Blend Inspector — Documentation

Installation

1. Download blend_inspector.zip from your Superhive purchases.
2. Open Blender and go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons.
3. Click Install… (top right).
4. Select the downloaded .zip file and click Install Add-on.
5. Enable by checking the box next to "System: Blend Inspector".
6. The add-on is now active. No restart required.

Requirements

Getting started

1. Save your .blend file — the inspector needs a saved file to measure file size on disk.
2. Press N in the 3D Viewport to open the sidebar.
3. Click the Inspect tab.
4. Click Inspect File.
5. Explore the collapsible sections for detailed results.

Important: Always save your file before inspecting. File size on disk can only be measured from a saved file. Unsaved changes won't be reflected in the file size reading.

Report sections

1. File Overview

Shows top-level file statistics at a glance:

The warning and critical thresholds are configurable in Preferences (default: 200 MB warning, 500 MB critical).

2. Memory Breakdown

Three sub-sections:

Images: Lists all images sorted by VRAM consumption (heaviest first). Each entry shows resolution, bit depth (8-bit or Float 32), channel count, VRAM estimate, and whether the image is packed or external.

Meshes: Top 10 heaviest meshes sorted by vertex count. For each mesh you see:

• Base vertex and face count (the actual mesh data)
• Evaluated vertex and face count (after modifiers like Subdivision Surface, Mirror, Array, etc.)
• Estimated memory consumption
• UV map count, vertex color layers, shape key status

Materials: Total material count, total node groups, and average nodes per material.

3. Unused Data

Detects data blocks with 0 users (orphan data) that can be safely removed:

The section shows total unused count and estimated space savings from unused images and meshes.

Purge All Unused button: removes all unused data blocks in one click (with confirmation dialog). This calls Blender's built-in bpy.ops.outliner.orphans_purge() recursively.

4. Texture Audit

Scans all images for common issues, sorted by severity:

Every issue includes a concrete suggestion — what to do to fix it.

5. Scene Health

Checks all objects in the current View Layer for common problems:

Each check that finds problems shows a [Select] button to instantly select all affected objects.

Quick fix buttons:

• Fix Transforms — applies scale and rotation to all objects with unapplied transforms
• Fix Unused Slots — removes material slots not used by any face

Action buttons

Preferences

Go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Blend Inspector to configure:

FAQ

Does this modify my file?

No. Blend Inspector only reads data. The three actions that modify your file (Purge, Fix Transforms, Fix Slots) all require explicit user action and show confirmation dialogs.

Why do I need to save the file first?

File size on disk can only be measured from a saved file. If you haven't saved, the file size will show as 0.

How accurate are the VRAM estimates?

They show the uncompressed texture size in GPU memory: width × height × channels × bytes_per_channel. Actual VRAM depends on your GPU driver and compression, but the estimates are reliable for comparing textures against each other.

Does it work with linked libraries?

It analyzes data in the current .blend file only. Linked library data is not included.

Can I undo Purge?

Yes, if you have not saved after purging. Press Ctrl+Z to undo. Once you save, the purge is permanent.

Why does polycount analysis take a moment on heavy scenes?

For evaluated polycount (after modifiers), the add-on needs to evaluate each mesh through the depsgraph. On scenes with 1000+ objects and heavy modifiers like Subdivision, this can take a few seconds.

Known limitations

• VRAM estimates are approximate — actual usage depends on render engine and GPU driver
• Polycount with modifiers may be slow on very heavy scenes (1000+ objects with subdivisions)
• Purge cannot be undone after saving the file
• Scene health checks only analyze objects in the current View Layer

Changelog

v1.0.0 — Initial Release

• File overview with health indicator and potential savings
• Memory breakdown: images with VRAM and bit depth, meshes with modifier impact, material stats
• Unused data detection with size estimates and one-click purge
• Texture audit with severity sorting and actionable suggestions
• Scene health checks with quick fix actions (apply transforms, remove unused slots)
• Select affected objects for any issue
• Copy report to clipboard
• Configurable preferences with threshold and toggle controls