by VFX Grace·Workflow
Images © VFX Grace. Used for product review; image policy.
Checktoolbox earns its place in the superhive library as a focused mesh-diagnostics add-on that consolidates topology counts and color-coded error highlighting into Blender's Edit Mode. Its changelog reaches version 1.5 with support spanning Blender 2.8 through 4.1.
Checktoolbox is a mesh-checking add-on for Blender, built by VFX Grace. In Edit Mode it highlights model information such as poles, triangles, and N-gons in real time using shading colors, and a single click brings up a project overview covering object count, double count, isolated element count, and more.
Two main functions drive the tool. Object Count tallies models in the project and counts points, edges, polygons, isolated elements, doubles, and N-gons for selected objects, with a Details window for per-object breakdowns. Mesh Detection, available in edit mode, adds checks for non-manifold geometry, boundaries, intersection, distortion, and degenerate polygons, along with face orientation display. Errors are surfaced through Display Colors, and the colors of different items combine into another color.
Data can be updated manually with a Refresh button or automatically every three seconds in real-time mode. Checktoolbox runs on a broad span of Blender releases, and version 1.5 added support for Blender 4.1.
Blender Addon | Checktoolbox is best for blender modelers who need to inspect topology — poles, triangles, N-gons, non-manifold geometry and other issues — with color-coded feedback in Edit Mode.
Blender Addon | Checktoolbox is completely free to download and use.
Checktoolbox lists support for Blender 4.1, 4.0, 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3.0, 2.93, 2.9, 2.83, 2.82, 2.81, and 2.8, covering a wide range from 2.8 up through the 4.x series. The changelog notes that version 1.5, updated on April 29, 2024, added support for Blender 4.1. Installation notes reference the Windows system across the 2.8x to 3.4 releases. If you run a version outside this list, check the developer's page to confirm current compatibility before installing.
Checktoolbox installs through Blender's standard add-on flow: open Preferences, go to the Add-ons section, click Install, then locate the add-on's ZIP file to add it. This follows the general installation method Blender uses for packaged add-ons, so no separate setup steps are required. Once installed, the counting and mesh-detection tools become available, with functions like Mesh Detection working in edit mode. The developer's page carries the full documentation if you need more detail on setup.
Checktoolbox offers two refresh modes: manual refresh, where you click the Refresh button to update data after each modification, and real-time refresh, which updates automatically once every three seconds. In real-time mode, Blender may become a bit sluggish when the model's subdivision is very high, so the developer suggests unchecking any items you don't need to ease the load. The same caution applies to 'Display Colors', which isn't recommended by default on very high-subdivision models. Switching to manual refresh is another way to keep things responsive.
Checktoolbox splits its functions between two areas. The Object Count function tallies models across the project and counts points, edges, polygons, isolated elements, doubles, and N-gons for selected objects. The Mesh Detection function, which covers checks like poles, non-manifold geometry, boundaries, intersection, distortion, and degenerate polygons plus face orientation display, is available only in edit mode. So some checks run at the object level, while the more detailed mesh diagnostics require you to enter edit mode first.
Checktoolbox is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. Because licensing and any pricing can change over time, check the developer's page from VFX Grace for the current terms before you rely on them. The add-on has been published for over five years, so its documentation and changelog there reflect its history, including the version 1.5 update that added Blender 4.1 support. That page is the best source for the latest details on availability.
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