Preferences

Preferences

The Preferences is the place where you can tweak several settings to your needs. It can be opened in the Edit menu in the top bar.

The Preferences contains several tabs. And every tab contains several rows or panels with content. We will go through them one by one.

When you have changed something, and want that changes to be permanent, then you are required to save the user settings. See the Save User Settings button in the header.

Navigation Sidebar

At the left side you will find the navigation elements to access the different categories. Including a search bar where you can search for specific items.

At the bottom resides the Save Preferences menu.

Save Preferences menu

Auto Save preferences

Changes at the preferences are saved automatically when Auto Save Preferences is ticked. When this option is off, then changes needs to be saved manually. When you don't save the changes, then Bforartists loads the next time with the status before the changes.

Note that when Auto Save Preferecnes is unticked, then the Save Preferences button is displayed in the sidebar besides the Save Preferences menu, and not longer in the Save Preferences menu.

Load Factory Preferences

Resets the settings to the factory defaults.

Interface Tab

The Interface category contains settings to change how UI elements are displayed and how they react.

Display Panel

Resolution Scale

At 4K displays the whole UI elements are usually ways too small. Scale the whole UI size display by moving the slider to the needed value.

Line Width

Define the size of the line between the editors. This is a theming setting.

Viewport Line Width

Changes the appearance of only lines in the 3D Viewport.

Python Tool tips

Every tool tip can also display the Python code tag for the tool. It may look like noise in the first moment. But can give you some further hints here and there. Some tool tips, like the Node editor buttons, doesn't have a proper tool description by design. Here the Python tool tip can tell you the function when you turn it into pure icon buttons.

The tools in the tool shelf doesn't have a Python tool tip by design. This buttons sits on top of the normal operators, and doesn't access the tool tip of it.

Developer Extras

This tick box turns on or off the developer entries in the right click menus.

Editors Panel

Region Overlap

This checkbox will enable Blender to draw the Header, Tool Shelf and the Sidebar overlapping the 3D View. The transparent areas becomes workspace area. You can for example select vertices now in the transparent areas.

If you have a capable graphics card and drivers with Triple Buffer support, clicking the checkbox will enable the overlapping regions to be drawn using the Triple Buffer method, which will also enable them to be drawn using Alpha, showing the 3D View contents trough the Object Tools and Transform Properties regions.

Corner Handles

Displays small clickable handles in the corners of editor regions. Makes it easier to resize or split editors by dragging from the corners, especially in dense layouts. mproves discoverability and precision for users who prefer visual cues over edge-hovering in the editors.

Numeric Input Arrows

Adds left/right arrow buttons beside numeric fields. Lets you increment or decrement values by clicking, rather than typing or dragging. Offers a more tactile, UI-friendly way to adjust numbers—especially useful for tablets, styluses, or keyboard-free setups.

Navigation Controls

Show the navigation controls in the 2d and 3d views

Vertical Navigation Gizmos Alignment

Revert Navigation Controls to be vertical instead of Bforartists default horizontal alignment. Default is off.

Border Width

Size of the padding around each editor.

Color Picker Type

Choose the type of Color picker that will show when you click on a color field. You can choose between three square types and two circle types.

Header Position

Define at which default position the headers of the editors should reside.

Factor Display Type

Display factor values either as percentage or as factor.

Temporary Editors subpanel

How the temporary editors behave.

Render in

Where to display the rendered image.

File browser

Where to open the file browser.

Status Bar subpanel

These checkboxes let you customize what info appears in the status bar at the footer of the main window. The list is explicit.

Language Panel

Choose another default language for Bforartists.

Language

Choose between automatic language detection. In this case the system language gets chosen. Or pick a language that you want to use.

Translate

New Data

New data is meant to edit the localization texts.

This can be done in the right click menus of the tools when everything is set up in the correct way.

This is a development feature. You need a repository of Bforartists!

Let's nevertheless document the way how it should work. Note that you need a Bforartists repository for that. The binary version does not come with the editable *.po files, but with already compiled *.mo files for the translation.

Note that you first need to set the path to the translation files for that. Or you will get an error. This is done in the File tab. The |18n string.

The path should lead to the *.po files that you want to translate. Which can be found in the Bforartists repository.

And you need to enable the Manage UI translations add-on. And to fix the paths in this add-on. The default paths are currently set for Blender.

And then you might end in this error here ...

In case somebody has an idea what's going on here, every hint is welcome …

Accessibility Panel

Reduced Motion

The Reduce Motion option is designed to improve usability for users sensitive to motion effects. When enabled, the interface minimizes or disables non-essential animations in the interface.

Text Rendering Panel

Text related settings for the font of the interface.

Hinting

What sharpening method to use to make the text render sharp.

Menus Panel

Viewport

Contains the settings for the 3D Viewport.

Display

Text Info Overlay

Object Info

Display current frame, collection name and Object name in the upper left edge of the 3D view.

The letters appears in yellow when the current frame of the selected object has a keyframe.

View Name

Display the name of the current view up left in the 3D view.

Playback Frame Rate (FPS)

Show the frames per second screen refresh rate while an animation is played back. It appears in the viewport corner, displaying red if the frame rate set cannot be reached. And replaces the View name while the animation is playing.

Frame Rate Samples

The number of frames to use for calculating the fps average. A value of zero calculates the fps automatically, where the nunber of samples matches the target fps.

Gizmo Size

Adjust the size of the transform gizmo that appears when you have one of the transform tools activated.

Reference Sphere Size

How big the preview spheres are displayed.

3D Viewport Axis

Adjust the apperance of the 3D Viewport mini axis widget.

Off

Hides the Mini axis widget

Simple Axis

Shows simple axis. This widget type is not interactive. It just shows the state of the viewport rotation.

Size

The size of the simple mini axis widget.

Brightness

The brighness of th simple mini axis widget.

Interactive Navigation

The default mini axis widget. This widget is interactive. Clicking and dragging will rotate the viewport. Clicking at one of the colored spots at the end of the axis will snap to the neares orthographic view.

Quality

Contains the settings to adjust the display quality in the viewport.

Viewport Anti-Aliasing

The anti alias quality settings for the solid mode rendering in the 3d viewport.

Multi sampling

Set the OpenGL Multi sampling in case your system supports it.

Textures

Limit Size

Limit the maximum resolution for pictures used in textured display to save memory. The limit options are specified in a square of pixels, (e.g.: the option 256 means a texture of 256×256 pixels) This is useful for game engineers, whereas the texture limit matches paging blocks of the textures in the target graphic card memory. Available Options are: Off (No limit), 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, and 8192.

Image Display Method

The method that is used to draw textures in the viewport.

Subdivisions

GPU Subdivisions

Enable GPU acceleration for evaluating the last subdivision surface modifier at the bottom of the modifier stack. This greatly improves subdivision performance on playback and evaluation.

Lights

The viewport uses different light setups in different situations. You can switch between them in the shading drop down in the 3d view up right.

This tab allows you to customize these light setups. And install custom light setups.

Studio Lights

The 3D view uses Solid OpenGL lamps to light the 3D view. You can enable four different light sources here. These lamps does not affect the rendering. Their only purpose is to light the 3D view.

You can turn on or off the lamps. But there should be at least one light enabled.

Install

Install an external studio light.

Preview Window

This window appears when you have a studio light saved, or a new studio light installed.

Down left you can see the name of the saved library. mystudio.sl .

This window gives you a preview of how this studio light looks like in the 3D view then.

Up right you can find two buttons.

Delete Studio Light

Deletes the studio light.

Copy Studio Light settings to the Studio Light Editor

The editor settings does not update immediately. It shows the default studio light setting. So when you want to edit the studio light, then you want to press this button to update the editor values first.

MatCaps

Matcaps is a special material that can be assigned quickly to preview geometry. Usually matcaps are used while sculpting. You can switch between them in the shading drop down in the 3d view up right.

Install and manage custom matcaps.

LookDevHDRI's

You can light the scene with an environment image instead of lights. This is done with hdri images.

The viewport can do this in realtime when the shading is set to Viewport Shading.

Install and manage custom LookDev HDRI's. Basically every image could do the trick here. But the hdri's uses a special spherical mapping. So you better use hdri images for this purpose.

Editing

Contains the settings around editing. Objects, Data, etc.

Objects

New Objects

Link Materials To

Define how materials will be linked to its objects. Almost everything in Bforartists is organized in a hierarchy of data-blocks. A data-block can be thought of as containers for certain pieces of information. For example, the Object data-block contains information about the Object’s location while the Object Data ObData data-block contains information about the mesh.

Align To

Copy on Duplicate Data subtab

When you duplicate data, then most or all its subpart gets duplicated too. Define which supports should be duplicated when you duplicate an object.

3D Cursor

Annotations

Weight Paint

Use Custom Colors

Bforartists uses by default a gradient that goes from red to green to blue to black to display the different weight at a mesh.

Setup a custom gradient for the colors of a weight paint.

The + Button adds a color stop point, which can be moved around. That way you can have more than one color in the gradient.

The - Button removes the currently selected color stop point.

Tools Menu

Flip Color ramp flips the color ramp.

Distribute Stops from Left distributes the color stops from the left. The position at the right will remain empty.

Distribute Stops evenly distributes the color stops evenly across the gradient.

Eyedropper allows you to pick a color from the gradient.

Reset color ramp resets the color ramp to the default state.

Color Mode is a drop down box to choose the color mode for the gradient.

Interpolation is a drop down box to choose the interpolation mode for the gradient.

In the Color Ramp element you will see the color ramp with the single color stops.

Choose Active Color Stop is the stop point of the gradient.

Position is an edit box where you can numerically fine tune the position of the currently selected color stop.

Color Ramp Element displays the color of the current selected color stop. When you click at it then you can open a color picker to change the color of the current color stop.

Background Color

Background color is the same color than the secondary color from the color picker. When you click at it then you can open a color picker to change the secondary color.

Gradient Stroke Mode

Set the gradient stroke mode.

Grease Pencil

Text

Auto-close Character Pairs

Automatically close relevant character pairs when typing in the text editor.

Node Editor

Auto Offset

Use Auto Offset.

Auto Offset Margin

Minimum distance in the node editor between nodes for auto offsetting.

When you insert a new node between two existing connected nodes, then the two nodes gets pushed to left and right, with an offset. Adjust this offset.

Video Sequencer

Connect Movie Strips by Default

Connect new Movie Strips by Default if they have multiple channels.

Outliner

Colored Collection Rows

Displays collections in the outliner with a colored line and background. You need to give the collection a color first in the right click menu to show this colored line.

Miscellaneous

Sculpt Overlay Color

This color button allows the user to define a color to be used in the inner part of the brushes circle when in sculpt mode, and it is placed as an overlay to the brush, representing the focal point of the brush influence.

The overlay color is visible only when the overlay visibility is selected (clicking at the eye to set its visibility), and the transparency of the overlay is controlled by the alpha slider located at the brush pop-up, located at the top of the tool shelf, when in sculpt mode.

Animation

Contains the settings for the animation editors.

Timeline

Allow negative Frames

Minimum Grid Spacing

Adjust the minimum number of pixels between grid lines in a 2D viewport. This affects for example Timeline, Dope sheet, Graph or NLE Editor.

Time Code Style

In Timeline, Dope sheet, Graph and NLE editor you can either display the keyframe number or the time in the timeline. Define how the time gets displayed when you have chosen to display time.

Zoom To Frame Type

Timeline, Dope sheet, Graph and NLE. Define how zooming to frame focuses around current frame.

Keyframes

Only Insert Needed

With Auto it will only insert keyframes if the value of the property is different.

If there is a keyframe on the current frame, and it has no changes, it will skip recording over the keyframe.

If there is no keyframe, and it has no changes, skip recording the keyframe.

Auto Keyframing subpanel

F-Curves

Unselected Opacity

The amount that unselected F-curves stands out from the background in the Graph Editor.

Default Smoothing Mode

Auto handle smoothing mode for new added curves. None or Continuous accelleration.

Default Interpolation

This controls how the state between two keyframes is computed. Default interpolation for new keyframes is Bezier which provides smooth acceleration and de-acceleration whereas Linear or Constant is more abrupt.

Default Handles

The default handle types for F-Curves.

Extensions

In this section you can manage the availability of online add-ons and themes. Blender has an online repository with it. And you can download the ones that you need.

A theme allows you to customize the colors of the user interface. An extension add-on is external software written by other developers. Add-ons are a way to extend the core functionality of Bforartists. Bforartists already comes with lots of extensions add-ons. Some already activated. Here you can manage them, and add even more extension add-ons if required.

Some addons and themes are included. Some addons and themes can now be downloaded externally when you opt-in to Allow Online Access. And this is what the Extensions tab is good for.

Search Extensions

You need to have online access granted so that you can see and search the available themes and/or addons.

Filter Extensions

Filters the extensions content by tags and repositories. This allows users to filter, organize, and manage extensionsand themes based on functional tags.

Filter Extensions Settings Dropdown

Tag List (Checkboxes)

Each tag corresponds to a functional area in Blender. Checking a tag includes extensions related to that domain.

Repositories

Manage the extension repositories.

Extensions are managed in so called repositories. A place where the addons are stored. This includes the online sources, but also where the addons are stored at your local installation.

Repository List

The list of currently available repositories.

extensions.blender.org is the official extension repository from Blender, which we rely at. It is online.

User Default is the offline default repository. This includes the core addons and the addons that you have installed.

Add

Add a repository.

Add Remote Repository

Add a repository from an online source. It should ideally contain extensions. A dialog will pop up.

Custom Directory

Use a custom install directory. By default it installs in \AppData\Roaming\Bforartists\Bforartists\VERSIONNUMBER\scripts\addons

VERSIONNUMBER stands for the Blender version number here.

Note that the custom directory needs still to be in the \AppData\Roaming\Bforartists\Bforartists\VERSIONNUMBER\ path.

Custom Directory

The custom directory that you want to use.

Add Local Repository

Add a local repository.

Remove

Remove the chosen repository.

Remove Repository

Removes the repository from the repository list. But keeps the files locally.

Remove Repository & Files

Removes the repository from the repository list. And removes the local files too.

Refresh Remote

Refreshes the content. You must be online to set the menu item to active.

Active Extension Repository

You must be online to set the menu items to active.

Check for Updates on Startup

In case the selected repository is an online source you will see the Check for Updates on Startup properties to this repository.

Checks for available updates. And notifies you about it in the list of extensions then. You can also turn on the Extensions Updates notification in the footer.

Advanced Subpanel

Adjust settings for the repositories.

The content differs, dependant of the chosen repository.

Source

Select if the repository is a system directory, or a user directory. Normally this updates automatically when you use a system or a user directory in the list above. But here you can customize it.

Extensions Settings

Allow Online Access

Allow internet access to download extensions. Bforartists may access configured online extension repositories to download and update. And installed third party extensions may access the internet for their own functionality.

Online Extensions

An explicit dialog suggests that to access Extensions, you must allow internet access. This is so you can download and work with the online Blender extensions repository.

To install extensions from the internet, internet access is required. You can adjust this later from the “System” preferences in the Network panel. Once you have allowed online access, you will access the default Blender extensions website with free addons and themes.

Continue Offline

Closes the dialog. Note that you can always (re) enable the online access from the Extension settings menu.

Allow Online Access

Allow Bforartists to access the internet to load and display and also install available online add-ons and themes. You will see a list of all available online extensions then.

Also that you can also install extensions from disk or drag and drop extensions to install from disk when you are offline.

Repository Acccess Errors

In case you have added an invalid online repository you might be faced with a warning. You might want to fix the invalid extension repository then.

Add-ons

Manage the available addons. Note that for online addons you head over to the Extensions tab, and install it from there. The not installed but available online addons will not show here.

Drag and Drop

One of the methods to install an addon is to drag an extension zip file from the internet or from the computer into Bforartists from the operating system expolorer. This will automatically install and activate the addon or theme extension.

Search field

Search for specific addons.

Enabled only

Just display the enabled addons.

Install from Disk

You can install addons and extensions from a disk location. It will open a file browser where you can locate and load your add-on.

List of Addons

The actual list with the addons.

The addons with the warning sign is no error. It marks the bforartists legacy addons that are built in. But may have a conflict with the online version then.

Themes

The Themes tab allows you to customize interface appearance and colors. There are various elements that can be themed.

Any change here will appear in real-time on your screen in the corresponding editor.

To change a color for a UI element, simply click at one of the color fields. A color dialog will open up to choose a new color.

Presets

Bforartists comes with several theme presets. You can choose between them in the drop down box. Don't forget to save the user settings to make the change to the new preset permanent.

Create new Theme

To create a new theme, click the + button next to the preset selection drop-down and enter a name. This will save the theme to an XML file in the ./scripts/presets/interface_theme/ sub directory of one of the configuration directories.

To share the new created theme you have to copy it from that folder. This XML file can then be loaded as a theme at another computer with Bforartists installed.

Remove Theme

To remove a custom theme, click the - button next

Save Theme

To save changes to a custom theme, click on the save icon.

Install

Install an external theme. This button will open a file browser.

Reset

Resets all made changes, and resets the current theme to its initial state.

List of Editors

The list of the editors that you can theme. Every editor can have its own theming.

Input

This tab contains some input related settings.

Keyboard

Mouse

Emulate 3 Button Mouse

In the Windows world 3 button mouses are common. But Apple for example has a single mouse button. Bforartists can emulate a 3 button mouse. The third mouse button will then be emulated by a key combination.

Mouse/Keyboard combinations referenced in this manual can be expressed with the combinations shown in the table. For example, MMB drag becomes Alt + LMB drag. Shift + Alt + RMB becomes Shift + Alt + Cmd + LMB on a single-button mouse.

Tablet

This panel contains some tablet related settings.

Tablet API

Choose which API Bforartists should choose for the pressure sensitivity of your tablet.

Touchpad

Multi Touch Gestures

Use multi touch gestures for navigation with touchpad instead of scroll wheel emulation.

NDOF

You can use a 3D mouse in Bforartists. Here you find some 3D mouse related settings.

Navigation

The navigation section contains the settings for navigating in the 3D view.

Orbit & Pan

Orbit Method

Adjust in what style you rotate the 3D View. Turntable and Trackball navigation reacts a bit different. Turntable navigation tries to hold the horizon line while rotation. Turntable rotation rotates also the horizon line.

Orbit around selection

The selected object becomes the rotation center of the viewport. When there is no selection the point of the last selection will be used.

Zoom

Zoom Method

Adjust the zoom style.

Zoom Axis

With Vertical moving up zooms out and moving down zooms in. With Horizontal moving left zooms in and moving right zooms out.

Fly & Walk

Fly and walk are special navigation modes. They can be found in the Navi menu. The Fly & walk section also contains some settings from the View navigation style, since this style uses elements from walk and fly navigation too.

View Navigation

Adjust how the View navigation in the 3D view behaves. You can choose between walk and fly.

Walk

Gravity

Choose if the virtual character, your point of view, uses gravity.

Fly

Fly has no further settings.

Keymap

The key map allows you to customize how Bforartists reacts to mouse and keyboard, and change key map entries. All Input behavior is defined in the key map.

Header

Key Configs

A drop down menu to choose existing key maps. The + button at the right adds a new key map. The current configuration will then be saved as a new key map.

Key map Editor

The Key map editor is the list where the single inputs are defined. Every input can have several specific operator settings in the lower area. The upper area defines the general things like the key combos. The lower area those operator specific settings.

Normally you don't edit those key entries manually. Most of the usual tools have an entry in the right click menu to create or to change the hotkey. But sometimes you have to do this task manually.

Map Type

Here you define what input will control the function.

Type of Event

Here you define your main hotkey. In our case the right mouse.

Operator

The Python operator name for the tool.

Type of Event

The main hotkey again. For special events like mouse events you have a drop down box here.

Value

What key action is required. On click, on double click, etc. ...

Secondary hotkeys

Many hotkeys uses a key combination, for example Shift D for select. Define those secondary hotkeys.

Specific settings

Every operator can have several settings. And some tools even just defines itself by those different settings. Here you can see two different zoom view operators. They just differ in the Delta value.

What is equal in the key map in all cases is the RNA entry. That's the name of the operator again. But this time not the Python code operator name. But the C code operator name.

Restore

When you modify a key map item, then you will see a Restore button appear at the right side. This indicates that this key map item got modified. A click at the Restore button will restore the original hotkey.

System

The system tab contains system relevant settings. Such as Cuda for Cycles renderer or OpenCL or Memory related settings.

Cycles Render Devices

The Options here will set the compute device used by the Cycles render engine.

Metal (Mac-OS only)

If the system has a M1/M2 chip, users can use the Metal back-end for rendering in cycles.

Display Graphics

Backend

This setting is which display graphics will be used in the viewport.

Operating System Settings

Windows only.

Register or unregister to connect the blend file with this Bforartists version.

Network

Allow or disallow Online Access.

Online access is required to install extensions from external online repositories, and to update them.

Memory and Limits

Video Sequencer

Memory Cache Limit

Upper limit of the sequence's memory cache (megabytes). For optimum clip editor and sequencer performance, high values are recommended.

Use Disk Cache

Store cached images to disk.

Compression

What compression method to use. Note that compression saves space, but costs performance.

Proxy Setup

Proxies are preview objects, reduced in size to make a smooth working possible. Images for example.

Sound

Audio Device

Set the audio device.

Channels

Set the audio channel count. Available options are: Mono, Stereo, 4 Channels , 5.1 Surround , 7.1 Surround

Mixing Buffer

Set the number of samples used by the audio mixing buffer. Available options are: 512 , 1024 , 2048, 4096 , 8192, 16384, and 32768

Sample Rate

Set the audio sample rate. Available options are: 44.1 Khz, 48 Khs, 96 Khz and 192Khz

Sample Format

Set the audio sample format. Available options are: 32 bit float, 8 bit Unsigned, 16 Bits Signed, 24 Bits Signed, 32 Bits Signed, 32 Bits Float, and 64 Bits Float.

Save & Load

Blend Files

Blend file related settings. What happens at load, what happens at save …

Save Versions

Number of versions created for the same file (for backup).

This option tells Bforartists to keep the indicated number of saved versions of your file in your current working directory when you manually save a file. These files will have the extension: .blend1, .blend2, etc., with the number increasing to the number of versions you specify. Older files will be named with a higher number. e.g. With the default setting of 2, you will have three versions of your file: *.blend (your last save), *.blend1 (your second last save) and *.blend2 (your third last save).

File Preview

Auto Save

Auto Run Python Scripts

Run the python scripts at loading a blend file that includes these scripts.

Excluded paths

Define file paths where loaded blend files should not run the included scripts even when auto run python scripts is ticked.

File Browser

File browser related settings.

Filter Files

By activating this, the file dialog in the File Browser will only show appropriate files in the Load dialog. Blend files for example.

The selection of file types can also be changed in the header of the file dialog.

Show Hidden File/Data

On non Windows systems like Linux and Mac OS X files are hidden by a dot in front of the file name. Here you can make them visible in the file browser if you want. Note that this feature does not work with Windows.

Show Recent Locations

Hides the Recent panel of the File Browser which displays recently accessed folders.

Show System Bookmarks

Hides the System Bookmarks panel of the File Browser which displays the system bookmarks.

File Paths

Contains everything file path related.

Data

Script Directories

An additional location to search for Python scripts.

By default Bforartists looks in several directories (OS dependent) for scripts. Here you can add another directory to check for scripts. This can be used to store certain scripts/templates/presets independently of the currently used Blender Version.

Inside the specified folder specific folders have to be created to tell Bforartists what to look for where. This folder structure has to mirror the structure of the scripts folder found in the installation directory of :

• scripts
• add-ons
• modules
• presets
• camera
• cloth
• interface_theme
• operator
• render
• ...
• startup
• templates

Not all of the folders have to be present.

Python scripts (including driver expressions) are not executed by default for security reasons.

Render

Applications

Text Editor

Here you can define an external text editor. Which allows you to edit text files externally. Which then can be done from the File menu in the text editor.

Program

Enter the path to the external text editor.

Arguments

Enter at least a filepath argument so that the code can be opened by the external editor. More arguments can be found in the tooltip.

Development

I18n Branches

The path to the /branches directory in your local repository translation copy. This allows translating the UI. See interface tab, the translation panel.

Asset Libraries

The default paths for custom asset libraries. The functionality should be self explaining.

To change the path simply type in a path, or use the path picker at the end.

To add a new path to an asset library click at the + button below the list.

To remove a path click at the X button at the end.

Asset List

The list of available asset libraries. You can deactivate and activate single libraries.

Import Method

How to import the assets from the asset library into the scene.

Relative Path

Use relative paths when linking from this library.

Developer Tools

This section contains special debug features, which you can turn on or off here.

This panel just shows when you turn on the Developer Extras in the Interface tab.

Experimental

Here you may find some experimental settings from the Blender development. We will not cover them here. They change very quick. Use at own risk!