Python: How to completely remove an object

Question

How can I completely remove an object (for example a camera) using python scripting?

Using something like:

scene.objects.unlink(camera)

Does not work, since it is still available in bpy.data.objects. However, using:

bpy.data.objects.remove(camera)

still doesn't remove the camera, since it continues to exists in bpy.data.cameras.

Is there a way to remove an object from all of these places at the same time?

Answer 1

You can use bpy.ops.object.delete() operator to remove selected objects:

import bpy

# Deselect all
bpy.ops.object.select_all(action='DESELECT')

# Select the object
bpy.data.objects['Camera'].select = True    # Blender 2.7x

# https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Release_Notes/2.80/Python_API/Scene_and_Object_API
bpy.data.objects['Camera'].select_set(True) # Blender 2.8x
    
bpy.ops.object.delete() 

---

In order to remove multiple objects, you can iterate through all objects, set the select state in Blender 2.7x or call select_set(state) in Blender 2.8x based on a certain condition and finally call the operator one time.

Blender 2.7x

import bpy

# Delect objects by type
for o in bpy.context.scene.objects:
    if o.type == 'MESH':
        o.select = True
    else:
        o.select = False

# Call the operator only once
bpy.ops.object.delete()

# Save and re-open the file to clean up the data blocks
bpy.ops.wm.save_as_mainfile(filepath=bpy.data.filepath)
bpy.ops.wm.open_mainfile(filepath=bpy.data.filepath)

Blender 2.8x

import bpy

# Select objects by type
for o in bpy.context.scene.objects:
    if o.type == 'MESH':
        o.select_set(True)
    else:
        o.select_set(False)

# Call the operator only once
bpy.ops.object.delete()

# Save and re-open the file to clean up the data blocks
bpy.ops.wm.save_as_mainfile(filepath=bpy.data.filepath)
bpy.ops.wm.open_mainfile(filepath=bpy.data.filepath)

---

Context override (2.7x & 2.8x)

Instead of (de)selecting the object(s) beforehand, you can also pass a custom context (a list of objects in this case) to avoid changing the selection within the viewport:

import bpy

objs = [bpy.context.scene.objects['Camera'], bpy.context.scene.objects['Cube']]
bpy.ops.object.delete({"selected_objects": objs})

Example on how to remove objects by certain types:

import bpy

objs = [ob for ob in bpy.context.scene.objects if ob.type in ('CAMERA', 'MESH')]
bpy.ops.object.delete({"selected_objects": objs})

Further reading: https://docs.blender.org/api/current/bpy.ops.html#overriding-context

---

Context override (3.2x)

The previous methodology has been deprecated and a dedicated context manager context.temp_override has been added to the Python API:

import bpy

objs = [bpy.context.scene.objects['Camera'], bpy.context.scene.objects['Cube']]
with bpy.context.temp_override(selected_objects=objs):
    bpy.ops.object.delete()

Further reading: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Release_Notes/3.2/Python_API https://docs.blender.org/api/3.2/bpy.types.Context.html#bpy.types.Context.temp_override

Answer 2

This can be done without using ops which makes it much faster then using the ops call.

Buried deep in the documentation is the remove function.

import bpy
objs = bpy.data.objects
objs.remove(objs["Cube"], do_unlink=True)

The first parameter of the remove function is the object to remove (in this case the default "Cube"), the second is a boolean about first unlinking the object.
If you run objs.remove(objs["Cube"]) with the cube sitting in your 3D view you will get an error:

RuntimeError: Error: Object 'Cube' must have zero users to be removed, found 1 (try with do_unlink=True parameter)

See this remove function only deletes data with no users. That is why you have to explicitly tell it to first unlink the object then delete it.

Answer 3

You can do this:

item='CAMERA'
bpy.ops.object.select_all(action='DESELECT')
bpy.ops.object.select_by_type(type=item)
bpy.ops.object.delete()

where item can take any of the following values according to this documentation:

[‘MESH’, ‘CURVE’, ‘SURFACE’, ‘META’, ‘FONT’, ‘ARMATURE’, ‘LATTICE’, ‘EMPTY’, ‘CAMERA’, ‘LAMP’, ‘SPEAKER’]

The above method works, but is not ideal. The following method works and is ideal. First remove the meshes with the following code:

for obj in bpy.context.scene.objects:
     if obj.type == 'MESH':
         obj.select = True
     else:
         obj.select = False
 bpy.ops.object.delete()

Then you can execute the following code snippet to remove all the unused blocks. This way you don't have to close/open Blender or save/open a .blend file:

for block in bpy.data.meshes:
    if block.users == 0:
        bpy.data.meshes.remove(block)

for block in bpy.data.materials:
    if block.users == 0:
        bpy.data.materials.remove(block)

for block in bpy.data.textures:
    if block.users == 0:
        bpy.data.textures.remove(block)

for block in bpy.data.images:
    if block.users == 0:
        bpy.data.images.remove(block)

IMPORTANT NOTE: It looks like that there is some dependencies between some data blocks such as mesh, texture, image and materials. If you do not remove the data blocks on the highest level of the hierarchy, you will not be able to remove other data blocks or you have to take the risk and remove data blocks with users more than 0. So make sure you use the code above in the following order to remove data blocks. This way you can remove all unlinked (users == 0) data blocks:

remove meshes --> remove materials --> remove textures --> remove images

The followings also have data blocks:

bpy.data.curves
bpy.data.lamps
bpy.data.cameras

Answer 4

Just to add up to the great answer above, one must be in OBJECT mode in order to delete objects. In order to do so in Python use the following code:

bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='OBJECT')

It also makes sense to return to previous mode, after the operation:

oldMode = bpy.context.mode
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='OBJECT')
 ...Select your object here
bpy.ops.object.delete()
bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode=oldMode)

Answer 5

To empty an entire scene, I typically include these lines at the start immediately after import bpy

    removeThese = bpy.context.copy()
    removeThese['selected_objects'] = list(bpy.context.scene.objects)
    bpy.ops.object.delete(removeThese)