The Blender stability problems I've recently experienced could be due to multiple factors. The most likely three causes are:
- Blender 5.0 bugs
- Addon incompatibility
- New bleeding-edge tech like True SKY 3 (which we forgive because early access status is a developer's way of coming clean about a product not being "perfected".)
Note: It's 13 months since my last deep-clean. See this November 2024 post.
It might have been okay to see how Blender 5.0.1 works out before doing this massive and potentially painful task, but cleaning up is good practice. I was running with a lot of addons that are just clutter. I should only install the things I need day-to-day and then install other stuff as and when I need them.
So for future purges, let's make a "shopping list" and some per-addon tips.
Key Settings changes:
Default renderer: Cycles using GPU, Optix and Vulkan
Narrator: Although these settings were applied, he didn't select GPU in the Render tab and spent several minutes staring in disbelief as his fastest-GPU-in-the-galaxy appeared to crawl like an arthritic tortoise. Proper settings soon applied, thankfully.
Basic Workspaces: A new one for my version of tri-view, plus one dedicated to scatters, and one for asset management.
Mission Critical Addons
- Node Wrangler
- Copy Attribute Menu
- CleanPanels
- Loop Tools
- F2 Make Edge/Face
- MACHIN3 Tools
- Grid Modeller
- Geo-Scatter
- True-Vault
- True-Assets
- True Terrain 3.1
- True SKY 3
- Cableator
- Bagapie
- Photographer
Nice to have:
- HardOPS
- Box Cutter
- Fluent Materializer
- Arborea
- Render Raw
- UV Flow
- G-Scatter
I had to remove:
I proved that running with Geo-Scatter and True-Sky 3 is not working for me, but I need to prove that running without True SKY 3 does work. To this end, I've set up a scene that uses an HDRI for lighting.
I'm now down a rabbit hole of creating a half-decent scatter that renders OK, which I can then switch to True SKY 3 to prove it causes the render to fail.
- Engon
- Lens Sim
- Light Wrangler (proven to have an issue with True SKY 3, but now apparently a fix was just released.)
Both were causing errors in the logging that might be nothing, but could be related to the problems. I want both back; Engon is required for interacting with some assets. Lens Sim offers the best approach to real-world lens work.
Very not critical: Chocolate background #3D393AFF
I like the idea of Blender 5.0 being colour-coded so that I instantly know that I'm using it. This is important when you are trying to use an earlier LTS version of Blender for the film project.
Very not critical: Chocolate background #3D393AFF
I like the idea of Blender 5.0 being colour-coded so that I instantly know that I'm using it. This is important when you are trying to use an earlier LTS version of Blender for the film project.
Back to work
Testing for the stability issue soon revealed that it is still present. Possibly even worse. I could get a render error without even using scatters.
 |
| True TERRAIN down the drain :-( |
I proved that running with Geo-Scatter and True-Sky 3 is not working for me, but I need to prove that running without True SKY 3 does work. To this end, I've set up a scene that uses an HDRI for lighting.
 |
| Blank out the HDRI output from the background |
I'm now down a rabbit hole of creating a half-decent scatter that renders OK, which I can then switch to True SKY 3 to prove it causes the render to fail.
 |
| It's a mess, so I'm having another try...or three. |
I need to read more about how to scatter grasses and small plants.
Before I finish this, a new beta of True SKY 3 might drop, which fixes the issue. There's a new version of True Terrain due in the new year, too.
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