by Lorenz Wieseke·Rendering
Images © Lorenz Wieseke. Used for product review; image policy.
A compact add-on that leans on Blender's own Video Sequence Editor and Eevee options rather than adding its own render engine.
Viewport Render Multilayer is a simple Blender add-on for rendering all of your view layers as a viewport render animation. You add a view layer, set up the output folder and file output settings, then click Viewport Render Multilayer in the View Menu of the 3D Viewport. Only the view layers enabled for rendering are rendered.
The add-on auto-generates a folder structure for output, named by the view layers, and produces a render preview within minutes instead of hours. You can then use Blender's Video Sequence Editor to composite your rendered layers, combining multiple layers together. Visual quality can be enhanced using Eevee's Ambient Occlusion, Screen Space Reflection or Motion Blur, and you can disable overlay to remove all the lines and empties.
Because Blender will freeze while the process runs, it is recommended to choose a small frame range to test first. Opening a console before starting lets you see updates during the process. The add-on is released under the GPL license and supports Blender versions 2.9 through 2.93.
Viewport Render Multilayer is best for blender artists who want fast viewport render previews of multiple view layers for compositing.
Viewport Render Multilayer is completely free to download and use.
Viewport Render Multilayer lists support for Blender versions 2.9, 2.91, 2.92 and 2.93. It is released under the GPL license. To run it, you add a view layer, set up the output folder and file output settings, then click Viewport Render Multilayer in the View Menu of the 3D Viewport. Only the view layers enabled for rendering are processed. For current licensing and version details, check the developer's page before installing into your setup.
Viewport Render Multilayer will cause Blender to freeze while the process is running, so it is recommended to choose a small frame range to test it first before committing to a full render. Opening a console before starting lets you see updates as the add-on works. Once your test looks correct, you can expand the frame range. The add-on auto-generates a folder structure for output, named by the view layers, so results are organized as they are produced.
Viewport Render Multilayer is listed as free here in the catalog. Free access is offered through the developer's GitHub, and the add-on is released under the GPL license. For the most up-to-date licensing terms and download details, visit the developer's page directly. Once installed, you set up the output folder and file output settings, add a view layer, and run the tool from the View Menu of the 3D Viewport to render your enabled view layers.
Viewport Render Multilayer lets you use Blender's Video Sequence Editor to composite your rendered layers, combining multiple layers together. Because it renders each view layer enabled for rendering as a viewport render animation, you can then bring those outputs into the Video Sequence Editor. You can also enhance visual quality by using Eevee's Ambient Occlusion, Screen Space Reflection or Motion Blur, and disable overlay to remove all the lines and empties from the rendered result.
by Physical Addons
Physical Starlight and Atmosphere - Sky is a Blender addon for real-time, physics-based sky and atmosphere rendering. It works in Eevee and Cycles, using photometric measurements and analytic air mass volume calculations for scientifically accurate atmospheric scattering.
by Andrew_D
Extreme PBR Nexus is a Blender addon for managing a library of over 1800 materials, compatible with Cycles and Eevee. It includes texture painting between materials, animated water, and displacement built on native Blender modifiers.
by Community
Tri-lighting is a Blender add-on that places a three-point lighting setup on the selected or active object. Found under View3D → Add → Lights, it was previously bundled with Blender 4.1.
by Håvard Dalen
Lens Sim is a Blender addon that simulates camera lenses using real-world optical data. It extends the standard Blender camera so you can choose and render dozens of lenses in Cycles.
by pioverfour
Sun Position is a Blender add-on that positions and animates the Sun to simulate real-world natural lighting, using geographic location, time and date based on the NOAA online calculator.
by Dynamic Sky
Dynamic Sky is a Blender add-on that creates dynamic sky for the Cycles render engine. Originally authored by Pratik Solanki, it was part of Blender 4.1's bundled add-ons and is now offered as-is.
