Scripting – blender base camp

Ever thought about learning a programming language like Python? Well, you can learn a form of Python script using Blender itself to create objects, scenes, and even software plugins for Blender while learning the principles of object-oriented programming. While learning Python script is not a requirement to use Blender, it is yet another invaluable skill that you can pick up in addition to 3D modeling, sculpting, and video editing. Learning Python within Blender will also allow you to unlock the software's true potential as you have access to all the source code and can make any changes you want to your version of the application. Already an incredibly versatile tool, Blender 3D and its open-source software make it easy for you to begin learning code specific to 3D design and present an opportunity for you to not only be an artist but a programmer too. How Do I Get Started Learning About Python In Blender? If you want to begin learning how to code using Blender 3D, you don't need to install any additional plugins to do so, as an editor already exists that allows you to write your own code in the form of a text file. Actually, there is an entire workspace that is dedicated to the process of scripting. Scripting Tab When you start a new project, you have access to the various workspaces at the top of the UI by accessing the respective tabs. Go up to these tabs and then scroll across to the end where you will find a tab labeled as 'Scripting'. Select this tab to open the scripting workspace. In this tab, you have the following panels that will help with writing python... Text EditorPython Console3D ViewportOutlinerProperties Panel The text editor is the place where you will write out your scripts and then run them to test how they will affect Blender. If you go to the header menu of the text editor and select templates, you will be able to load example scripts so that you can begin learning about the structure of Python in Blender. Scripting Workspace Check out Youtube for tutorials on using these tools to create your own plugins for the Blender software. Darkfall is an excellent tutor on Youtube for beginners who want to learn python scripts in Blender. Is Learning Python In Blender The Same As It Is Elsewhere? While the general principles are the same, learning Python is not identical to learning Python for other applications or for general use outside of the application. The scripting workspace allows you to use a specific form of python that is already built for use with and to run Blender 3D. If you choose to learn Python script exclusively in Blender, it does not help us much when you use those skills elsewhere, and you are learning Python in Blender to use in Blender. Example Template Script For example, the templates offer a guide into how the python code is structured specifically to work with 3D objects in the viewport, material data, lighting, and so on. You can refer to these elements in the code that you create rather than creating them from scratch. So What Can We Do With Python In Blender? In Short, you can do absolutely everything in Blender that you could otherwise do using the menu tools and menus that are already accessible, plus a lot more. Now writing code to perform tasks that you could already do using the tools that are already there seems to be fruitless tasks, but this can provide the basis for creating new tools. For example, say you learn how to add new objects into your scene, like the add mesh menu. You also learn how to create a pie menu, and you learn how you can control the number of segments that a UV sphere has when you create it. Using that knowledge, you could create a tool that opens up like a pie menu, and in that pie menu, you have different sphere objects with a varying number of segments and rings. Remember that any form of learning requires a base of knowledge, using what we already know as the base for what we are trying to learn. This example however is fairly mundane compared to what you can really do. Every single addon ever created in Blender, whether it be simple or complex, was created using the same text editor in Blender and the same code format. You only need to look at the add-on library in the preferences panel to get a taste of what you can do with python code. Can I Learn Other Programming Languages Through Blender? Blender itself is built from the ground up using the Python programming language, which is suitable because it is referred to as object-oriented programming, used for 3D and other creative applications. Only the base principles of code structure are transferrable to other programming languages, and even then, not in the same form. By learning to code using python in Blender you are learning how programming generally works, and the basic rules that you need to follow when writing and running a script, such as call functions, classes etc. But how these are implemented changes from one language to another. In short, you cannot learn how to code C++ by learning Blender specific Python. its a little bit like trying to learn Mexican Spanish while knowing German, it doesn't quite match up. Thank You For Reading The Article We hope you found the information that you were looking for in this article. We have included a small list of additional articles below that we think you may be interested in. Is Blender The Only Free Software Out There?Why do Materials Get Deleted When You Close Your Project?Making Node Trees Easier To View With FramesHow To Identify Normals In Blender 3D?Making Glass Transparent In The Eevee Engine