PermaBlend v1.1 Now Available!

✨ Advanced material blending system with dynamic proximity-based effects for Blender 4.0+
Created by Egret

🧩 What is PermaBlend

PermaBlend is a Blender addon that creates dynamic, proximity-based material blending between objects in real-time.
It automatically generates seamless transitions where objects are near each other.

It’s a non-destructive and real-time solution for environment artists, procedural designers, and shader developers — helping you achieve natural, adaptive material blending with minimal setup.

🚀 Key Features

🔄 Dynamic Proximity Blending – Materials blend automatically based on distance
🎨 Multiple Blend Styles – None, Noise, and Height-based blending options
⚡ Real-time Preview – Instantly visualize blend changes in the viewport
🧱 Non-destructive Workflow – Add, remove, or reconfigure blends anytime
🎚️ Distance & Falloff Controls – Fine-tune how far and how smoothly blends occur
🪶 Lightweight – Minimal performance impact, fully optimized
🧠 Smart System – Automatically manages modifiers and nodes behind the scenes

🧭 Quick Start Guide

1. 🖱️ Select your target objects (these receive the blend)

2. 🔹 Shift-select the source object (this provides the blend material – must be the active object)

3. ⚙️ In the PermaBlend panel (N-Panel sidebar), click “Create a Permablend”

4. 🎚️ Adjust Blend Distance and Falloff for desired softness

5. 🎨 Choose a Blend Style (None, Noise, or Height)

✅ That’s it! The selected objects will now blend their materials dynamically based on proximity.

💾 Installation

🧱 Blender 4.0+

1. Download permablend.zip

2. Open Blender → Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions

3. Click the dropdown ⌄ → Install from Disk

4. Select permablend.zip

5. ✅ Enable the addon

📍 Finding the Panel

Press N in the 3D Viewport → Go to the PermaBlend tab.

🎛️ Interface Guide

🧪 Create a PermaBlend

Main operator that generates a proximity-based blend between selected objects.
Requirements:

• At least two objects selected

• Each object must have an existing material

• The active object (last selected) becomes the source material

🧩 Apply / Remove

• Apply 🧱 – Makes the blend permanent, removing temporary modifiers

• Remove ❌ – Deletes all Permablend data and restores original materials

🎚️ Blend Distance

Controls how far the effect extends from the source.

• Higher = smoother, wider blending

• Lower = tighter, more localized blend

🧮 Falloff & Scale

Fine-tune transition softness and scale per object for detailed control.

🎨 Blend Style

Select how the blend behaves:

• None: Smooth gradient transition

• Noise: Adds procedural breakup for natural variation

• Height: Uses geometry height to drive blend

👁️ Display Options

• Show/Hide Blend Mask – Toggle visibility of blend influence

• Color Ramp View – Visualize the gradient strength

• Levels Preview – Check intensity and smoothness.

⚙️ Technical Overview

PermaBlend uses Blender’s modifier and data transfer systems to create non-destructive blends:

🧩 ProximityBlend Modifier – Computes vertex weights based on object distance
🎨 VertexColor Transfer – Applies blend data as vertex colors
🧭 Normal & UV Handling – Ensures consistent shading and texture mapping
⚙️ Shader Integration – Connects directly to material nodes for smooth transitions

All these operations are handled automatically — no manual node setup required.

⚡ Performance

• 💨 Real-time feedback with minimal lag

• 🧠 Smart modifier stacking – optimized order and updates

• 🪶 Lightweight system, designed for large environments

• 🔒 Apply blends when satisfied to “bake” results and boost performance

🧱 Requirements

• Blender 4.0 or higher

• Objects must have valid materials

• Works with Eevee and Cycles

• Mesh objects only (no curves or volumes)

🧰 Troubleshooting

❓ Blend not appearing?

• Ensure both objects have materials

• Check that the source object is active (last selected)

• Try increasing the Blend Distance

⚠️ Modifiers not behaving?

• Do not manually edit Permablend modifiers

• Use the Remove button and recreate if needed

🐢 Performance issues?

• Collapse modifier panels

• Apply blends once finalized

• Avoid excessive high-poly objects

📩 Support

For bug reports, feature requests, or assistance:
📧 Email: [your-support-email-here]
🌐 Website: https://superhivemarket.com/
💬 Discord: [optional support server link]

⚖️ License

PermaBlend v1.0
© 2025 Egret Studios
Licensed under GPL v3.0

🆕PermaBlend Changelog v1.1.0

What's New?

• Invert Blend — Flip the blend direction on any target object, starting from the far edge instead of the contact point.
• Vertex Group Mask — Precisely control where blending occurs using a vertex group; only painted areas will be affected.
• Normal Direction Filter — Limit blending to surfaces facing a specific direction, perfect for top-down effects like snow or moss; threshold and softness are fully adjustable.
• Displacement Blending — Seamlessly blend displacement outputs when both materials use displacement for realistic physical transitions.
• Volume Passthrough — Materials with volume shaders now retain their volume through the blend correctly.
• Bake to Textures — Export your finished blend to texture maps (Diffuse, Normal, Roughness, Metallic, AO, Emission) in one click; set resolution and output folder for game engine or other workflow use.
• Custom Blend Style — Fully accessible with Amplitude, Threshold, and Radius controls for total creative freedom.

Bug Fixes.

• Custom Blend Style — Fully accessible with Amplitude, Threshold, and Radius controls for total creative freedom.
• Banding Artifacts Fixed — Sharp concentric stripe patterns on blended objects are gone; transitions are now smooth regardless of geometry density.

UI Improvements

• Context-sensitive panel — only displays controls relevant to your selected object.
• Setup options are visible before creating a blend; blend controls appear afterward for streamlined workflow.
• Blend Mode (Simple / Advanced) is now integrated into the Blend Style section.
• New Blend Mask section consolidates Invert Blend, Normal Direction Filter, and Vertex Group Mask in one place.
• Apply and Remove buttons appear only when a blended object is selected.

Egret