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Orthosnapshot

by kunyongChen·Workflow

Images © kunyongChen. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

OrthoSnapshot stands out in the Superhive library for keeping orthographic view generation, UV baking and grid overlays inside Blender's viewport.

What is Orthosnapshot?

OrthoSnapshot is a Blender addon for generating orthographic views. It instantly creates front, top and side views using Cycles rendering, auto-generates optimized UV maps with proportional scaling, and bakes viewport-ready textures using Ray Portal BSDF. It is aimed at modelers, 3D printing enthusiasts, and technical artists.

The addon exposes a set of workflow controls: a bounding offset for padding between the model and viewport borders, a base resolution setting that sets the maximum texture resolution on the shortest edge and auto-adjusts aspect ratio, and a bake path that defaults to a bake_textures folder alongside the blend file. A rebake option re-bakes textures with current grid settings and outputs opaque textures for Solid mode and third-party software, while Save Image exports the final texture to the bake path after review.

Collapsible menus cover line, grid and texture settings, including line opacity, scale, thickness and overlay, XYZ-axis grid tinting, grid opacity, texture tinting and texture opacity. Baking uses Cycles plus Ray Portal BSDF, supports multi-channel baking by connecting any BSDF to Ray Portal, and bake quality depends on the viewport shading setup.

Who is Orthosnapshot best for?

Orthosnapshot is best for modelers, 3D printing enthusiasts and technical artists creating orthographic reference sheets in Blender.

How much does Orthosnapshot cost?

Orthosnapshot is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Creates front, top and side orthographic views using Cycles rendering
  • Auto-generates optimized UV maps with proportional scaling
  • Bakes viewport-ready textures using Ray Portal BSDF for physically accurate results
  • Grid overlay controls for line opacity, scale, thickness and overlay, plus XYZ-axis tinting and opacity
  • Base resolution setting on the shortest edge that auto-adjusts aspect ratio, with adjustable bounding offset padding
  • Rebake with current grid settings and outputs opaque textures for Solid mode and third-party software
  • Supports multi-channel baking by connecting any BSDF to Ray Portal, and exports the final texture to the bake path

Tags

#Orthographic Views#UV Mapping#Baking#Reference Sheets#Cycles#3D Printing#Blender#Modeling

Frequently asked questions

Does OrthoSnapshot work with Blender 4.2?

OrthoSnapshot lists compatibility with Blender 4.2 and 4.3, and states Blender 4.2+ as its requirement. Beyond the Blender version, the addon requires Cycles, since it relies on Cycles rendering to create the orthographic views and uses Cycles plus Ray Portal BSDF for baking. If you are running one of these supported Blender versions with Cycles available, the addon's view generation and baking workflow should function as described. Check the developer's page to confirm details for your specific setup before installing.

Why does OrthoSnapshot require Cycles?

OrthoSnapshot requires Cycles because it instantly creates front, top and side views using Cycles rendering and bakes viewport-ready textures using Ray Portal BSDF, described as physically accurate baking. The developer notes you should ensure the final lighting setup in Cycles before baking, and that bake quality depends on the viewport shading setup. The addon also supports multi-channel baking by connecting any BSDF to Ray Portal. Because these core steps run through Cycles, the render engine is a stated requirement rather than optional.

Where does OrthoSnapshot save baked textures?

OrthoSnapshot uses a bake path that defaults to a bake_textures folder located alongside the blend file. After you review the result, the Save Image control exports the final texture to that bake path. A rebake option re-bakes textures with the current grid settings and outputs opaque textures suitable for Solid mode and third-party software. Resolution is governed by a base resolution setting applied to the shortest edge, which auto-adjusts the aspect ratio, and a bounding offset controls padding between the model and the viewport borders.

Is OrthoSnapshot free?

OrthoSnapshot is listed as free in this catalog. It is published under a GPL license according to its listing details. For current licensing terms, the latest version information, and any support contact, refer to the developer's page. The addon is credited to kunyongChen, and a demo video is also available if you want to see more before installing. Always confirm the license and requirements on the official page, since these can change over time.

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