Blender addon that simplifies access to useful operators and adds missing functionality

Last update: Dec 27, 2022

Related tags

Miscellaneous quickmenu

Overview

Quick Menu is a Blender addon that simplifies common tasks

Compatible with Blender 3.x.x

Install through Edit -> Preferences -> Addons -> Install... -> Select quick_menu.py.

Press D to open the menu.

Every operator is described in the manual.

Join our DISCORD for discussion.

The addon was initially made only with personal use in mind and therefore is not customizable. However, it adds some new operators that some people may find useful. It also simplifies access to some operators and settings. Blender is already very hotkey-friendly, but:

Some useful operators are hard to reach, some take several mouse clicks. Some things you can't even fix with editing the keymap (snapping options for example). Quick Menu is optimized for accelerator keys, meaning all of the operators are accessible with just your left hand. All of them follow the pattern d + {key near d} + {key near d} . I took into consideration how easy it is to press them as well, combinations that are used frequently have some rolling finger motion in them.
Blender doesn't really offer anything that would automate repeating tasks, like macros or whatever. Some of the operators do multiple things at once if it makes sense. Which effectively adds new functionality to Blender.
Blender's defaults don't always make sense for my workflow, and a lot of the operators could be context-dependent. A lot of operators address this by calling existing Blender operators with proper settings. For example, I believe that "Shade Smooth", "Origin To (whatever)", operators that add modifiers and booleans should work regardless of what mode you're in. I believe that Separate/Join should be one button. The same is true for Region To Loop/Loop To Region, Add Mirror/Apply Mirror, etc. I believe that some operators (like mirror) should take into consideration your camera orientation when initially setting the axis. The list goes on. The addon is very opinionated.

This addon is the result of over a year of brainstorming on the effectiveness of modeling/texturing workflow and testing tools on small projects. I'm trying to keep it lightweight. If something seems missing from it, there's a high chance that the reason for it is that Blender already has built-in tools that allow to do it easily, or the use-case for it is very rare.

This addon is designed to be as unintrusive and minimalistic as possible. All of the operators are in just one menu. There's no UI other than that, which makes it easy to use. It also only takes one hotkey. It can be changed in the addon's preferences, but I recommend D.

This addon is a single-file addon for now, and it will probably stay that way because it simplifies development (reloading addons consisting of multiple files is not as straightforward as just pressing Alt+R, Alt+P in Blender's text editor).

Some tools

Here are some examples of tools that Quick Menu has. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list of operators, but rather a small showcase of what kind of things the addon is capable of. Only some modeling tools are listed, but the addon also has some operators for UVs, textures, export, etc. Check out the manual for the complete list.

Convert To Curve `d41`

Allows to create tubes out of selected edges with either round or square cross-section. Can be used without leaving edit mode. Usage: d+4+1

curve.mp4

Add geometry `d34`

Creates a circle or a square aligned to the selected face. Usage: d+3+5. Press shift to make a square

addgeometry.mp4

Loop/Region `d23`

Like some other Quick Menu operators (for example Separate/Join) it unifies multiple existing Blender operators into one. So instead of having to remember two separate hotkeys for Select Loop Inner Region and Select Boundary Loop, you can now just press d+2+3, and the addon will decide what to do depending on what mode you're in

loopregion.mp4

Bbox around selection `d33`

Creates a bounding box around selected elements in edit mode. Can also create a bounding plane/line, depending on the selection. Usage: d+3+3

bbox.mp4

Booleans `de1`, `de2`, `de3`

Context-dependent boolean, works in both object and edit mode. This operator will pre-scale selection by a small margin before applying boolean to avoid problems with coplanar faces. Works well with Blender's existing Add Cube tool (dd1). Usage: d+e+1 for union, d+e+2 for difference, d+e+3 for intersection

boolean.mp4

Connect `d3c`

Connects selected isolated islands with an edge. Will make a face if more than 2 islands are selected. Usage: d+3+c

connect.mp4

Flatten `d3f`

A faster way to flatten compared to s+{axis}+0+enter. This operator is view-dependent. Usage: d+3+f

flatten.mp4

Randomize `d3r`

Randomize operator that works in both object and edit mode (on separate islands). Usage: d+3+r

randomize.mp4

Spin `d32`

Effectively presets for the existing spin operator. Usage: d+3+2

spin.mp4

Plane Intersect Island `deq`

A view-dependent operator that cuts an island with a plane that goes through the center of the active element and is oriented towards the viewport camera (Snapped to 90 degrees by default). Convenient for cutting through complex meshes with ngons. Usage: d+e+q

planeintersectisland.mp4

Projection Intersect `der`

Projects selected elements to unselected. Just like the previous one, this operator is view-dependent. Flattens selection before projecting. Usage: d+e+r

projectionintersect.mp4

Knife Intersect `dee`

Similar to Blender's Intersect (Knife) (Ctrl+F+K), but removes the original geometry. Usage: d+e+e

knifeintersect.mp4

Comments

Array count issue
Issue: addon for arrays work incorrect. When you press counts more, it adds new array modifier with more counts in addition to previous one. When you press less counts, it add new array modifier with less counts in addition to previous one. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 1, and in total: 7 array modifiers.

Version: Blender 3.3.0 LTS (Steam version)

How to recreate:

In EDIT mode select mesh or part.

To see the bug: open modifiers property menu.

D-4-A to set array.

in pop-up menu (same as F9) set count 2 or more by pressing arrows. 4.1) I check init.py, and there count number is 3 by default but in blender it is 1 (so, maybe, v3.3.0 is the reason)

pressing opposite arrows to decrease numbers.

Result: new array modifier is adding to modifiers' stack and affect on mesh.

https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/60898828/189495750-d34d7c14-9e1e-4511-b61e-933a20b9dbeb.mp4
opened by DesLandysh 0
I'm getting an error on create curves feature

When I try to create a curve I get an error.

Python: Traceback (most recent call last): File "/Users/user/Library/Application Support/Blender/3.1/scripts/addons/quickmenu-main/init.py", line 789, in invoke return self.execute(context) File "/Users/user/Library/Application Support/Blender/3.1/scripts/addons/quickmenu-main/init.py", line 810, in execute self.resolution = max(1, (calculate_number_of_vertices_by_radius(self.depth, subsurf) / 2 - 3)) File "/Applications/Blender.app/Contents/Resources/3.1/scripts/modules/bpy_types.py", line 778, in setattr return setattr(properties, attr, value) TypeError: bpy_struct: item.attr = val: QM_OT_convert.resolution expected an int type, not float

location: :-1

opened by Nestlium 0

D-3-4 scale down (mouse to the left) throws error

Blender 3.0.1

Error: Python: Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 645, in modal
    return modal_run(self, context, event, True)
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 184, in modal_run
    if hasattr(operator, 'on_modal_run'): operator.on_modal_run(context, event)
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 624, in on_modal_run
    self.execute(context)
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 661, in execute
    self.add_geometry()
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 656, in add_geometry
    self.vertices = calculate_number_of_vertices_by_radius(self.radius)
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 104, in calculate_number_of_vertices_by_radius
    return max(6, grid_snap(2, math.log(1 + 0.03 + 0.4 * radius) * RADIUS_TO_VERTICES))
ValueError: math domain error

opened by iperson 0

Error handling

Having trouble reproducing this one. I think it was D-4-3, but could not repeat.

location: <unknown location>:-1
Error: Python: Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 881, in execute
    execute_in_mode('OBJECT', fn)
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 92, in execute_in_mode
    result = callback()
  File "D:\Blender Assets\addons\quickmenu-main\__init__.py", line 880, in fn
    bpy.ops.object.convert(target='MESH')
  File "C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\Blender 3.0\3.0\scripts\modules\bpy\ops.py", line 132, in __call__
    ret = _op_call(self.idname_py(), None, kw)
RuntimeError: Operator bpy.ops.object.convert.poll() failed, context is incorrect

opened by iperson 0

Addon does not show up after install

I'm on an M1 Max Mac running the Blender 3.1 beta on MacOS Monterrey. I downloaded the latest version and Installed it as per the documentation. The addon does not show up after restarting blender, nor in the Addon list in the preferences.

I've tried selecting a cube, pressing D 4 5 ( and other combinations ) but no menu shows up.

opened by SkelegonDK 3

Releases(v2.4.3)

v2.4.3(Sep 26, 2022)

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/v2.2.0...v2.4.3
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(42.16 KB)
v2.2.0(Apr 19, 2022)

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/v2.0.3...v2.2.0
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(41.98 KB)
v2.0.3(Mar 25, 2022)

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/v2.0.2...v2.0.3
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(40.60 KB)
v2.0.0(Mar 17, 2022)

Adds the ability to customize the menu.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/v1.3.0...v2.0.0
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(37.58 KB)
v1.3.0(Mar 15, 2022)

Compatible with Blender 3.1.0

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/v1.2.2...v1.3.0
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(37.41 KB)
v1.2.2(Jan 20, 2022)

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/1.2.0...v1.2.2
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(37.35 KB)
1.2.0(Jan 15, 2022)

Full Changelog: https://github.com/passivestar/quickmenu/compare/1.0.0...1.2.0
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(37.35 KB)
v1.0.0(Dec 12, 2021)

Initial Release. Compatible with Blender 3.0.0
Source code(tar.gz)
Source code(zip)
quickmenu.zip(37.88 KB)