Node to Python

About

A Blender add-on to create scripts and add-ons! This add-on will take your Geometry Nodes or Materials and convert them into legible Python code.

Node To Python automatically handles node layout, default values, subgroups, naming, colors, and more!

Blender's node-based editors are powerful, yet accessible tools, and I wanted to make scripting them easier for add-on creators. Combining Python with node based setups allows you to do things that would otherwise be tedious or impossible, such as

• for loops
• creating different node trees for different versions or settings
• interfacing with other parts of the software or properties of an object

Supported Versions

NodeToPython v2.2 is compatible with Blender 3.0 - 3.6 on Windows, macOS, and Linux. I generally try to update the add-on to handle new nodes around the beta release of each update.

Installation

1. Download the NodeToPython.zip file from the latest release
   • If you download other options, you'll need to rename the zip and the first folder to "NodeToPython" so Blender can properly import the add-on
2. In Blender, navigate to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons
3. Click Install, and find where you downloaded the zip file. Then hit the Install Add-on button, and you're done!

Usage

Once you've installed the add-on, you'll see a new tab in any Node Editor's sidebar. You can open this with keyboard shortcut N when focused in the Node Editor.

In the tab, there's panels to create add-ons for Geometry Nodes and Materials, each with a drop-down menu.

Select the node group you want code for, and you'll be prompted with a Script or Add-on option.

• Script mode creates a function that generates the node tree and copies it to your Blender clipboard.
  • Doesn't include import bpy line
  • To keep NodeToPython cross-platform and independent of third-party libraries, to get it into your system clipboard you need to paste into the Blender text editor and recopy it currently
• Add-on mode generates a zip file for you in the save directory specified in the NodeToPython menu. From here, you can install it like a regular add-on. The generated add-on comes complete with operator registration and creating a modifier/material for the node tree to be used in.

Future

v3.x

• Expansion to Compositing nodes
• New Blender 4.0 nodes and changes

Later

• Better asset handling
• Auto-set handle movies and image sequences
• Automatically format code to be PEP8 compliant
• Automatically detect the minimum version of Blender needed to run the add-on

Potential Issues

• As of version 2.2, the add-on will not set default values for

  • Scripts
  • IES files
  • Filepaths
  • UV maps

• This add-on doesn't currently set default values in Geometry Nodes modifiers, just the node groups themselves

• Currently when setting default values for the following, the add-on must be run in the same blend file as the node group was created in to set the default, otherwise it will just set it to None:

  • Materials
  • Objects
  • Collections
  • Textures

• In a future version, I plan on having the add-on adding all of the above to the Asset Library for reference

• You may run into naming conflicts if your add-on shares a name with another Blender add-on or operator (see #56)

Bug Reports and Suggestions

When submitting an issue, please include

• Your version of Blender
• Your operating system
• A short description of what you were trying to accomplish, or steps to reproduce the issue.
• Sample blend files are more than welcome!

Got suggestions? Create an issue, happy to hear what features people want.