Blend File Presets - Effortlessly Manage and Switch Between Multiple Blender Configurations

New 2.1 update released 10/29/2024

Checkout the Road Map below

On sale now until November 4th!

 Anything Can Be a Preset! 

Overview:

Streamline your workflow with the Blend File Presets add-on for Blender. This simple yet powerful tool enables you to easily save, categorize, and load multiple Blender presets, giving you quick access to your preferred workspaces and configurations. Whether you're a 3D artist, animator, or game developer, Blend File Presets helps you maintain organized workspaces, seamlessly switch between project setups, and optimize your creative process.

The inspiration for this tool came from the challenge of constantly overwriting Blender's default startup file while working on a series of projects with similar workflows. Previously, saving over the startup file for a new project meant losing the setup for a previous project. With Blend File Presets, your foundational settings remain organized and accessible, no matter the type of project you're working on.

With version 2.1.0, you can also import add-ons, themes, settings, and more into a current saved project, making it even easier to tailor your Blender environment to your specific needs.

Significant UI upgrade for greater control and customization at your fingertips!

Clean UI with options to cater the display to fit your workflow.

Organize Presets with Custom Categories and Load Presets with Saved Preferences

Create personalized folders as categories to keep your presets neatly organized for fast access.

Instantly load presets along with the exact preferences they were saved with - add-ons, themes, workspaces, and more.

Flexible Saving Options: Blend file or Preset

Choose to save as a standard .blend file or as a comprehensive preset that includes all of your preferences.

Enhanced Loading Options: Blend file, Preset, or Import Preferences

Effortlessly load your workspace exactly as needed - choose between the blend file, full preset, or importing the preferences.

Window layouts, workspaces, add-ons, etc. are all restored when needed

Simple folder structure with a root folder and the subfolders containing the blend files

(filters for only showing folders with blend files)

Customize Icons for Folders and Blend Files!

Use the add-on Icon Viewer to select the icon you want, then click the folder or file to update the icon.

*Suggested use requires enabling Icon Viewer which is included with Blender under Get Extensions.

*Can also simply go to the Icon Items and copy the names

The use of Presets is optional, the file management aspect is amazing by itself!

No more hoping the file you want is in your recently opened list.

Simply select the folder and then the file.

There are now options to set a default operation for saving and loading

Set a default to streamline menu options, ideal if you use this tool for a single task.

You can also disable prompts, including those for unsaved changes before loading a preset and fallback options when preferences are missing.

Small But Powerful Ease of Use Improvements!

Now you can Switch Folders when loading presets and Create Folders when saving presets.

Set the menu to a shortcut or Quick Favorite for easy access

Key Features:

• File Path Handling: Set file paths for your presets and new blend files directly within the add-on preferences, ensuring consistency in saving and loading workflows across projects.
• Customizable Presets: Save your current Blender configuration as a preset, including everything from layouts, windows, add-ons, themes, objects, to specific scene settings. Switch between multiple presets with just a few clicks.
• Category Management: Easily organize presets into custom categories by creating folders in the root directory, helping you quickly access the setup you need for any project or task.
• Import Preferences: Instead of manually searching for and toggling add-ons needed for your current project, simply import preferences from your pre-configured tool bag, instantly loading your preferred setup.
• Overwrite Presets: Easily update a preset by saving a new version with the same name in the same folder (with a built-in confirmation to prevent accidental overwrites).
• Safety First: With built-in confirmation prompts, you'll never accidentally overwrite unsaved work when switching between presets.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Designed to work seamlessly across all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• User-Friendly Interface: With an intuitive UI seamlessly integrated into Blender's menus, saving and loading presets becomes part of your natural workflow. Quickly access loading presets from File -> New and saving them from File -> Defaults.
• Ride Off of Previous Work: Open a preset while retaining elements from your current project, perfect for building on existing work without starting from scratch.

Who Is It For?

• 3D Artists: Quickly switch between different workspace layouts, rendering settings, and scene configurations to match the specific needs of your projects.
• Animators: Save animation presets that include key configurations for different projects, allowing you to focus more on creativity and less on setup.
• Game Developers: Manage multiple project configurations, including different render settings, physics setups, and more, tailored to various stages of game development.
• All Levels of Blender Users: Whether you're just getting started with Blender or a seasoned pro, Blend File Presets can help you maintain an efficient, organized workflow from project start to finish.

Why Choose Blend File Presets?

• Efficiency: Save time by loading predefined setups instantly, reducing repetitive tasks and speeding up your workflow.
• Organization: Keep your workspaces and projects neatly organized, allowing you to focus on your creative work without getting bogged down in setup details.
• Flexibility: Whether you're working on multiple projects or collaborating with a team, Blend File Presets gives you the flexibility to switch between different setups effortlessly.
• Collaboration Ready: Easily share presets and workflows with team members, ensuring everyone stays on the same page.

Get Started Today!

Download now and start saving time instantly. Boost your productivity with Blend File Presets! Enhance your Blender experience and organize your projects like never before.

Roadmap

In future updates, I plan to expand Blend File Presets with powerful new functionalities, adding even more flexibility and organization to asset and preset management. Here are some ideas currently in development:

Key Features Under Consideration

• Import: Allow users to import assets, configurations, and presets directly from external sources, with easy path selection and organized folders. This will enable users to efficiently bring in assets from external libraries or custom asset browsers.

• Export: Introduce a streamlined export process for objects, scenes, or configurations. The export feature will allow assets to be saved in a structured and categorized manner, making it simple to retrieve or share assets across projects.

• Append: Facilitate the addition of external elements to existing files while preserving the original structure. This will enable users to seamlessly incorporate new objects, materials, or settings from external files, aiding in a more flexible workflow.

• Link: Create a system to link assets from a central directory, ensuring updates in the source files are reflected across projects. This would be especially useful for managing shared assets or configurations that need to be consistent across multiple files.

Directory Structure

Once these features are implemented, the add-on will support dedicated directories for each function (Import, Export, Append, Link). Within these primary directories, users can create as many custom folders as they need to categorize paths and organize assets according to project or asset type. This setup will allow for:

• Customizable Categories: Users can organize their assets based on project requirements, asset type, or other custom categories.

• Efficient Workflow: By defining specific directories, users will have an easy, accessible structure for all key processes, reducing time spent searching for assets or configuration files.

• Enhanced Organization: The directory-based approach will enable users to keep paths and resources organized, making it easier to manage, locate, and integrate assets efficiently.

Vision

With these additions, Blend File Presets will become a comprehensive tool for managing not only the typical "presets" but also assets, configurations, and paths across projects. Users will have a versatile asset management solution right inside Blender, tailored for streamlined processing and maximum flexibility. The idea being that anything can be a preset!

Support & Updates:

• Continuous Support: We're here to help! Reach out to us for any questions or support needs. Your satisfaction is our priority.
• Regular Updates: We are committed to keeping Blend File Presets up to date with new Blender versions and features based on user feedback, so you're always working with the latest tools.
• Hefty Logging: Logs are generated for nearly every action within the add-on. These internal logs can be viewed or sent via email for support (logs are kept to a file size of 1 MB or one day, whichever comes first). - Currently, external logging is disabled in favor of console printing.

About Us:

At Off the Clock Studios, we believe in empowering creatives with tools that streamline their workflows and free up more time for innovation. Our passion for creativity and technical expertise drives us to deliver high-quality Blender add-ons that enhance your creative process, allowing you to focus on what matters most—creating.

Other Off the Clock Studios Products:

Datapath Keyframes - Manipulate data and toss in some keyframes

Show It Off - Will it be your go-to for production? Probably not. Will you zone out and find inner peace while admiring your work? That’s the plan.