Collada plugin for After Effects

More info here
Plugins and Scripts > trueSpace > Utilities
blender object in trueSpace

Blender Link for trueSpace7.61

blender icon

This script will use Blender to generate some meshes, curves and uv maps. The bevel tool can be applied to edge and vertex selections. A socket server is installed in Blender and a socket client is used in tS to transfer data and commands.

persistent base install v3 required

All prerequisites are included in the Unofficial trueSpace Updates - https://www.united3dartists.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=55

NURBS required to import curves.

SocketsCommandLink.zip for Blender 3.3 and up

Installation:

If the unofficial updates is installed skip to step 4

  1. install the persistent base if not already installed
  2. install the nurbs tools and all its requirements
  3. install status message, global function set and json function set
  4. drag the node into the link editor and press the install button
  5. delete the node from the scene after the install is complete

Blender 4.1 and up

  1. Edit > Preferences...
  2. Get Extensions
  3. Allow Online Access
  4. search the word "extra"
  5. Install Extra Curve Objects
  6. Install Extra Mesh Objects
  7. search LoopTools and install it
  8. Add-ons
  9. click the little down arrow upper right and choose "Install from Disk..."
  10. select the SocketsCommandLink.zip file

Blender v3 Installation

  1. Edit > Preferences...
  2. Add-ons tab
  3. Enable Add Mesh: Extra Objects
  4. Enable Add Curve: Extra Objects
  5. Install the Add-on from install button at the top
  6. choose SocketsCommandLink.zip, and check the box when it appears to enable the add on
  7. The Command Link will be found in the Sidebar in the Clintons3D panel
blender command link

Start - will start the socket server in Blender which will receive the commands from trueSpace

Stop - will stop the socket server

primitive panel

Mesh Primitives:

Blender mesh primitives information

Blender extra mesh object information

  • Monkey - create Blender mesh object
  • Icosphere - create Blender mesh object
  • Round Cube - create Blender mesh object, no UVs generated
  • Teapot - create Blender mesh object, no UVs generated

Socket Timeout - how long in milliseconds before giving up on receiving a response from Blender. (10 sec default)

uv panel

UV Tools:

Blender uv tools information

Follow Active Quads - "Starts from the active quad and recursively attaches its neighboring, selected mesh quads to its pre-existing UV quad. Non-quad faces are ignored."

- uses selected faces and active face
- if 1 face selected will process the island/select linked uvs - not true but keep behavior anyway
- more than 1 selected face, process the selected faces
- if no active face set the first selected face to active
- tS active face if it is set must be in the face selection
- to clear active face run set with invalid or empty selection
- note triangles are ignored by the tool

bevel panel

Bevels:

Blender bevel edges information

Blender bevel points information

  • Offset Type - OFFSET and ABSOLUTE will match the visual indicator when using the Offset scrubber control.
  • Offset - drag the scrubber to get a preview of the bevel
  • Bevel - select the points or edges or faces to bevel, drag change the Offset value to see a preview before commiting to the Bevel
  • Undo - 4 undos if no material, 12 undos if material

Clean Geometry - bad geometry coming from Blender can give errors and crash trueSpace. This option cleans up the geometry around the bevel before sending the data to trueSpace.

nurbs panel

NURBS Curves:

Blender extra curve object information from the Internet Archive

  • Ellipse - create Blender curve object
  • Polygon - create Blender curve object
  • Star - create Blender curve object
spiral panel

Spiral Curves:

Blender extra curve object information from the Internet Archive

  • Spiral - create Blender spiral curves
misc panel

Miscellaneous:

Blender grid fill information

  • Grid Fill - "Grid Fill uses a pair of connected edge loops or a single, closed edge loop to fill in a grid that follows the surrounding geometry."
  • if choosing a closed selection instead of pairs of edges the number of points must be even around the selection.
loop tools circle panel

Loop Tools - Circle:

Blender loop tools information

web archive - https://sites.google.com/site/bartiuscrouch/looptools

  • Loop Tools - Circle - reshapes the selected geometry into a circle shape

Clean Geometry - bad geometry coming from Blender can give errors and crash trueSpace. This option cleans up the geometry around the Loop Tools - Circle before sending the data to trueSpace.

loop tools bridge panel

Loop Tools - Bridge:

Blender loop tools information

web archive - https://sites.google.com/site/bartiuscrouch/looptools

  • Segments - value of 0 will be automatic
  • Loop Tools - Bridge/Loft -
  • Loft - do a loft operation instead of a bridge

Clean Geometry - bad geometry coming from Blender can give errors and crash trueSpace. This option cleans up the geometry around the Loop Tools - Bridge/Loft before sending the data to trueSpace.

loop tools curve panel

Loop Tools - Curve:

Blender loop tools information

web archive - https://sites.google.com/site/bartiuscrouch/looptools

  • Loop Tools - Curve - only works with vertex selection

Clean Geometry - bad geometry coming from Blender can give errors and crash trueSpace. This option cleans up the geometry around the Loop Tools - Curve before sending the data to trueSpace.

smart uv panel

Smart UV:

Blender uv tools information

Smart UV "Examines the angles between the selected faces, cuts them along any sharp edges, then projects each separated group of faces along its average normal and lays it out on the UV map. You can also set up seams for additional cutting."

- smart uv does not require pe mode and works with multi object selection
- edge selections to seams has an effect, but unpredictable
- operates on face selections if any, otherwise all faces

  • run smart uv on the selected mesh object ( or on PE face and vertex or edge selections)
  • will work on a multiple object selection
  • if choose UV Channel 2 and UV Channel 1 does not exist, it will create the UV in channel 1 not channel 2.

This tool can crash tS randomly, save before using it.

unwrap uv panel

Unwrap UV:

Blender uv tools information

Unwrap UV - "Cuts the selected faces along their seams, flattens them, and lays them out on the UV map. Previously existing UV coordinates are overwritten. Useful for organic shapes." s

- responds to face and edge/point selections
- requires point or edge selections
- combining seam and face selections can be a little tricky because similar selected colors, points for seams maybe easier to see if make point size large and convert edge selection

  • select edges or points and run unwrap, edge and point selection will transfer as marked seams
  • Iterations and No Flip are only used with the Method MINIMUM_STRETCH option
  • Fill Holes is for Methods ANGLE_BASED and CONFORMAL only
  • if choose UV Channel 2 and UV Channel 1 does not exist, it will create the UV in channel 1 not channel 2.
pack uv panel

Pack UV:

Blender uv pack information

Pack UV "The Pack Islands tool can be used to optimize the UV layout by adjusting existing islands to efficiently fill the Texture Space. Based on the options selected, the tool will scale, translate and rotate the islands, ensuring a specified margin exists between them to maximize the usage of the UV space."

  • Merge Overlap - should be on for all except special cases as the results are unexpected when disabled

Blender Link Playlist

Notes:

unwrap - needs edge selection
smartuv - edge selection optional
both will take vertex or edge selections to mark seams

  • The Clean Geometry option will help prevent many crashes but the result is not as clean. If you know the geometry is good turn this off for a better result.
  • trueSpace uv patch selections can be manhually converted to face selections
  • Smart UV - Correct Aspect does not do anything - used inside Blender to adjust for a texture image aspect ratio
  • not all Blender options for all the tools are supported
  • uses a modified OD Copy Paste format to transfer mesh information
    OD_CopyPasteExternal by Oliver Hotz of Origami Digital
  • made with blender 4.4 but should work back to blender 3.3 because named arguments used and new args ignored by old?
  • Potential future change - use own data format, including normals data

tS UV Editor and the Info Panel BUG:
The docked info panel will not work properly with uv selections. The location and bounding box size values will not be correct. A floating info panel will work with the current selection, but will need to be reopened for any selection changes.

May 25 2025

  • pack uv merge overlap inactive option not working as expected, changed default to true

May 22 2025

  • loop tools circle fix angle input - convert degrees to radians

May 3 2025

  • remove Correct Aspect from Smart UV
  • smartuv new options rotation method and margin method
  • unwrap uv new method minimum stretch, iterations, no flip, new margin method option
  • new pack uvs

April 29, 2025

  • new bevel option clamp overlap
  • new bevel option material index
  • dissolve degenerates added to blender cleanup mesh code
  • fix: ui inputs update without the need to leave entry field

April 28, 2025

  • new loop tools curve
  • new loop tools bridge/loft
  • bevel can use face selections

April 26, 2025

  • decrease the socket timeout
  • check that blenders loop tools are installed
  • loop tools circle and bevel new clean geometry option to prevent crashes

April 25, 2025

  • bevel fix - tS plugin could not handle concave and non-planaer faces, fixed in blender python code
  • fix python exception to copy the mesh into the trueSpace collection which is needed for subsequent runs and other tool runs after

April 24, 2025

  • uv to truespace fixed - most crashes gone, fixed bevel crash
  • new Follow Active Quads
  • new Grid Fill
  • new Loop Tools Circle
  • checks for required Blender Add-ons and Extensions
  • checks tS nurbs installed and loaded
  • handles blender python exceptions so server stays active and valid
  • load on demand installer
  • floating panel
  • more "Undo(X) buttons

May 30, 2023

  • added crash warning for bevel miter inner = ARC
  • add undo buttons for smart uv, unwrap uv and bevel
  • updated blender addon to use vertex or point selections if active for smart uv
  • fixed torus spiral inner radius
May 17, 2023
May 17, 2023