Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
B
Supplements
B.1 Installing Add-Ons
B.2 The Outliner Window
B.1 Installing Add-Ons
Add-ons are additional Blender functions, hidden away in the user preferences window
to prevent cluttering the interface. Add-ons are Python scripts (pieces of code in the Py-
thon programming language) that, when activated, provide additional functionality to the
Blender program. Blender comes preloaded with a selection of add-ons, but there are liter-
ally hundreds of scripts available for download on the internet—the Blender website con-
tains a link to the scripts repository where a great number can be found.
When you download an add-on (Python script), you have to install it into Blender; the
best way to show this process is to provide an example. A very interesting add-on in Blender
is called BlenRig 4, which is a script for manipulating a model of the human body. You
will have to study the sections in this topic on modeling, animation, rigging, and applying
modifiers before you can possibly understand how this amazing piece of code works, but
I am sure installing it will demonstrate how powerful Blender is. This exercise will show
you how to download a compressed (.zip) file and extract it to a folder, find a Python script
contained in the decompressed file, then install the script into Blender. This is an exercise in
manipulating files to add functionality to Blender. For a beginner, the exercise may appear
daunting but is well worth pursuing.
To begin, we will go to the internet and download a folder containing the Python script
and a demonstration Blender (.blend) file. The download will be a compressed (.zip) file, so
you must have a program installed on your computer to unzip it: either WinZip, WinRar,
or Zzip will do the trick.
