26 Jul 2024

Stable

Bforartists 4.2.0

A Major Feature Update from Blender

Brush assets, Grease Pencil 3.0, EEVEE Next and extensions from Blender 4.2.

Blender 4.2.0 and 4.3.0

Download this version

GitHub release

Every commit

Convert rotation mode for animation

Convert keyframes between rotation modes with Ctrl R.

Geometry Nodes for volumes and curves

Rasterize Points, Poisson Solver and Construct Curves.

EEVEE lighting nodes and panoramic cameras

Toon shading and lighting effects, plus equirectangular, fisheye and mirror ball cameras.

Compositor effects stack and Bundle nodes

Effects organised as a stack, with grouped data handling.

Smarter scene strips

Scene strips update their length on their own, and many datablocks drop straight onto the timeline.

OpenTimelineIO

Import and export edits to and from other editing software.

Ripple editing in the Sequencer

Ripple, Shuffle and Overwrite overlap modes (R, S, V), Ripple Trim and Ripple Delete.

Comment node

Annotate node trees, with Markdown formatting.

Custom Outliner sorting

Arrange objects anywhere in the Outliner.

Sidebar Search

Find any property or operator in any editor's sidebar, add-on tabs included.

Easier extensions

Legacy pre-downloaded extensions install and uninstall in fewer clicks, and the Asset Libraries filter has an icon.

Clearer themes

Node highlights stand out more, and curve handle colours are easier to read.

Cleaner menus

Double entries are gone (Import FBX, Link to Scene, Snap, Implicit Conversion). Pose and Weight Paint get Show/Hide submenus, and tool shelves follow the Add menu order.

30+ new node icons

New Geometry Nodes, Shader light nodes and Compositor nodes get icons and tool shelf entries: Comment, XPBD Solver, Construct Curves, Rasterize Points, Grid Solve Poisson, Combine List and the Bundle nodes.

Ripple Delete, lasso select and tidy footers

Ripple Delete closes the gap when a strip goes.
Lasso select uses the same hotkeys as the other editors.
Keyframing tools sit together in the Timeline footers, with matching frame range icons.

Edit scene strips right in the Dopesheet

Scene strips get gizmos in the Dopesheet: drag their edges to change the frame range, without opening the Sequencer.

Roll the view from the navigation gizmo

Drag left or right on the navigation gizmo to roll the view. An angle readout follows the drag, so a tilt is easy to undo.

Roll buttons and a hotkey sit in the 3D View sidebar too.

This release has a new fresh set of features including Brush Assets, Grease Pencil 3.0 with Geometry Nodes compatibility, EEVEE 2.0, Multi-pass AOV's in the Viewport Compositor, and offline and online extensions love! With another 151 task and features added to everything from the latest from Blender 4.2.0 and 4.3.0 Alpha (main branch) to the date.

Note: Mac Silicon builds are cooking, we a haven't got a working version, still experimental!

Double Note: Windows do not have HIP binaries included. Coming Soon to 4.2.1.

Another Note: Bare in mind, since Grease Pencil 3.0 recently landed into the main build of Blender, most of our grease pencil UX and interface work has regressed - so keep 4.2.1 in mind for the latest grease pencil updates.

Thanks again for all your artwork, feedback and love! And a very special thanks to the community and developers for supporting this project.

Bforartists-4.2.0-Windows.zip
Bforartists-4.2.2-Linux.tar.xz
Bforartists-420-x86_64.AppImage
Bforartists-v4.2.0-Mac.dmg
bforartists_420.deb
Install_Bforartists4_420.exe
releasenote_bforartists4_420.txt

151

tasks and fixes

3D View

Sidebar - Brush Settings - Expose operators to top level in a consistent data management method #4487
Armature - Pose Mode - Selection Sets is now a panel and needs consistent iconography #4479
Armature - Pose Mode - Missing icon on Select Parent #4478
Sculpt Mode - Facesets Panel - Missing operator "sculpt.reveal_all" in the tabbed toolshelf #4480
Grease Pencil - Draw Mode - Sidebar panels cause a hard crash #4483
Grease Pencil Draw Mode - Convert tabbed toolshelf panel errors #4443
Grease Pencil Object - Header: Remove double #4426
Grease Pencil Object - Header: Remove the "Guides" label when activated #4427
middle aligned props in the header #4436
Grease Pencil Draw Mode - Animation icons need updating (All icons) #4445
Sculpt - Mask brushes - Float Active Tool props left (refression) #4414
Sculpt Mode - Automasking - Area Normal regression, move labels out of sliders #4368
Sculpt - Sculpt header - Move Polyline Hide to Legacy (and add icon and document) #4269
Hair Curves object - Edit Mode - Control Points - New Extrude and Move curves operator #4321
Sidebar - Fix merge regressions in View tab, View panel #4347
Sculpt Mode - Sculpt header legacy - new Line Trim #4252
Sculpt Mode - Move Box Add and Lasso Add out of legacy into Sculpt Header #4251
Sculpt Mode - Regression in Sculpt header menu with double entries #4250

Extensions

Add a "Bforartists" sub-filter for legacy addons and change filters to "tabs" like old Addons #4273
Create a smoother "migration" from legacy to pre-downloaded extensions with a single click (no internet needed) #4325
Themes - Expose "Set/Clear" to a top level #4433
Add Addon/Theme icon indicator to listings #4435
Refresh Addons (for legacy) needs to be exposed to GUI #4304
Change the Theme/Addonto a button row instead of drop down and add icons #4434
Add icon to "Update" button on extensions #4306
Remove Nodewrangle from our defaults, as it's now a core addon and will be an extension #4345
Add Extension Tags filter #4280
Permission to the Blender extensions website broken #4344
Add a visual indicator to what is an "Addon" and what is a "Theme" #4279
Make filters drop use labels and indents, float left #4274
Install from Disk - missing strict entry. #4287
Add some official "legacy" extensions as "sideloaded" submodules to assit merges and preserve our changes #4311
Add/pre-download legacy addons to Extensions "Core" addons #4272
Add icons to install and uninstall buttons #4277

Geometry Nodes

Geometry - Write - New Geometry Set Name node #4491
Geometry - Input - New Gizmo nodes for modifier mode #4490
Utility - New Matrix category of nodes #4232
Input - Scene - Named Layer Selection #4404
Geometry - Operations - Bake Node - Sidepanel properties - Float Custom Folder checkbox left #4408
Capture Attribute has missing domains #4349
Instances - New Instance Transform attribute input node #4342
Instances - New Transform Instances node #4322
Tool Mode - Geometry - Read - New "Active Element" node #4295
Input - Constant - New Rotation node #4261
Utilities - New Align Rotation to Vector and Rotate Axis nodes #4248
Tool Mode - Input - Scene - New Mouse Position node #4235
Tool Mode - Input - Scene - New Viewport Transform #4234

Preferences

Extensions - Move "Uninstall" to a to level, now in the extension tab #4504
Extensions - Add operator to "jump" to theme editing #4509
Extensions - View Details needs an icon #4507
Extensions - Remove double "Clear Theme" operator #4508
Extensions + Tab move tags to far right #4505
Change "Get Extensions" to "Extensions" for label consistency #4428
System - Network Panel - Float "Allow Online Access" left #4315
Extensions - refactor Repository dropdown, Advanced #4409
Extensions - Install from disk needs an icon #4361

Properties Editor

Pin to Last needs to be "unified" and exposed to top level #4338
EEVEE-next - Sampling Panel - Shadow subpanel - Volume Shadows float left and hide content #4320
Armature - Bone - Per bone Shpae Custom Wire Width float left and move label out #4339
Light Probe objects - Viewport Display - Float left #4412
EEVEE - View Layer Tab - Filter Panel - Float left #4413
Light Probe Sphere - Intensity prop now gone #4415
Modifiers - New column for "Normals" needs fixes #4314
Add Menus - Remove from Selected operator #4193
Add menus hold down ALT to "add" to all selected #4249

Sequencer

Add Preview Snapping header buttons to Preview mode #4477
Preview & Sequencer Preview Snapping properties float left #4476
dysfunctional hotkey for Delete Retiming keys operator #4441
Movie Clip Strip - New Movie Clip panel - Float check boxes left #4405
Expose hidden "Delete Retiming Data" operator to GUI #4227
Text Object - Style Box is permenantly disabled #4387
Text Object - Style Panel - Float Outline checkbox left #4388
Options - Show Cache is removed #4369
Sidebar - View panel - Snew Show Missing Media oeprator float left #4231

Addons

Add new row of operators to bring common operators to top level, like legacy Addons #4275
Move Install and Refesh to a top level #4430
Install legacy and extension from local is the same operator now, expose to top level #4343

Icon

New TAG icon #4383
New INTERNET_OFFLINE icon needed #4340

Animation Editors

View menu - New Frame Scene/Preview Range operators #4341
Marker Menu - Hidden "Bind Camera to Marker" should be exposed #4238

Other

All icons are horizontally offset by one pixel #4462
Hard Crash when scaling a Grease Pencil after drawing a stroke #4518
Remove dat files of the icons in release/datafiles #4493
Crash to desktop with Edit Source in the UI #4484
rna_texture.cc , create Musgrave texture icon #4481
Do a code comparison between Blender and Bforartists #4466
Preferences, Extensions, Repository dropdown, missing icons in the remove dialog #4372
Shader Editor , World mode, missing icon for Gabor node #4463
Preferences, Add-Ons tab, missing icon in Add-ons Settings menu #4469
Shader Editor , World mode, missing icon for Wave Length node #4461
Shader editor, World mode, Troubled icon for Background #4460
Toolbar , Primitives, blank icon for add point cloud #4457
Eevee, move jittered shadows prop from Rendertab to World tab #4422
Curve in edit mode, Set Handle Type prop in header shows double tooltip title #4438
Preferences, Extensions, Repository dropdown, align left in add dialog #4373
Eevee Render properties , Sampling Panel, Shadows subpanel, align volume shadows checkbox left #4421
Preferences, Extensions tab, extensions, double entry Uninstall #4376
Preferences, Extensions, double menu entries Check for updates and Install available Updates #4375
Multiple Addons with the same name error #4363
Timeline, View menu, area sub menu is missing #4364
Unexpected commits in lib/windows64 and release/datafiles/assets #4352
Preferences, Extensions, Repository dropdown popup - align content left #4360
Double addon set pose library #4292
Build blender thumbnailer and launcher #4217
Preferences, Extensions, Install menu - improve tooltip for Install Extension #4289
Geometry node editor, sidebar in icon only mode. Missing Bake icon in geometry chapter, subchapter Operations #4293
Remove duplicate Blender macOS related files #4294
Default Library Addon - Create Brush Assets category list similar to the Essentials #4489
User Interface - Adjust Icons #4513
Splashscreen - First use has wrong previous Bforartists version #4511
Default Workspaces - UV Editing - Console warnings #4475
Dope Sheet - New Bake Channel operator #4474
Top Toolbar - Add new "Image Mesh Plane" with new icon, remove legacy addon #4318
Sculpting, Facesets menu - Show/ Hide , separate tooltips #4175
Icon Update - Improve some scale and readibility #4442
Icons - Playback icons need better margins to center #4444
3D View- Curve object - Edit mode - Expose Set Handle Type to Header #4034
Properties - World/Lights - Settings - Shadow - Float Jitter Left, hidden disabled content #4317
General Properties Context Menu - New Copy Driver to Selected #4267
Top Toolbar/File Import - Add addon conditional checks for some of the import/export operators in the GUI code #4391
EEVEE - Light Probe Object - Properties Editor - Float Viewport Display checkboxes left #4385
Default Theme - Generated Keyframe Type could be improved #4406
File Browser - Sub Panel Header issue #4397
Topbar/ File Export - Fix PLY #4392
Documentation - Node Editors - Overlays - Toggle #4382
Linux Builds - Scroll Wheel Zoom is Inverted in 4.1.1 #4291
Im and export menus - missing icons #4362
Submodules - Remove x3d submodule. #4366
Image Editor - View menu - remove settings #4365
Node Editors - CTRL+DBL-LMB renames socket should be mentioned in a tooltip #4335
Node Editor - Add menu - Instances - Inconsistent icon for instance transform #4359
Status Bar - Extensions Update offline status could have a label #4337
General - Sub Menus has wrong icon for dropdowns (change to solid triangle) #4247
Compositor - Sidebar - Options - Float checkboxes left (and remove legacy features from documentation) #4263
Properties editor - Render tab - Simplify panel - align Normals prop left #4351
Asset Shelf - Armature Pose Asset - Context Menu has missing icons #4260
Properpties Editor - Grease Pencil Object - Modifier - remove double entry Apply from the header menu #4334
Proerpties Editor - Grease Pencil Object - Modifier - Duplicate to Selected needs an icon #4331
Dopesheet - View Header - Double entries #4237
Extension - Rename the "Install from disk" to "Install Extension" #4285
User Preferences - Extensions - User Settings - remove the Keymap tab entry #4299
UV Editor - View menu - rename UV Tabs to Tool Shelf Tabs #4297
Sequencer, Image, Clip Editors - Zoom Sub-Menu now inconsistent #4236
View3D - Viewport Gizmos - Double entry #4328
Devops - Get Bforartists on Windows Store (and in turn get it certified for the installer) #4229
Brush Icons - Revert missing icons (for now) #4259
Properties Context Menu - Driver operators are greyed out (but work) #4270
Properties Editors - Collections Tab - Exporters Panel - missing icons in the add menu #4228
Timeline Editor - Double props, should only be in the properties area #4225
Power User Tools Addon - Frame Jump operators #4226

Splashscreen is kindly provided by Eraser45-Studios, the latest winner of the Splashscreen Competition hosted in the Discord server.

Draise, Reiner, Blenux (Juso), Sean, Znight, Iyad and all supporters