Countdown Record + Auto Stop
Installation (Blender 4.2) use the .py file, not the .zip:
- Blender>Edit>Preferences>Add-ons
- Look in the upper right of the window and click the button with the down arrow (tooltip on mouse hover will say "Add-ons Settings")
- Click, "Install from Disk..."
- Choose the CountdownRecordPlusAutoStop_42_24_08_07.py file
- Enable
- You'll now see it in the 3D Viewport N-Panel under "CR+".
- In Blender 4.2.1, I noticed that seconds count down very fast. A value of 30 will roughly equal 3 seconds.
Installation for Blender 2.8 - 4.1+:
- Blender>Edit>Preferences>Add-ons>Install
- Navigate to CountdownRecordPlusAutoStop...zip, select it and "Install Add-on".
- In Add-ons window, use the magnifying glass / search bar and type "Countdown Record" until you see it.
- Enable the Add-on with with checkbox.
- Check your 3d Viewport window N-Panel region for the tab "CR+". Press "N" if you don't see it.
Usage:
Auto Stop Playback - Stops playback / recording at your scene's end frame. If you load a saved .blend file with this setting enabled, you will need to uncheck and re-check it for it to work properly.
"0" - The countdown display. You can shrink or enlarge this (along with the rest of the Blender UI) via Edit>Preferences>Interface>Display>Resolution Scale.
"Countdown from..." - Slider / numeric input in seconds for countdown. Also compatible with drivers like #frame. If you set a long value and start count down, and then set another value and start again before the first finishes, it will count doubly fast and do nothing, essentially resetting itself. Starting countdown again makes it trigger playback / recording as normal.
Action Trigger Menu - Triggers your choice of transform type on the selected object(s) when "Countdown Record" reaches 0 and animation playback starts. Choices include: Auto Grab, Auto Trackball, Auto Rotate, Auto Scale. There's even some to use with the 3D cursor moved away from your object center (Like "Bend"), and these to use with Proportional Object Edit: Push / Pull, To Sphere, Sheer.
Countdown Record - Starts countdown. When timer reaches 0, enables auto keying and triggers animation playback, and (if Auto Stop Playback is enabled) disables auto keying at your scene's end frame.
Countdown Play - Starts countdown. When timer reaches 0, triggers animation playback. Follows your auto keying settings and does not change them. If Auto Stop Playback is enabled, stops at the last scene frame and then disables auto keying.
Countdown Reverse - Starts countdown. When timer reaches 0, triggers animation reverse playback. Follows your auto keying settings and does not change them. If Auto Stop Playback is enabled, reverse plays through to the first scene frame, loops back to the last scene frame and then stops at the last scene frame and then disables auto keying.
Installation for Blender 2.79 / 2.7x
Open the file "CountdownRecordPlusAutoStop_Legacy279_24_05_30.py" in Blender 2.7x text editor.
Click "Run" (or Alt P).
In 3D Viewport, press "T" to see your panels.
Look for "CR+" near the bottom.
Functions and features exactly like described previously.
Why Support Blender 2.79 / 2.7x?
As a fan of rigid body physics, Blender 2.79 / 2.7x is unique compared to the 2.8+ versions of Blender because rigid body objects can be grabbed, thrown, rotated, and scaled with the mouse in real-time while animation playback is running, even if the object does not have "Animated" enabled in its Rigid Body properties. This is a ton of fun! The only thing that would be more fun is doing this in VR. However, this provides an opportunity to do some fun chaotic physics simulation motion graphics and potentially puppeteer type work in 2.7x and then import that into 4.0+ for the benefit of Eevee etc.
Having Countdown Record Plus Auto Stop is very helpful for capturing this action, namely because Auto Stop prevents cache from being lost. You can record your various grabs, throws, rotations, scales, etc of rigid body objects. Auto Stop stops the recording at the last scene frame, and then you can bake your cache by going to the Blender Properties window, Scene>Rigid Body Cache>Current Cache to Bake. This allows you to playback your captured physics performance. You can also then save your Blend file and import it into a newer version of Blender, like 4.0+ for use with Eevee. Make sure to bake your baked cached again to keyframes before rendering to prevent errors like misplaced objects and glitchy motion blur etc. Enjoy!
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