Script a Reference Image Manager

14 responses

1. Ludovic

   19 August 2017 at 11:59

   Love the way you explain it very detailed and clear even if i’m totally new to blender !

   Reply
   1. liss.dominik

      19 August 2017 at 18:13

      Thanks!
      Very happy that my videos are helping you

      Reply
2. Auke Huys

   19 August 2017 at 12:55

   Well, it’s nice to see something like this in Blender and I really appreciate this kind of work – but why? Dont get me wrong, it’s a nice tool, but programs like PureRef and Kuadro are way more advanced and production ready.

   Reply
   1. liss.dominik

      19 August 2017 at 18:33

      I really didn’t wrote this script to create a new tool. I just wanted to learn how to use the thumbnail dropdown in blender … and I think that the reference manager is a nice example for using those dropdowns This is also the reason why I didn’t research any other tools. I just wanted to show the blender community how to use the thumbnails dropdowns and what you could do with it

      Hope that answers your question

      Reply
      1. Auke Huys

         19 August 2017 at 20:36

         Whoops – it is a tutorial :D
         Forget what I’ve said – I thought this post is about an addon you’ve made. I skipped the most of the video and I thought you explained how to use the script. My fault :)

         Reply
         1. liss.dominik

            20 August 2017 at 13:40

            Haha no problem
            But thanks for sharing your thoughts :D

            Reply
3. goeland57

   19 August 2017 at 12:57

   Thank you for having shared this script which was very useful ! Besides, the video was very interesting.

   However, I have a suggestion : would it be possible to improve the script by adding an interface allowing us to select the pictures repertory ?

   Reply
   1. liss.dominik

      19 August 2017 at 18:36

      Thanks
      But I am not quite sure what you mean …

      Reply
4. Ludovic

   21 August 2017 at 21:54

   Another suggestion, or a todo list for me when I’ll be more confident with blender, can we create a kind of ‘viewer node’ to see realtime results for procedural nodes in the node editor ( node wrangle is helpfull but not as good as an icon or thumbnail for some nodes ) The idea is to have something like substance designer, but i don’t know if its doable…

   Reply
   1. liss.dominik

      24 August 2017 at 14:47

      Thanks a lot for your suggestion!
      Unfortunately I don’t use nodes in blender … in this case I would have to learn how it works first and then figure a way how to implement your idea. I am afraid that I won’t have the time to do all this. But I’ll put it on my list

      Reply
5. New Media Supply

   17 April 2019 at 17:47

   I see that the link is broken on YouTube, and that it is not elsewhere to download. So I typed it over from the video and tried to port it over to 2.80. Don’t run the script below because it has some nasty errors, but maybe someone is interested in fixing it further for other users.

   import os
   import bpy
   import bpy.utils.previews

   def get_image(filepath):
   name = os.path.basename(filepath)
   if name not in bpy.data.images:
   bpy.ops.image.open(filepath = filepath)
   return bpy.data.images(name)

   def open_image(self, context):
   image = get_image(self.reference_images_enum)
   for area in bpy.context.screen.areas :
   if area.type == ‘IMAGE_EDITOR’ :
   area.spaces.active.image = image

   def get_previews_collection(self, context):
   images = []
   custom_icons = preview_collections[“main”]
   directory = “C:\Icons”
   i = 0

   if directory == custom_icons.my_previews_dir:
   return custom_icons.my_previews

   for file in os.listdir(directory):
   if file.endswitch(“.png”):
   fullpath = os.path.join(directory, file)
   custom_icons.load(file, fullpath, ‘IMAGE’)
   images.append((fullpath, file, fullpath, custom_icons(file).icon_id, i))
   i+=1

   custom_icons.my_previews = images
   custom_icons.my_previews_dir = directory
   return custom_icons.my_previews

   class ReferenceManagerPanel(bpy.types.Panel):
   “”” A custom Panel in the viewport toolbar “””
   bl_label = “Reference Images”
   bl_space_type = “VIEW_3D”
   bl_region_type = “TOOLS”

   def draw(self, context):
   layout = self.layout

   row = layout.row
   row.template_icon_view(context.window_manager, “reference_images_enum”)

   row = layout.row
   row.prop(context.window_manager, “reference_images_enum”)

   preview_collections = {}

   def register():
   bpy.types.WindowManager.reference_images_enum = bpy.props.EnumProperty(
   items = get_previews_collection,
   update = open_image
   )

   preview_collection = bpy.utils.previews.new()
   preview_collection.my_previews_dir = “”
   preview_collection.my_previews = ()
   preview_collections[‘main’] = preview_collection

   bpy.utils.register_class(ReferenceManagerPanel)

   def unregister():
   del bpy.types.Scene.reference_images_enum

   for preview_collection in preview_collections.values():
   bpy.utils.previews.remove(preview_collection)
   preview_collections.clear()

   bpy.utils.unregister_class(ReferenceManagerPanel)

   if __name__ == “__main__”:
   register()

   Reply
   1. Seyed Morteza Kamali

      30 August 2020 at 15:25

      Hi friend I fixed the problem
      Cheers

      import os
      import bpy
      import bpy.utils.previews

      def get_image(filepath):
      name = os.path.basename(filepath)
      if name not in bpy.data.images:
      bpy.ops.image.open(filepath = filepath)
      return bpy.data.images(name)

      def open_image(self, context):
      image = get_image(self.reference_images_enum)
      for area in bpy.context.screen.areas :
      if area.type == ‘IMAGE_EDITOR’ :
      area.spaces.active.image = image

      def get_previews_collection(self, context):
      images = []
      custom_icons = preview_collections[“main”]
      directory = “C:\Icons”
      i = 0

      if directory == custom_icons.my_previews_dir:
      return custom_icons.my_previews

      for file in os.listdir(directory):
      if file.endswitch(“.png”):
      fullpath = os.path.join(directory, file)
      custom_icons.load(file, fullpath, ‘IMAGE’)
      images.append((fullpath, file, fullpath, custom_icons(file).icon_id, i))
      i+=1

      custom_icons.my_previews = images
      custom_icons.my_previews_dir = directory
      return custom_icons.my_previews

      class ReferenceManagerPanel(bpy.types.Panel):
      “”” A custom Panel in the viewport toolbar “””
      bl_label = “Reference Images”
      bl_space_type = “VIEW_3D”
      bl_region_type = “TOOLS”

      def draw(self, context):
      layout = self.layout

      row = layout.row
      row.template_icon_view(context.window_manager, “reference_images_enum”)

      row = layout.row
      row.prop(context.window_manager, “reference_images_enum”)

      preview_collections = {}

      def register():
      bpy.types.WindowManager.reference_images_enum = bpy.props.EnumProperty(
      items = get_previews_collection,
      update = open_image
      )

      preview_collection = bpy.utils.previews.new()
      preview_collection.my_previews_dir = “”
      preview_collection.my_previews = ()
      preview_collections[‘main’] = preview_collection

      bpy.utils.register_class(ReferenceManagerPanel)

      def unregister():
      del bpy.types.Scene.reference_images_enum

      for preview_collection in preview_collections.values():
      bpy.utils.previews.remove(preview_collection)
      preview_collections.clear()

      bpy.utils.unregister_class(ReferenceManagerPanel)

      if __name__ == “__main__”:
      register()

      Reply
   2. Seyed Morteza Kamali

      30 August 2020 at 15:29

      Oh sorry I don’t know why this site removed all spaces
      I upload that code in my GitHub:

      https://gist.github.com/smkplus/2f599ce29aeae622584f7c234e7b31e9

      Reply
6. Peetie

   30 August 2020 at 21:12

   Hi Seyed,

   That is awesome, thanks for the contribution. I’ll check it and see if the addon is good to make an article about it.

   Regards,
   Robert

   Reply