> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.speckle.systems/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to use Speckle for Blender

> Step-by-step guide for using the Blender connector

export const app_3 = "Blender"

export const app_2 = "Blender"

export const app_1 = "Blender"

export const app_0 = "Blender"

export const versions_0 = "4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1"

export const os_0 = "Windows & macOS"

<Info>
  Speckle currently supports {app_0} versions: **{versions_0}**.
  The {app_0} connector works on **{os_0}** only.
</Info>

<Card title="Installing on macOS" icon="apple" href="/connectors/manual-installation/blender#macos-installation">
  Mac users: see our manual installation guide for zip-based installation instructions
</Card>

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install the connector">
    Install your [{app_1} connector](/connectors/installation)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Blender connector">
    1. Press **N** from your keyboard to open the side toolbar.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/speckle/YrJFGLA1qDYoqsMd/images/connectors/blender_toolbar.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=YrJFGLA1qDYoqsMd&q=85&s=bc064f90676539a873117ab45eff39dd" alt="Blender toolbar" width="1296" height="864" data-path="images/connectors/blender_toolbar.jpg" />
    </Frame>

    2. Select **Speckle** to open the Blender connector.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why don't I see Speckle in the side toolbar?">
    Make sure you activated the Speckle connector:

    1. Go to **Edit** > **Preferences** > **Add-ons**
    2. Search for **Speckle**
    3. Select **Install**
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is the Speckle plugin not showing up after I installed the connector?">
    1. Make sure your version of {app_2} is one of the supported versions.
    2. Uninstall and [reinstall your connector](/connectors/installation).

    Note: Make sure you are **not** selecting **Run as administrator** when installing - this will install for the administrator user, and not your own user.
    Instead, double-click the `.exe` or right-clicking and then selecting `Open` to run the installer.
    Installation issues can also be caused by conflicting plugins.

    If you're still experiencing problems, please report it in our [Community Forum](https://speckle.community/c/help) and include the following information:

    * Your application version
    * Your Speckle connector version
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What should I do if the plugin UI is empty or unresponsive, or if my application crashes?">
    If your connector window is floating, **try docking it to your application** to fix blank UI issues.

    For major issues, you can sometimes find a `log` file in your directory at `AppData\Roaming\Speckle\Logs`.
    Please report your problem in our [Community Forum](https://speckle.community/c/help) and include the following information:

    * Your application version
    * Your Speckle connector version
    * A copy of the log
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I add a new account?">
    This can happen if our **desktop service** isn't running. Desktop Service is used for authenticating new accounts. If it's not running, search for **Speckle Desktop Services** in Windows search and run it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I uninstall my connector?">
    All Speckle connectors are installed like any other program. You can uninstall them directly from your system's `Applications`. For a full uninstall, you should also remove **Speckle Desktop Services** as well as your Speckle connector.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I update my connector to the latest version?">
    You can always download the latest version of the connector [in the web app](https://app.speckle.systems/connectors).
    If a new version of the connector is available, you will also see a notification in your connector UI.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I still need Desktop Services to sign in?">
    No. Current Blender connector builds support direct authentication from Blender without Desktop Services.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Publishing a Model

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Publish" />

  <Step title="Choose a project">
    * Select an existing project
    * or click the `+` button and select **Create Project** to create a new project
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a model">
    * Select an existing model
    * or click the `+` button and select **Create Model** to create a new model
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select objects to publish">
    1. In your application viewport, select the elements you want to publish.
    2. Select **Publish**.
    3. Your model is now published to Speckle and is available to the rest of your team.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What types of objects are published?">
    All types of `Mesh`, `Bezier`, `Circle`, `NURBS Curve` and `NURBS Circle` are supported.

    <Warning>`Camera` and `Lights` are not supported.</Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I publish my objects with modifiers?">
    You can enable a publish setting to publish modifiers:

    1. Open the **Publish to Speckle** window
    2. Make sure that **Apply Modifiers** is checked
    3. Click **OK** to publish with all object modifiers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why don't materials look correct in the viewer?">
    Blender connector only supports the following shaders:

    * Principled
    * Diffuse
    * Emission
    * Glass

    Blender will fallback to material properties if an unsupported shader is selected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where are object textures?">
    Speckle currently does *not* support textures.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Loading a Model

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Load" />

  <Step title="Choose a project" />

  <Step title="Choose a model" />

  <Step title="Choose a version to load">
    * Latest version is loaded by default.
    * To load a specific version, select it from the UI.
      Your selected model is now loaded in Blender.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="After I load a model, can I make changes to loaded elements and will they be preserved when I load a new version?">
    You can modify **materials** and it will be preserved when you load a new version.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where are my properties?">
    Currently, properties are **not** loaded and attached to loaded objects.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I load blocks as linked duplicates?">
    By default, blocks are loaded as collection instances. To load blocks as linked duplicates:

    1. Open the **Load model** window
    2. Set the **Instance Loading** option to **Linked Duplicates**
    3. Click **OK** to load models with blocks as linked dupicates
       Loading blocks as linked duplicates is more efficient for blocks with many instances.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why are some objects that I loaded missing from my model?">
    After you load a Speckle model, click on the **Report** button to see any errors that may have occurred.
    Click on any item in the report to highlight that item in your application. Some objects may not be supported for loading in {app_3}.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are bitmap or image-based material textures supported?">
    **Image texture files are not supported.** Speckle does **not** transfer bitmaps or other image maps (such as JPG or PNG files) embedded in materials from the source application.

    Speckle **does** carry [PBR-style material data](/developers/sdks/python/guides/understanding-speckle-mesh#render-materials) in general—where a connector maps to it, materials can include properties such as base colour, opacity, metalness, roughness, and emissive colour. That is not the same as shipping texture images: you get numeric material parameters, not image assets used for wood grain, brick patterns, and similar in the authoring tool.

    Different materials can still appear separately in the destination with distinct colours and PBR fields. What you see may look closer to a consistent shaded or PBR preview than to the full render-appearance with image maps in tools such as Revit or SketchUp. To use image textures in your target application, apply or remap them locally after you publish or load.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I select a project in the UI—it's disabled?">
    This happens when you don't have permissions to load a project. Contact the project owner to change your role.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I load a model via URL?">
    Yes. Next to the search box in the project selection dialog, there's an **Add model by URL** option. Paste the model URL there.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>