by Martin-Lorentzon·Workflow
Images © Martin-Lorentzon. Used for product review; image policy.
Pattern Collections earns a place in the Blender extensions library for bringing rule-based collection sorting, drawn from OpenUSD's pattern-based collections, into Blender through RegEx and JSON configuration.
Blender exposes the Collection type through its Python API but offers few tools for grouping objects by common properties and metadata. Pattern Collections addresses this, building on RegEx and the JSON format to configure and layer precise sorting rules. It draws inspiration from Pattern-Based Collections for OpenUSD.
Sorting categories cover included or excluded names, hierarchies, types, materials, collections, UV layers, modifiers and attributes. Each rule supports enable/disable toggling, case sensitivity and an anchor setting (Match, Contains, Starts with, Ends with, Match Rgx, Search Rgx, Greater, Less). Patterns can be configured, tested and refined from the Blender interface, then exported to JSON for reuse.
A Python API exposes import and sort operators, and automatic sorting categorises objects as they are created once a working structure is defined. The extension has the potential to sort 1K objects in under a second. Version 1.1.0 added Modifiers as a sorting category.
Pattern Collections is best for artists keeping blend-files tidy, dividing large numbers of objects into bake or export collections, and configuring model or scene variations from metadata.
Pattern Collections is completely free to download and use.
Pattern Collections is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS. Versions 5.0 and above are listed as unsupported, so if you run a newer release you should check the developer's GitHub page for compatibility updates. The extension is version 1.1.0, published in February 2025, and ships at a compact size. Its permissions cover FBX import and export from and to disk to provide JSON file input and output. For the current compatibility status and any later builds, refer to the developer's GitHub page.
Pattern Collections installs like other Blender extensions: drag and drop the add-on into Blender, or download it and use Install from Disk. Once enabled, you can configure, test and refine your collection patterns directly from the Blender interface. The extension also exposes a Python API, including an operator to import a pattern configuration by file path and one to sort the active collection. For step-by-step guidance, the developer's GitHub page and Blender's extension documentation are the places to check.
Pattern Collections is listed as free here in the catalog. It is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later, which governs how you can use, modify and redistribute it. Licensing terms can change, so for the current details and the full license text, check the developer's GitHub page. There you will also find the source code, issue tracker and version history for the extension.
Pattern Collections sorts objects using included or excluded rules across names, hierarchies, types, materials, collections, UV layers, modifiers and attributes. It also recognises reserved attribute names: triangles (the object's triangle count), bounding_box (bounding box volume) and surface_area (surface area), each returning zero for non-meshes. These can be combined, for example using triangles and area together to sort by triangle density. Each rule supports enable/disable, case sensitivity and an anchor setting that controls how items are matched against candidates.
Pattern Collections supports JSON export, letting you export and reuse your collection patterns in future projects. Its configuration and layering of sorting rules are built on RegEx and the JSON format. The Python API includes an import operator that takes a file path, so a saved pattern configuration can be brought into another file, alongside an operator that sorts the active collection. Automatic sorting can also categorise objects as you create them once your working structure is defined.
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