Board Ref

Mohamed Targam in Interface


BOARDREF · DOCUMENTATION · VERSION 1.1

BoardRef Documentation

Everything needed to install BoardRef, create and organize reference boards, manage images and notes, and preserve the complete setup with your Blender project.

QUICK CONTENTS

Installation  •  Quick Start  •  Actions  •  Boards
Board Appearance  •  Arrange  •  Notes  •  Saving & Image Files
Viewport Display  •  Controls

01 · INSTALLATION

Install BoardRef

1

Open Edit → Preferences → Add-ons.

2

Open the add-on menu and choose Install from Disk.

3

Select the downloaded BoardRef ZIP file and complete the installation.

4

Open a 3D Viewport, press N, then open Targam-Tools → BoardRef.

02 · QUICK START

Create Your First Board

STEP 1

Choose the Viewport

Press Show in This Viewport inside the 3D Viewport where BoardRef should appear.

STEP 2

Enable and Interact

Enable BoardRef, then press Start Interaction.

STEP 3

Load Images

Create or select a board, press Load Images, then select one or more image files.

STEP 4

Arrange the Layout

Move and scale images freely, use Arrange when needed, and add notes beside the references.

STEP 5

Lock the Board

Press Stop Interaction when the layout is ready. The board remains visible without intercepting viewport controls.

03 · INTERFACE GUIDE

The BoardRef N-Panel

Actions

Show in This Viewport selects the only 3D Viewport that displays BoardRef.
Enable BoardRef shows or hides the complete overlay.
Start / Stop Interaction enables or locks board editing.
Load Images adds images to the active board.
Fit View frames the active board contents.
Collect Board Images copies project references beside the Blend file.

Boards

Create up to four independent boards.
Select a board from the list, use + to add one, and − to delete the active board.
The eye icon hides or reveals a board without deleting its images, notes, or settings.

Board Appearance

Control the active board’s opacity and image opacity independently.
Enable Custom Color to assign a different board color.
Every board stores its own appearance settings.

Arrange

Use automatic arrangement with adjustable Padding and optional Columns. When images are selected, Arrange and its layout settings affect only that selection. With no selected images, they affect every image on the active board.

Notes

Add and remove notes from the scrollable list. Select a note to edit its text, text color, and optional solid background. Double-click a note inside the board to rename it.

Statistics & Controls

Statistics shows the current number of boards, images, notes, and the selected item type. The Controls card keeps the main mouse and keyboard commands available inside the add-on.

04 · SAVING & IMAGE FILES

Keep the Complete Setup with the Project

Project Persistence

BoardRef stores the board layout inside the Blend project. When the project is reopened, BoardRef restores the boards, image positions and sizes, notes, appearance, arrangement settings, active board, and visibility states. Interaction starts locked after loading for safety.

External Image Files

Images are not packed into the Blend file. BoardRef keeps links to the original image files, so avoid moving or deleting those files after adding them.

Collect Board Images

Save the Blender project first, then use Collect Board Images. BoardRef copies all used images into a BoardRef_Images folder beside the Blend file and updates the project to use portable relative paths. Original image files are not removed.

05 · VIEWPORT DISPLAY

Display BoardRef in One Viewport

BoardRef is displayed in one 3D Viewport at a time to prevent duplicate boards when the Blender workspace contains multiple Viewports. Move the mouse into the desired Viewport and press Show in This Viewport. Pressing it in another Viewport transfers the BoardRef display there.

06 · CONTROLS

Mouse & Keyboard Controls

BOARD

Edge Drag = Move Board
Corner Drag = Resize Board
Mouse Wheel = Zoom Board View
Middle Mouse Drag = Pan Inside Board
F = Fit View

IMAGES

Click = Select Image
Shift + Click =  Multi Select
Drag Empty Board Area = Box Select
Drag Selected Images = Move Selection
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel = Scale Selection

NOTES & GENERAL

Drag Note = Move Note
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel = Scale Note
Delete = Delete Selected
Right Click = Stop Interaction

A simple workflow, directly inside the Viewport.

Choose the Viewport, organize the references, lock interaction, and continue working. BoardRef keeps every board close without interrupting the Blender workflow.

$3

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Details
Blender Extension Compatible Yes
Published 3 months ago
Blender Version 5.0 - 5.2
Extension Type Add-on
Render Engine Used Blender-Internal
License GPL

Mohamed Targam

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