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Quadblaster

by karlo pavicic ravlic·Workflow

Images © karlo pavicic ravlic. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Quadblaster earns its place in the Superhive library for turning Blender's Viewport Rendering into a metadata-aware review export with one-button four-view collages.

What is Quadblaster?

Quadblaster adds functionality to Blender's Viewport Rendering, also called playblast, so animation can quickly be annotated and exported for review. You can export a Viewport Render of an animation from the current view together with metadata notes burnt in, or make a four-view playblast collage that shows the animation from perspective, front, side and top angles.

Metadata options useful during reviews include animator name, file name, action name, fps, Blender's frames, and notes. Filenames can be overwritten or automatically incremented, keeping either the highest increment or a fresh file. Quick Shading settings let you playblast in a flat shaded view, with or without the grid, and a custom output folder can be chosen.

The add-on requires ffmpeg, which is free, to be installed. Version 3.0 introduced a persistent animator name set in the add-on preferences, near-lossless compression by outputting a PNG sequence before encoding with ffmpeg, a version compatibility checker, and a font size slider. It was tested with Blender 3.3.1, 4.0.1, 4.1.1, 4.2.1, 4.3.1 and 4.4.0 and is distributed under CC BY-NC-SA.

Who is Quadblaster best for?

Quadblaster is best for blender animators exporting playblasts with burnt-in metadata for production and animation review.

How much does Quadblaster cost?

Quadblaster is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Export a Viewport Render of an animation from the current view with metadata notes burnt in for review
  • Four-view playblast collage showing perspective, front, side and top angles
  • Metadata options including animator name, file name, action name, fps, Blender's frames and notes
  • Overwrite or automatically increment filenames
  • Quick Shading settings to playblast in flat shaded view, with or without the grid
  • Near-lossless compression via a PNG sequence encoded with ffmpeg, plus a custom output folder
  • Version compatibility checker

Tags

#playblast#animation#viewport render#metadata#review#production#blender#ffmpeg

Frequently asked questions

Does Quadblaster require ffmpeg?

Quadblaster requires ffmpeg, which is free, so make sure it is installed before use. If ffmpeg is installed in the default folder you don't need to set up the path manually. Otherwise, the ffmpeg path can be set in the add-on preferences if you are using a custom install path. Version 3.0 added code that checks whether ffmpeg can be found on the system, and the near-lossless compression workflow relies on it to encode a PNG sequence output by Blender into the final playblast.

How do I install Quadblaster in Blender?

Quadblaster is installed from a zip file. Download the zip, then go to Blender's Preferences, open the Add-ons section, choose Install from disk, and select the zip. After installation you set up the ffmpeg path and the animator's name, though if ffmpeg is installed in the default folder you don't need to configure the path. From version 3.0 onward the animator name is set in the add-on preferences so it stays persistent across files once set up.

Which Blender versions does Quadblaster support?

Quadblaster was tested with Blender 3.3.1, 4.0.1, 4.1.1, 4.2.1, 4.3.1 and 4.4.0. Version 3.0 updated the add-on structure to work for 4.0 and added a version compatibility checker. Because the developer describes themselves as a hobby developer who can try to fix issues but cannot guarantee time or a fix, check the developer's page for the latest tested versions and current status before relying on it in production.

Is Quadblaster free to use?

Quadblaster is listed as free here. It is distributed under a CC BY-NC-SA license, and it also relies on ffmpeg, which is free, to function. For current licensing terms and any purchase options, check the developer's page. Note that the developer states they are a hobby developer and that buying the software means acknowledging they may not have the time or ability to fix every issue you encounter.

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