NKZ REFDECK · DOCUMENTATION

Everything you need, step by step

Install, build your reference library, and control every overlay directly in the 3D Viewport.

1Download NKZ_RefDeck_v1.6.3.zip — do not unzip it.

2In Blender: Edit › Preferences › Get Extensions, open the drop-down arrow at the top right and choose Install from Disk…. You can also drag and drop the zip into Blender.

3In the 3D Viewport press N and open the RefDeck tab in the sidebar.

1Press Import Folder to turn a folder of images into a collection, or New Collection to start empty.

2Click the eye icon under any thumbnail to send it to the viewport.

3Click the image in the viewport to select it, then use the HUD toolbar to move, rotate, scale or fade it.

ORGANISE

Collections → Sub-categories → Images

▸ New Collection / Import Folder — create a collection, or import a whole folder of images in one click.

▸ Add sub-category (folder icon) — split a collection into groups; + adds images to a sub-category.

▸ Colour — every collection and sub-category has its own colour code.

▸ Reorder — drag the grip handle, or use the up/down arrows. Move a sub-category to another collection with the export arrow.

▸ Rename / Delete — pencil and trash icons on each collection.

▸ Supported formats: JPG, PNG, BMP, TGA, TIFF, WebP.

ORGANISE

Search & Favorites

▸ Search — type in the search field to filter images by name or tag in real time.

▸ Favorite — star an image: favorites are automatically promoted to the top of every grid.

▸ Favorites only — the star toggle next to the search field shows only starred images.

ORGANISE

Grid Zoom

▸ Use − and + next to the search field to zoom from 1 to 12: from a compact 6-column grid to a single large preview.

▸ Large collections are paginated automatically: use the arrows under the grid to change page.

VIEWPORT

Viewport Overlays

▸ Add as many references as you like: each overlay is fully independent.

▸ Select — click any image in the viewport, or pick it in the Viewport Overlays panel.

▸ Show / Hide — the eye toggle hides a single overlay; the checkbox in the panel header hides them all.

▸ Precise values — the panel also has Opacity, Scale, Rotation and X / Y position fields for exact numbers.

▸ Clear All Overlays — removes every overlay from the viewport (your library is not touched).

VIEWPORT

HUD Controls — directly in the 3D Viewport

Select an overlay, then click and drag a HUD button:

✥ Move — click and drag to reposition

↺ Rotate — drag left/right, 0.5° per pixel

↺ Reset — one click back to exactly 0°

⊞ Scale — drag left/right, no arbitrary limits

◐ Opacity — from 0% to 100%

⇔ Mirror H — flip left ↔ right

⇕ Mirror V — flip top ↕ bottom

✕ Remove — instant removal

Esc or Right-click while dragging cancels and reverts the transformation.

SESSIONS

Save & reload your setup

▸ Save Current Library — saves your entire setup with a name, including overlay positions, transforms and opacity.

▸ Load — reload any saved session in one click from the Libraries panel; the trash icon deletes it.

▸ Export JSON / Import JSON — save a library as a file and open it on another computer (the image files must be there too).

▸ Images are linked from your disk, not copied: keep them where they are.

SETTINGS

Edit › Preferences › Add-ons › NKZ RefDeck

▸ Uninstall — the red button at the top removes the add-on, after a confirmation.

▸ About — links to the author, also available at the bottom of the sidebar.

Requirements

Blender 4.0+ · No external dependencies · Windows / macOS / Linux · GPL-3.0-or-later

reference · overlay · viewport · posing · sculpting · modeling · workflow · character art