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Blender 3.1: Python API

Bundled Python

Python 3.10

Python has been upgraded from version 3.9 to 3.10, there are some changes that may impact script authors.

  • Python 3.10 no longer implicitly converts floats to int's (issue linked). This means functions that previously accepted float typed values will raise a type error.
    Floating point arguments must now be explicitly converted to integers (see example commits (bb62f10715, 7476c1ac24).

Text Editor

  • User preference to auto-close brackets and quotes (c4ea5cb1a3).

Crazy space

Crazy space is an implementation of what often is called deformation space: a mapping of per-vertex orientation between un-deformed object and object after shape keys and deformation modifiers are applied. The crazy space was used internally to support features like sculpting on a deformed mesh: to "cancel out" mesh deformation on a brush stroke and apply it on a base mesh.

The crazy space is now available via the Python API (196da819ba).The example use is:

object.crazyspace_eval(depsgraph, scene)

# When we have a difference between two vertices and want to convert
# it to a space to be stored, say, in shapekey:
delta_in_orig_space = rigged_ob.crazyspace_displacement_to_original(
    vertex_index=i, displacement=delta)

# The reverse of above.
delta_in_deformed_space = rigged_ob.crazyspace_displacement_to_deformed(
    vertex_index=i, displacement=delta)

object.crazyspace_eval_clear()

It has similar limitations and expectations than sculpting on a deformed mesh. Mainly if there is a shape key then the orientation mapping is calculated assuming the active shape key defines basis for the undeformed space.

The explanation and demo how this is useful for riggers written up by Demeter Dzadik.

Other Additions

  • Mesh has new vertex_normals and polygon_normals properties with that provide access to a contiguous array of values (b7fe27314b, cfa53e0fbe).
    • Internally, normals are no longer stored in MeshVertex directly (or the internal struct MVert), though the MeshVertex.normal property is still available.
  • New convenience properties Object.children_recursive and Collection.children_recursive (7c568e7d36).

Breaking Changes

  • Action.frame_range will now return the manually set frame range if available. Add-ons are advised to evaluate whether this is appropriate for their use case, or whether they need to switch to Action.curve_frame_range which always returns the range computed from the keys (5d59b38605).