Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
DNA and RNA
Blender uses a unique internal format called
DNA
to store and reference 3D assets. The name is an analogy to the
biological term, with the implication that DNA is a highly compact encoding of all the information necessary to
re-create the contents of what Blender users know as a
.blend
file: scenes, objects, and all associated datab-
locks. DNA is a binary format, which makes it very fast to load and save. For example, the same data represented
in XML may be several orders of magnitude slower to load and save, particularly in the case of large files with
many scene elements. This is the main reason why
.blend
files are so flexible and can be used to store large
and complex scenes and even collections of scenes.
RNA is a current development that comprises an important behind-the-scenes component of the 2.5 changes. It is
also loosely analogous to the biological meaning of the term. RNA will serve as a wrapper or low-level interface
for accessing and setting values in DNA. In practice, RNA will be used to automatically generate interface ele-
ments and the Python API, making it easier to keep them up to date and consistent. The enhanced access that
RNA enables also has the effect of finally realizing the long-held dream of having nearly everything in Blender
capable of being animatable.
