Blender 2.5 Basics (after years of 3DS Max!) Part 3

Blender comes with a whole load of Add-Ons (or Plug-Ins ...or...Extensions.. or whatever us non-Blender folk know them as!), plus there's a list as long as your arm of people making new ones all the time.

You can activate any of the pre-installed Add-Ons in User Prefs -> Add-Ons by ticking the box by the add-on (for some) pressing the Install Add-On button afterwards. (you'll also notice the Add-On menus are expandable and reveal links to the Wiki with more details. There is also a search box, up to the right.

Preinstalled Add-Ons I find really useful are as follows:

Rigify

-generates automatic skeletons and rigs for bipeds

Click here for Tutorial

Copy Attributes

- copies transforms/modifiers and more between multiple objects with [CTRL]+[C]

Click here for wiki and instructions

[NB that this still seems to be 'version sensitive' atm, so bear in mind if you open a file created in a previous version of Blender, this menu may not be available]

Align Tools

-much of Blender's alignment is done by aligning the cursor to something, then your object to the cursor, but this useful add-on cuts out the middle-man and allows you to be more specific. Appears in the tool panel on the left

Click here for Wiki

3D Navigation

-adds viewport buttons to the tool panel for those without a numpad, (or without the patience to use it!)

Click here for Wiki

Import Images as Planes

-allows you to import folders of image files into Blender on planes.

You can specify size/transparency of plane easily

Click here for Tutorial

Looptools

Inset Polygon

-I don't do much of it myself, but apparently these are two must-haves for modelling enthusiasts:

Click here for Looptools Tutorial

Click here for Inset Poly Wiki

But what if you want to install a script you may have found on the Interwebs, such as Blenrig or Theme Manager?

Well then, you have to define a scripts folder.

User Prefs -> File ->Scripts, then Save As Default

Once you have done this, you can add any new scripts to the specified folder. In User Prefs -> Add-Ons, navigate to your script, and Install Add-On. You should then see your script in the Add-Ons list, ready to activate with the checkbox.

NB: Theme Manager is particularly useful for customisation, as it preserves and reloads any edits you may make in the Theme tab of User Prefs - and, true to the 'customise everything' spirit of Blender, you can make a lot!

PS: You shouldn't need to, but if you want to snoop around Blender files on a Mac, well, here's where mine seems to keep 'em:

/Users/......./Library/Application Support/Blender