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BLBlender

View Layer Plus

by Trukas·Workflow

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

Why we like it

Stands out in the blender_extensions library for pulling View Layer controls into the compositor, a manager list, and the outliner, so common toggles and render-setting copies sit where you already work.

What is View Layer Plus?

View Layer Plus is an add-on by Trukas that extends View Layers operations in Blender. It works across three areas of the compositing and rendering process: the compositor, a dedicated manager, and the outliner. In the compositor it adds a new View Layer menu to the panel and extra entries in the right-click contextual menu, with operators to enable or disable View Layers for selected render layer nodes, enable or disable all View Layers in the scene, target unmuted nodes only, and switch to the View Layer of a selected render layer.

The manager lets you handle View Layers like any other Blender list: switch between them, enable or disable, add or remove, and use a special menu for sorting by name or in reverse, and moving layers to the top, bottom, up, or down. You can also copy and paste render settings from all Layer Collections. From the outliner, it copies selected Layer Collection render settings, including exclude, holdout, indirect_only, and hide_viewport, to selected View Layers.

Every menu and panel can be shown or hidden. The add-on is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, and is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later.

Who is View Layer Plus best for?

View Layer Plus is best for blender artists managing multiple View Layers across compositing and rendering, and copying render settings between collections and layers.

How much does View Layer Plus cost?

View Layer Plus is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Compositor View Layer menu and right-click entries with operators to enable or disable View Layers for selected render layer nodes
  • Bulk operators to enable or disable all View Layers in the scene, or target unmuted nodes only
  • Switch to the View Layer of a selected render layer node
  • Manager to switch, enable or disable, add, and remove View Layers as a Blender list
  • Special sorting menu: sort by name or in reverse, and move layers to the top, bottom, up, or down
  • Copy and paste render settings from all Layer Collections
  • Copy selected Layer Collection render settings (exclude, holdout, indirect_only, hide_viewport) from the outliner to selected View Layers

Tags

#Blender#View Layers#Compositing#Rendering#Outliner#Render Settings#Workflow

Frequently asked questions

Does View Layer Plus work with Blender 4.2 LTS?

View Layer Plus is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, so it fits recent Blender releases. Version 1.2.5 also addressed 5.1 compatibility by removing deprecated keyword usage that had caused an error on enable. Installation follows Blender's standard extension flow: drag and drop the add-on into Blender, or download the file and install it from disk. Because it extends built-in View Layers management, it slots into the compositor, a manager list, and the outliner once enabled.

How do I install View Layer Plus?

View Layer Plus installs like other Blender extensions. You can drag and drop the add-on directly into Blender, or download the file and use Install from Disk. It does not require any special permissions. Once enabled, it adds a View Layer menu in the compositor panel, entries in the right-click contextual menu, a manager for your View Layers, and an outliner option for copying render settings. Every menu and panel can be shown or hidden to match how you want the interface arranged.

Is View Layer Plus free to use?

View Layer Plus is listed as free here, and it is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. For current licensing terms and any updates, check the developer's page on GitHub. The add-on states that it does not require special permissions. If you need deeper handling of View Layer passes and AOVs, the developer notes those are deprecated in this add-on and points to Blender Bob's Render Manager instead.

What does the outliner feature in View Layer Plus copy?

View Layer Plus adds an outliner option to copy render settings from selected Layer Collections to selected View Layers. The settings it transfers are exclude, holdout, indirect_only, and hide_viewport. This sits alongside the manager's own copy and paste of render settings from all Layer Collections. Together these give a way to move collection render settings onto View Layers without configuring each one manually.

Alternatives to View Layer Plus

Also in Workflow for Blender.

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