File Size Inspector - Documentation

1. Install

1. Download file_size_inspector_v1.0.0.zip. Do not unzip it.
2. In Blender: Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, click the drop-down arrow at the top right and choose Install from Disk...
3. Pick file_size_inspector_v1.0.0.zip and tick "File Size Inspector" in the list.
4. If Auto-Save Preferences is off, click Save Preferences (bottom left).

2. Where to find it

• 3D Viewport > Sidebar (press N) > File Size tab.

3. How to use it

1. Save your .blend first (Unpack Images and Save Compressed need a saved file).
2. Click Scan File. The panel shows the size on disk, a bar for each kind of data and the biggest items.
3. Click an item in the list to see its details. Click the arrow next to a mesh to select the objects using it, or next to an image to show it in an open Image Editor.
4. Under Fix it, each button shows how many items it will touch. Click the ones you want.
5. After each fix the panel scans again and shows what changed on the line at the bottom.
6. Click Save Compressed (or save normally) to write the smaller file to disk.

4. Settings

• Max size: 1K, 2K (default) or 4K. Shrink Big Images scales images down to this, keeping proportions.
• Show: how many of the biggest items to list, 3 to 50 (default 8).
• Purge Unused: deletes data nothing uses. This frees memory; Blender never saves unused data anyway.
• Unpack Images: writes packed images into a textures folder next to the .blend.
• Shrink Big Images: packed and generated images only. Images linked from files on disk are never touched.
• Merge Duplicate Images: images that load the same file or pack the same data are merged into one.
• Save Compressed: saves the .blend with compression on (smaller, slightly slower to save and open).

5. Troubleshooting

• Unpack Images or Save Compressed is greyed out: save the .blend first.
• A fix button is greyed out: there is nothing for it to do (the number in brackets is 0).
• The file did not get smaller after a fix: fixes change the data in memory. Save the file (or click Save Compressed) to see it on disk.
• Purge Unused did not shrink the file: that's expected. Unused data is never saved, so purging only frees memory.
• "No object in this view layer uses it": the mesh is used by objects in another scene or view layer, or by nothing.
• "Open an Image Editor to view it": open an Image Editor somewhere in the window, then click the arrow again.
• Textures missing after moving the project: keep the textures folder next to the .blend after Unpack Images.
• Install error? Make sure you picked the .zip itself, not an unzipped folder, and that you are on Blender 5.2 or newer.

6. Updating

• Download the new zip from your Superhive library, uninstall the old version in Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, restart Blender, then install the new zip.

7. Uninstall

• Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, expand File Size Inspector and choose Uninstall. Fixes you already applied stay in your files.

Support

• Have a question, a bug or an idea for a new feature? Mail me at [email protected]. Please include your Blender version and operating system.