Blender Advanced: Scripting

Name: Blender Advanced: Scripting
Author: Jay Grewall

Learn how to use Python scripting to create, modify, and animate 3D objects in Blender

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Course: On-Demand

Hello, and welcome to Knowledge City's course on Advanced Blender 3D. My name is Jay, and today we'll be getting an introduction to scripting in Blender using Python. Python is a free, open-source programming language and is used to write the Blender application. Python is also used to create custom actions directly inside Blender by accessing its API or application programming interface. Scripting is typically used to create add-ons, which allow added features and functionalities based upon user input. Python uses what's called dot notation as its syntax. This means a dot is used to indicate the properties or attributes of a predefined object. In Python, an object is an entity which is treated like a real-world object and has specific attributes and parameters. Let's start with the interface. I'm here in our default 3D scene, and we're going to head to the top and click on the Scripting tab. Our workspace has changed. In our top left, we have our standard 3D scene. To its right, we have our text editor, and at the bottom left, we have our Python scripting console. And directly under that, we have a window which displays a list of all our most recent actions. Let's start with this window. I'm going to select on the default cube in our 3D viewer and simply move it, and watch what happens. Blender has produced this large block of text consisting of every small detail pertaining to the simple act of moving the object. And this window will continue to display this information for every action taken while inside Blender. For example, if I delete this cube, watch what it says at the bottom. If I go over to my scene collection and I rename my camera, you'll see in the bottom window the action has taken place. If I select on my light and change its properties, watch what it says in the bottom left. And if I add an object to the scene, this is what Blender lets us know. Thankfully, we don't need to memorize all this code. But let's take a look at what all this is using some basic examples. I'm going to head over to the text editor window to illustrate this. I'm going to click on new to start writing our code. And the text looks a little bit small, so I'm going to click on view at the top and select sidebar. Here we can adjust the size of our font. We can also hold down the control key on our keyboard and scroll our mouse wheel up and down. For this example, I'm going to start by entering a hash symbol, which allows us to write notes when scripting. These notes are ignored by Python, which is why the text is going to be gray. This is an example of dot notation syntax. This is simply asking for the name of a dog. This is simply asking for the height of a person. And this is simply asking for the address of a person's home. In these examples, an object is followed by another descriptive object. A simple way of remembering this is by treating the dot as an apostrophe S. You'll notice that my entire body of text has shifted. This is because my line is too long. So I'm going to set my text editor to wrap all of its text. I can do that by clicking on this word wrap button up at the top right. Now we can see everything at once. This is a very basic example of dot notation syntax. But this will only work if each object has been defined. Now you might be wondering, what is the difference between the text editor and the Python console? Simply put, the console allows for smaller lines of code to be written and executed one at a time. This is a great area for testing purposes. The text editor, on the other hand, allows for large blocks of code which are executed at once in their entirety. But they both do the exact same thing, and they produce the same results. And this is a basic introduction to Python scripting in Blender. Thank you very much for watching.

Advanced Provider : Jay Grewall 5 Lessons · 35m in English

Course Description

Understanding the Python scripting environment and interface within Blender is important if you want to expand your creative possibilities. By exploring scripting syntax and the creation of basic 3D objects, you'll better understand the foundations of scripting and adhering to proper syntax. Discovering how to import Python libraries enhances your access to specific functionalities, taking your scripts and projects to new heights. Also, understanding how to use "for loops" to automate tasks based on defined criteria and streamline your workflow can help you work more efficiently. With this knowledge, you'll unlock more of the potential of Blender, enabling customized workflows, automation, and more precise control over your designs.

In this course, you will learn to use Python in Blender to automate repetitive tasks using a process called “scripting. You will discover Python’s benefits, syntax, terminology, interface, and uses, along with Blender’s Drivers. By the end of this course, you will be able to write scripts to create, modify, and animate 3D objects, along with object materials.

What You'll Learn

Use the Python scripting environment and interface within Blender
Create basic 3D objects using Python
Import Python libraries to access specific functionalities
Automate repetitive tasks using "for loops" to streamline your workflow
Write scripts to create, modify, and animate 3D objects and their materials
Insert driver scripts to create dynamic behavior using Blender's Drivers

Key Takeaways

Scripting in Blender uses Python to automate repetitive tasks.
Adhering to proper scripting syntax is part of the foundations covered in this course.
Importing Python libraries enhances access to specific functionalities for scripts and projects.
Using "for loops" automates tasks based on defined criteria and helps you work more efficiently.
The course covers Python's benefits, syntax, terminology, interface, and uses, along with Blender's Drivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I be able to do after completing this course?

By the end of this course, you will be able to write scripts to create, modify, and animate 3D objects, along with object materials.

What topics does this course cover?

It covers using Python in Blender to automate repetitive tasks through scripting, including Python's benefits, syntax, terminology, interface, and uses, along with Blender's Drivers. Lessons include Introduction to Python, Creating Objects Using Python, Animating Objects With Python, Creating and Modifying 3D Objects With Python, and Drivers.

What is scripting in Blender?

Scripting is the process of using Python in Blender to automate repetitive tasks.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will gain skills in Active Scripting, Blender 3D (3D Graphics Software), CGI Scripting, Custom Scripting, Python (Programming Language), and Scripting.