane I am cutting out from.  That is done if a how is cut in the plane however I can not get that from the shape removed.

Do you mean you want to keep all the existing vertices and their topology, just move them aside to make a hole in the desired shape?


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Finding keys that were accidentally set
I've been working on a character and somehow I ended up with some keys on the timeline. I've checked the drivers and fcurves with everything selected, but I'm unable to locate these rogue keys. Is there a way to make these visible?

Can you find them in the Dopesheet? https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/animation/keyframes/editing.html#editing-keyframes

Unfortunately nothing is showing up in the dope sheet either.

Upload your blend file to http://blend-exchange.giantcowfilms.com/

Sure. Give me one sec.

Limit of 30 meg on the upload. Trying to trim the file size down.


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Disabled settings on mesh creation
I have an odd question that (while it doesn't stop progress) is fairly annoying. Here's what I do. Shift + A -> Mesh -> UV Sphere. Pretty straight forward right? Well, once the sphere is created the options are disabled. The only couple of addons that I've installed have been Ice Tools and Retopoflow. I also downloaded 2.78b (I was in 2.78) and I'm having the same issues. I assume it may be in the saved preferences?

Yes, it's likely caused by the User Prefs, enable the Global Undo.

Thank you and that worked. Do you happen to know why that happens?

It's described pretty well in the linked answer - http://blender.stackexchange.com/a/2155/1245. In short Blender has to have access to redo history as it undoes one action and redoes it with new parameters when changing options in the Last Operator Panel.


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Filling an object with particles issue

When setting the collision to the bowl I initially was seeing some of the pieces of rice sliding to the bottom and falling out. Now that I've updated the scene with a different bowl I'm unable to get the rice to collide with the bowl and it goes straight through. The end result that I'm going for is simply to fill the bowl with rice.

It helped a bit duplicating the bowl. Still not 100%. I can trim some of the rice from the outside, but trying to get a nice mound of it is causing troubles.

Does it help by scaling everthing up/down, or alternatively making the inside of the bowl thicker to accommodate the weight of the rice, if its not going to be seen by the camera?

I'll give that a go and see.

It seemed to help a bit, but I was still getting particles protruding through the container.


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Random Vertices Getting Selected
I got a new laptop about a week ago, when selecting vertices in blender it keeps selecting random ones around the model. I looked it up and everyone was saying if you have any transparent apps open it would cause this, but all I have open is blender and chrome. Anyone know any fixes?

Sounds like it could be a GPU related problem. Can you include your system specs?

I'm not ready to agree with @mentalist that it's a GPU problem, in part because if it's a low end laptop it likely doesn't have a GPU. But I've been wrong before, so you might post your system specifications (make, model, any modifications, like added RAM, &c.,), so he may be able to prove me wrong. A sample blend file, and screenshots might help too. How exactly are you trying to select the vertices?

Are you using any helper hardware? I found long ago that for me to use Blender on a laptop, I need both an external USB pointing device, and an external keyboard with full numeric keypad; the small laptop keyboard and builtin pointing device just don't do the trick.

@brasshat Note my wording: "could be a GPU related problem." I'm not stating that it is, just thinking of one possibility of what might be the cause. :-) Because it strikes me as very strange behavior, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were due to hardware configuration. In any case, posting system specs wouldn't hurt. Also, speaking of external devices, having multiple input devices (mouse and tablet) on at the same time can spell trouble if both are sending input and you don't realize it.

@Mentalist, I did note your wording, but in my experience, the ratio of the number of laptops that have GPU to those that don't is quite small. So while I'm not yet persuaded it is the problem, I am certainly willing to agree that it might be. As to multiple input devices, I agree that this can be a source of problems. However, it has been my experience that when properly installed, with the correct drivers, there is no apparent hardware conflict.

I have some decent laptop specs which are
Nividia GeForce 940
i5-6200U (gets around 2.6ghz)
8gbs of RAM
Also I'm using a Logitech G402 Mouse

What kind of selection tool are you using?  With the cursor, circle select, or border-box select?

I recently had the same problem.
I followed steps noted here.
However, I instead changed the multisample settings from none to 2.
It seemed to help a bit, and then I changed it back and so far it seems to be working fine.
Another forum suggest some have fixed the issue by disabling anti-aliasing in their GPU control panel.
So far it seems to be working as it should be.
I hope this helps.

Sounds like a frustrating problem.. here are some things which may help answer:
First download the latest version of Blender to make sure you have the most recent cut.
Then make sure you're running with no additional add-ons and with default settings.  If it works fine then, then you can add back your settings until run into the problem again.
-jason

I already have the most recent version

Does it happen with every scene, or just one particular scene?


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Loop Cut Not Working On Face
Soo I was modeling when I came across a face that a loop cut didn't work on. I googled it and everyone was saying it would be like an interior face behind the normal face but it was the only face.
Here are some pics

https://snag.gy/OQ5zjF.jpg

https://snag.gy/6m0E4N.jpg

authors: Павел Макарцев


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Is There a Shortcut to Make a Bezier Curve Straight
I want to know if I can straighten a bezier curve from the start without having to mess around till it gets straight.

Can you make your question more clear, what do you mean make it straighten?
Do you mean you want to "unwrap" it as in keeping it's length and making it linear, or do you want to make individual segments linear?
You can either use the toolbar button Set Spline Type to make a whole spline into a Polyline that will force all segments to be lines, or you can select a bunch of vertex and press V to access the Handle Type menu and make selected vertex into Vector type that will make segments between them straight.
Alternatively if you just want to make a 2D "planar" spline you can just press the 2D button in the Properties Window>Object Data Tab of your bezier curve object.

Ah thank you I wanted to make the whole curve a straight line


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How to Get That Triangulated Low-Poly Look?
I've been doing low-poly models for about a year now cause that's all I can really do. I've always wanted that good triangle looking low poly style. Never knew how to achieve it, Im guessing with modifiers. I'm just unsure, if anyone knows how to do this look please leave a comment. Thanks!
(Example is the game Jalopy)

You're looking for the decimate modifer.

Change the shading to Flat, check Triangulate and reduce the ratio to the desired result.

Thanks a million! :D. I was guessing it was the decimate modifier, just never knew about that triangulate tick mark.


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Can I place objects along a line with Geometry Nodes and have them rotated along the line?
I am trying to use Geometry Nodes to place square "pillars" along a wall. This is what I have now:

I modeled a pillar as an object named "Cube" (...it's temporary :) ), and then I applied this Geometry Nodes modifier, passing as a parameter (Object) the line you see highlighted in orange:

Please ignore the "Align rotation to vector" node: it's from a failed attempt.
As you can see in the first image, the pillars are all oriented in a fixed direction, that matches the original's rotation. What I want is the pillars to "follow along" the line, i.e., each one has two faces that are parallel to the wall.
I'm a beginner with Geometry Nodes, so I'm open to wildly different approaches :)
PS: Ideally, since I hope to reuse this modifier elsewhere, the modifier should have a boolean to allow either the behavior I've described ("follow along") and the one you see depicted ("don't follow along").

If you convert the mesh line that is receiving the instances into a curve and then put that into a Curve to Points then it it will automatically output a Normal, Tangent and Rotation outputs derived from the curve direction values. If you plug the Rotation output in into the Rotation on the Instance on Points rotation it should get you pretty close.

@Jakemoyo Thank you, that's what I need! Isolating the Z rotation gets me what I want. If you want to post an answer, I'll accept it.

If you convert the mesh line that is receiving the instances into a curve and then put that into a Curve to Points then it it will automatically output a Normal, Tangent and Rotation outputs derived from the curve direction values.

If you plug the Rotation output in into the Rotation on the Instance on Points rotation it should get you pretty close. You can tweak the rotation after you get the instances aligned with a Rotate Instances Node.
Full graph.

Result.