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Getting Started

Keyboard Shortcuts

Object Mode

  • CTRL + X - Quick Transforms pie menu
  • CTRL + SHIFT + X - Flow Main Menu (pro version)
  • CTRL + SHIFT + D - Quick Duplicate selection to 3d Cursor
  • CTRL + SHIFT + V - Paste objects from buffer in 3d cursor
  • SHIFT + A - Add Object from Library / Add Asset (in the bottom of Blender Add object menu)
  • CTRL+SHIFT + A - Link selected Object from Library directly on the 3d cursor

Shader Editor

  • CTRL + X - Add Texture from Library (pro)
  • CTRL + SHIFT + X - Add Node Group from Library

Sculpt Mode & Texture Paint Mode

  • CTRL + X - Pie Menu of Brush Manager (pro)

Plugin installation & Configuration

IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO INSTALL THE PLUGIN AND SET LIBRARY PATH IN THE NEW, NOT-SAVED BLENDER FILE!

  1. The Addon consists of .zip file and .flowpak file (three files in case of multi-part .flowpak - check below) - the plugin, and the exemplary library (or the asset library if you purchased Flow with Interior Essentials or other assets library). You need to install the addon .zip file via Blender first, then install the .flowpak library file in the addon preferences. Install_01
  2. Open Blender, go to Edit > Preferences, switch to the Add-ons or Get Extensions tab, click the arrow in the upper right corner and select "Install from disk" Install_02
  3. Find the INSTALL_FLOW_Pro_X-X.zip file, select this file, and click "Install Add-on" Install_03
  4. The plugin should be enabled automatically. If not, enable the plugin in the addons list.

Setting The New Library

Unless you are creating the new library instance from the .flowpak file (described below), you should create the directory for your assets files. Scroll down to the libraries paths section, press Add Library Path, enter the name (can be anything just for you to recongnize the library), then press the folder icon and go to the desired directory, press OK when ready. Then you should see the button Create Library which you should press to activate the Flow library in the selected filepath. Now you are ready to install assets from the single .flowasset files

Creating & Expanding libraries with .flowpak files

Since Flow 4.3, libraries can be installed & updated directly from the .flowpak files, without the need of unpacking any archives manually. Check the .flowpak installation guide

Loading libraries list

When you update Flow or Blender to another version, you can load your Flow libraries list without losing anything and without the need of entering each path again. Simply press Load Libraries List button right after activating the addon, to load all your libraries paths. The list is created and updated automatically when you save the addon preferences. When you update Blender and load preferences from previous version, you will also be able to load libraries list, as it's copied along the preferences. It's only important to load the Blender preferences from previuos version on the first run

Install_06B

If the button for Loading libraries list is disabled, that means that the list was not created. However if you've already had libraries, you will need to re-connect them manually if you don't want to install a fresh .flowpak file. To learn how to manually connect libraries, check this guide

Connecting Library to Blender Asset Browser

To add the Flow Library to the asset browser, simply press Add Path to Asset Browser in the addon preferences, just next to the desired library on your list. The path will be added to the Blender asset browser settings, and if you already have any assets in this library, they will appear in the asset browser. Remember, that any asset you add with Flow will be marked as the asset for the AB, and will automatically appear among your assets in the browser.

Important! You will not see your older assets here, unless they were marked as Blender asset before. You will only see the assets added with Flow 3.2 or newer. For that moment we've found no good way to batch-remark your existing Flow assets automatically, instead of adding them to the library once more with the Flow addon.

Panels Configuration

Flow Plugin consists of 2 panels - 'Flow' and 'Flow Creator'. Each of them provides the different set of tools. You can rename, merge or toggle Flow Panels. You can find the configuration boxes right under the libraries paths.
You can merge panels by typing exactly the same name for each of them
Even if you deactivate all of the panels, you will still be able to open Flow menus with 'CTRL + X', but some tools may not be available.

Install_12

Previews Render configuration

  1. In this place, you can configure the simple render settings, that will be used for creating the previews for your assets, while adding them to the library with the plugin.

Install_09

First Steps

  • The plugin's main functionality is contained in the Interior Essentials panel in the Preferences tab in Object Mode and Edit Mode. You should see this tab, when you click 'N'. To start using the plugin, open the Interior Essentials panel.
  • Most functions will be available only in the Object Mode. In the Edit Mode only material functions are available.
  • If at least one library path is set, you can already start using the plugin in the 3d Viewport. You will find the 'Flow' and 'Flow Creator' Panels on the right side of the 3d viewport. If you don't see any panels, press 'N'. Place the 3d Cursor on the selected spot (SHIFT+RMB), select the asset from the panel and press Place on 3d Cursor

Install_07 Install_07A Install_07B

  • By default, the asset instance will be appended to your local file library, so you could adjust the properties. If you don't need the properties and you want to keep file smaller, check 'Link the instance'. Several assets are also more usable, when are not placed as instances (for example windows). Then select Editable to place them as directly editable objects.
  • To learn more about adding and adjusting the assets, check the Adding & Customizing Assets

Updating the addon & libraries

Plugin updating & Restoring the libraries list

Since Blender 4.2, to update Flow addon, simply install new files as described above

Don't worry about your libraries list, when you clicked Save Changes, the text file containing your libraries paths was created and will be readable by the newer addon version. When you install the new version of the addon, you should see the button Load Libraries List. Press it to restore all your libraries list from the previous versions.

Assets Updating

  1. To update the assets, simply unpack the new .zip file containing the master folder anywhere, copy all it's content, and paste it to the place, where you've already have your asset files. You should merge the folders and replace all the existing file, to use the latest versions of the assets
  2. You may need to use File -> External Data -> Find Missing Files Operator in Blender to find the missing files if you've moved your installation folder OR you can use 'Find Missing Files' button in the Flow panel to look for your missing files just in the selected Flow directory.