Installation

  • We have implemented a user-friendly installation routine within Mastodon, enabling users to leverage Blender’s 3D capabilities with just a few clicks. The installer can be accessed from any Mastodon window via Window > Blender Views > Setup Blender Addon.

Setup Blender Addon…

  • Pre-requisites:

    • Install Fiji and Blender on your computer.

    • Make sure to install Blender as a “portable” installation. The reason for this is that the Mastodon Blender Plugin needs write access to the Blender installation directory, which may not be possible with a standard installation.

    • Activate the “Mastodon-Tomancak” update site in Fiji.

      • Mastodon.png

  • Open Fiji and create / open a Mastodon project.

  • In Mastodon’s main menu, you will find an entry Window > Blender Views > Setup Blender Addon ..., click it and follow the instructions to install the Mastodon Blender Plugin.

blender_view.png

Troubleshooting: Python packages installed in the wrong location

  • The installation routine installs a set of Python packages into Blender’s bundled Python, located at <Blender installation folder>/Contents/Resources/5.*/python/lib/python3.1*/site-packages.

  • On some systems with a pre-existing Python installation, these packages are instead installed into the user’s local site-packages directory at <user home directory>/.local/lib/python3.1*/site-packages. When this happens, Blender cannot find the packages and the installation does not succeed.

  • If you run into this, you can fix it manually by copying the following folders and files from <user home directory>/.local/lib/python3.1*/site-packages to <Blender installation folder>/Contents/Resources/5.*/python/lib/python3.1*/site-packages:

    • bidict

    • bidict-*.dist-info

    • dateutil

    • google

    • grpc

    • grpc_tools

    • grpcio_tools-*.dist-info

    • grpcio-*.dist-info

    • pandas

    • pandas-*.dist-info

    • protobuf-*.dist-info

    • python_dateutil-*.dist-info

    • six-*.dist-info

    • six.py

Configure Blender Template Files…

  • Menu Location: Window > Blender Views > Configure Blender Template Files...

  • This command allows you to configure the Blender template files that are used when opening a new Blender window. This is useful if you want to use a different Blender template file than the default one. Blender templates can be used to define the initial state of a new Blender window, e.g. the camera position, the lighting, the background color, etc.

  • An example of a Blender template files can be downloaded from here: blender_template.zip. Needs to be unzipped before use.

  • Note: The template file must be a Blender file with the extension .blend. The template file is only used for the Advanced Visuals view. The Linked to Mastodon view does not use the template file.

  • Same dataset with default and custom Blender template file:

    • Default Blender template file:

      • default_template.gif

    • Custom Blender template file:

      • custom_template.gif