18
$\begingroup$

Is it possible to make python addon as a modifier?

I just would like to make some deformation modifiers. But I know only python.

$\endgroup$

2 Answers 2

18
$\begingroup$

No, the modifier API is currently not exposed via Python.

Arguably, Python is too slow to do realtime operations on mesh data which can have millions of faces.

Though there is some possibility of something faster using Python, NumPy for example or maybe eventually even PyPy.

$\endgroup$
5
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ Whilst this is not the right place to ask, I'd love to know if there are any plans to open modifiers up via python/numpy in the near future (e.g. the 2.8 workflow release). There are a lot of great Blender addons that would arguably work better as addons, but the need to know the c source and distribute a custom release of Blender is a large barrier to making them that way. $\endgroup$
    – MrFlamey
    Sep 30, 2015 at 2:25
  • $\begingroup$ Is this answer still valid for current blender 2.78? What's the status for 2.8? $\endgroup$
    – cjorssen
    May 7, 2017 at 12:00
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Digging through Modifier and it's related documents, this still doesn't seem to be exposed. There's no APIs for adding/removing custom modifiers and I don't see any modifier registration documentation. $\endgroup$
    – Cobertos
    Nov 18, 2017 at 6:40
  • $\begingroup$ It also looks like the devs are currently more focussed on the image/preview browser, and the custom data block data update. $\endgroup$
    – Cobertos
    Nov 18, 2017 at 6:41
  • $\begingroup$ This is a non-goal. Its not a question of focus. $\endgroup$
    – ideasman42
    Nov 18, 2017 at 6:45
8
$\begingroup$

As of 2019, it is still not possible to write new Modifiers in Python, and this is even listed in the "Anti-Features" on the dev wiki, so don't count on it.

Nevertheless, such modifiers can be written in C or C++ and for people who have never touched the Blender code base, I wrote a guide focusing exactly on this: Writing a custom modifier for Blender

$\endgroup$
2
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I dream of a 'Simple Transform' modifier, which would simply Rotate/Translate/Scale vertices given an origin, and weighted vertex group. It would make it possible, effectively, to create a lot of other modifiers on the stack, and really crack open procedural modelling and animation. Is anybody considering this? $\endgroup$
    – Robin Betts
    Sep 3, 2019 at 8:11
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @RobinBetts have been done... youtube.com/watch?v=En8SJf0Z0w4 But as it is obsolete, we have to wait for the Function branch or something similar, I think and for youtube.com/watch?v=KbynGkgh9k8&t=60s considered as antifeature too $\endgroup$
    – lemon
    Sep 3, 2019 at 17:22

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .