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Osc Controller For Blender - Real-Time Animation Over Osc

by Guillaume Hervy·Workflow

Images © Guillaume Hervy. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

OSC Controller for Blender earns its place in the Superhive library for turning external OSC streams into direct control over Blender properties, from facial shape keys to geometry nodes, with the option to record the results as keyframes.

What is Osc Controller For Blender - Real-Time Animation Over Osc?

OSC Controller for Blender connects Blender to the Open Sound Control protocol, letting external OSC-capable applications such as TouchDesigner, Pure Data and Max drive shape keys, bones, cameras, lights, geometry nodes and almost any Blender property in real time. Values arrive as OSC messages and map onto the targets you configure.

Mappings cover several types. Shape key mappings can be added individually or through a one-click operator that creates 50 standard ARKit-style facial mappings for a chosen mesh. Bone rotation mappings support Euler or Quaternion modes with per-mapping axis, rotation mode, input/output ranges, clamping and inversion. Generic property mappings point at any data path, and right-clicking a property in Blender generates one with a default 0–1 range. Auto Key can insert keyframes whenever incoming OSC data changes a property, recording performances straight into the timeline.

The add-on bundles a pure-Python OSC library, so no external installation or pip setup is needed, and its server runs on a background thread with a message queue, applying updates in batches through a Blender timer with a single view layer update per tick. It supports Blender 4.0.0 and newer on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Who is Osc Controller For Blender - Real-Time Animation Over Osc best for?

Osc Controller For Blender - Real-Time Animation Over Osc is best for facial animation and avatars driven by face-tracking or mocap apps, live performance and VJing across cameras, lights, shaders and geometry nodes, and technical or experimental data-driven rigs and interactive installations.

How much does Osc Controller For Blender - Real-Time Animation Over Osc cost?

Osc Controller For Blender - Real-Time Animation Over Osc is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Shape key control from OSC messages, plus a one-click operator that creates 50 standard ARKit-style facial shape key mappings for a chosen mesh
  • Bone rotation control in Euler or Quaternion modes, with per-mapping axis, rotation mode, input/output ranges, clamping and inversion
  • Generic property mappings via data paths; right-click any property in Blender and choose "Create OSC Mapping" to generate one with a default 0–1 range
  • Auto Key inserts keyframes whenever OSC data changes a property, recording shape keys, bones and node inputs into the timeline
  • Bundled pure-Python OSC library inside the add-on, with no external installation or pip setup required
  • Threaded OSC server using a background thread and message queue, applying updates in batches via a Blender timer with a single view layer update per tick
  • Packaged as a standard Blender add-on and as a Blender Extension with a blender_manifest.toml for Blender 4.2 and newer

Tags

#OSC#real-time control#Blender add-on#facial animation#TouchDesigner#live performance#keyframing#geometry nodes

Frequently asked questions

Does OSC Controller for Blender work with Blender 4.2?

OSC Controller for Blender runs on Blender 4.0.0 or newer, so Blender 4.2 is covered. It ships both as a standard Blender add-on and as a Blender Extension packaged with a blender_manifest.toml for Blender 4.2 and later. On 4.2 or newer you can drag and drop the ZIP straight into Blender, and it reads the manifest to register the tool as an extension. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, anything Blender itself supports.

How do I install OSC Controller for Blender?

OSC Controller for Blender installs like a standard add-on. Download the ZIP from Superhive, open Blender and go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons, click Install from Disk, select the ZIP, then enable "OSC Controller for Blender" in the list. Open the 3D View, press N to show the side panel, and switch to the OSC tab. On Blender 4.2 or newer you can instead drag and drop the ZIP into Blender, which reads the manifest and registers it as an extension.

Does OSC Controller for Blender need extra Python libraries or pip?

OSC Controller for Blender ships with a bundled copy of a pure-Python OSC library inside the add-on, so no external installation or pip setup is required. Once the add-on is enabled you open the OSC tab in the 3D View N-panel, set the IP address and port, then click Start to launch the OSC server. From there, external OSC-capable applications such as TouchDesigner, Pure Data or Max can send messages to the configured address.

What network setup does OSC Controller for Blender require?

OSC Controller for Blender needs the ability to receive UDP OSC messages on the configured IP and port. In the OSC tab you set the IP address, for example 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces, and the port, which defaults to 9000 and must match your OSC sender. After clicking Start, send OSC messages from your external app to that IP and port using addresses that match your mappings, such as /mouthSmileLeft.

Is OSC Controller for Blender free?

OSC Controller for Blender is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change, so check the developer's page for the current details before you rely on it. Functionally, the add-on covers shape key control, bone rotation mapping, generic property mappings via data paths, automatic keyframing with Auto Key, and a threaded OSC server, all without requiring any external Python installation or pip setup.

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