Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
A few words of warning are in order. By taking on the challenge of Python scripting in Blender, you are,
in a way, stepping into the “wild west” of Blender use. You are crossing over (if you haven't already) to being
a power user of Blender. The Blender-Python API has undergone major changes since the recode of the event
system and interface that came with Blender 2.5, and the overhaul is not complete at the time of this writing,
although it is quite close. As a power user and a budding Blender-Python programmer yourself, you will want
to refer regularly to the latest API docs and keep yourself informed about developments.
You will certainly find an eager and knowledgeable community of users and developers online to help guide
you through the wild patches. You can find support in the Python forum of BlenderArtists.org, located here:
For Python development, there are also the #blender, #blenderpython, and #blendercoders IRC channels.
Don't be afraid to join the discussion and to point out areas where you think the API is lacking. The more
pe
ople use this API and participate in its development and design, the faster improvements will come.
The Python Software Foundation
For the first several years after Python was initially developed by Guido van Rossum, the status of the Python in-
tellectual property went through several changes as Guido worked under the auspices of various employers. By
2001, it was clear that Python had become too widely used for this to continue and needed a stable environment
to thrive. The Python Software Foundation (PSF) was founded as a nonprofit corporation in the United States,
with a mission to “promote, protect, and advance the Python programming language, and to support and facilitate
the growth of the international community of Python programmers.” In practice, this involves maintaining and
protecting trademarks and intellectual property associated with Python and supporting Python and Python-related
development in a variety of ways. The PSF provides financial assistance for conferences as well as grants for
Python-related training and development projects.
The PSF was patterned after other successful open-source software foundations, such as the Apache Software
Foundation, which plays a similar role in promoting and supporting the widely used open-source Apache HTTP
server and related software. In turn, the PSF was a predecessor in some respects of the Blender Foundation.
Companies with a stake in the development of Python contribute by becoming corporate sponsor members of the
PSF. Sponsor members include ActiveState, Google, Microsoft, O'Reilly Media, and Sun Microsystems, among
others. Industrial Light & Magic, the Hollywood special-effects powerhouse, is among the “emeritus” sponsor
members of the PSF.
Although corporate sponsorship accounts for a considerable amount of the PSF's revenue, the PSF's status as a
nonprofit organization enables (and depends on) contributions by individual community members as well. If you
feel inclined to help contribute to the foundation, you can make a tax-deductable donation at
www.python.org/
Understanding the Python Development
Environment
Any general-purpose book or tutorial you might read will assume that you have access to a command-line
interface for your Python interpreter. Versions of Blender previous to 2.5 did not have their own interactive
command-line interface, so it was a good idea to take the first steps in Python with a freestanding Python in-
stallation and use the native Python command-line environment (called IDLE) to get your bearings with the
