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Use when implementing AEC-specific animations -- construction sequences, camera walkthroughs, solar studies, or phasing visualizations in Blender. Prevents the common mistake of keyframing visibility instead of using proper collection visibility for construction phases. Covers NLA workflow orchestration, batch keyframe operations, and time-based visualizations. Keywords: construction animation, camera walkthrough, solar study, phasing, NLA, keyframe, construction sequence, visibility animation, AEC visualization, animate building, show build sequence, camera fly-through.

Use when creating or modifying Blender materials and shader nodes via Python. Prevents the breaking change of using old Principled BSDF input names (e.g., "Subsurface" renamed to "Subsurface Weight" in 4.0). Covers material creation, node tree setup, Principled BSDF input mapping, UV assignment, texture loading, and material slot management. Keywords: material, shader, Principled BSDF, node tree, texture, UV map, material_slot, ShaderNodeBsdfPrincipled, node links, Blender materials, assign material to object, create material from code, change color.

Use when working with Blender modifiers via Python -- adding, configuring, or applying modifiers, or accessing Geometry Nodes inputs. Prevents the common mistake of reading mesh data before applying modifiers (getting unmodified geometry) instead of using depsgraph.evaluated_get(). Covers modifier stack, Geometry Nodes input identifiers, common AEC modifiers (Array, Boolean, Solidify), and evaluated mesh access. Keywords: modifier, Array, Boolean, Solidify, Geometry Nodes, depsgraph, evaluated_get, modifier.apply, modifier stack, input identifier, add modifier from code, apply modifier Python, boolean cut.

Use when implementing complex Blender operators -- modal operators with timer callbacks, file browsers, batch processing, or multi-step workflows. Prevents the common mistake of blocking the UI thread in long operations instead of using modal + timer pattern. Covers modal operators, file browser integration, undo/redo support, progress reporting, and batch processing operators. Keywords: modal operator, timer callback, file browser, batch processing, progress reporting, undo support, multi-step workflow, INVOKE_DEFAULT, make custom button, add menu item, create toolbar button.

Use when creating animations programmatically in Blender -- keyframes, FCurves, Actions, NLA strips, drivers, or armature operations. Prevents the breaking change pitfall of using bone.layers (removed in 4.0) instead of BoneCollection. Covers keyframe_insert, FCurve access, Action data blocks, NLA system, driver expressions, and timeline control. Keywords: keyframe, FCurve, Action, NLA, BoneCollection, armature, driver, animation, bone layers, timeline, bpy.ops.anim, set keyframe from script, animate object, move object over time.

Use when managing Blender data blocks -- collections, linked libraries, library overrides, or the asset system. Prevents the common mistake of not handling fake users when removing data blocks, or using append when link+override is needed. Covers bpy.data collections, BlendDataLibraries, library overrides, asset system, and data transfer between files. Keywords: bpy.data, collections, library overrides, linked library, asset system, append, link, fake user, data block, BlendDataLibraries, organize objects, link from other file, asset browser.

Use when creating or editing mesh geometry in Blender Python -- vertices, edges, faces, BMesh operations, or bulk data access. Prevents the performance mistake of accessing vertices one-by-one instead of using foreach_get/foreach_set for bulk operations. Covers from_pydata, BMesh creation/editing, UV layers, vertex attributes, normals, and loops. Keywords: mesh, vertices, edges, faces, BMesh, from_pydata, foreach_get, foreach_set, UV layer, vertex colors, normals, bpy.types.Mesh, read vertex positions, edit mesh data, access face normals.

Use when configuring render settings or automating renders in Blender Python. Prevents the version pitfall of using 'BLENDER_EEVEE' (renamed to 'BLENDER_EEVEE_NEXT' in 4.2). Covers render engine selection (EEVEE/Cycles/Workbench), output format setup, camera configuration, batch rendering, and scene.render.* settings. Keywords: render, EEVEE, Cycles, Workbench, render settings, output format, camera, batch render, scene.render, BLENDER_EEVEE_NEXT, resolution, render from script, set render resolution, save image.

Use when creating custom Blender UI panels, menus, or UIList elements. Prevents the common mistake of using wrong bl_space_type/bl_region_type combinations (panel won't show). Covers bpy.types.Panel, draw() method, UILayout API (row/column/box/split), bl_category, sub-panels, draw_header, menus, pie menus, and UIList. Keywords: Panel, UILayout, bl_space_type, bl_region_type, bl_category, draw, row, column, box, split, sub-panel, UIList, menu, Blender UI, create panel, add UI to sidebar, custom panel.

Use when debugging Blender RuntimeError from restricted context, operator poll() failures, or wrong context for bpy.ops calls. Prevents the #1 Blender Python error: calling operators or accessing context attributes from wrong areas (e.g., timer callbacks, draw handlers). Covers context override removal in 4.0+, temp_override migration, and context-dependent attribute access patterns. Keywords: RuntimeError, restricted context, poll failure, context override, temp_override, bpy.ops error, wrong context, modal context, Blender context error, operator not available, cannot call operator.

Use when building Geometry Nodes or Shader Nodes setups programmatically for AEC applications -- parametric modeling, material generation, or procedural geometry. Prevents the common mistake of not using node_tree.interface for Geometry Nodes modifier inputs (4.0+). Covers creating node groups, linking nodes, custom node groups, and AEC-specific node setups. Keywords: Geometry Nodes, Shader Nodes, node group, parametric modeling, procedural, node tree, modifier inputs, material generation, node_tree.interface, create geometry nodes from Python, procedural facade.

Use when creating a Blender addon or extension, or migrating from legacy bl_info to blender_manifest.toml (required in 5.0). Prevents the common mistake of using bl_info in Blender 5.0+ where only the manifest format is supported. Covers register/unregister lifecycle, multi-file addon structure, AddonPreferences, class naming, and extension packaging for extensions.blender.org. Keywords: addon, extension, bl_info, blender_manifest.toml, register, unregister, AddonPreferences, packaging, extensions.blender.org, addon boilerplate, how to register addon, addon preferences panel.

Use when creating custom Blender operators -- bpy.types.Operator subclasses with execute, invoke, or modal methods. Prevents the common mistake of not implementing poll() (causing silent failures) or using wrong bl_idname format. Covers operator lifecycle, bl_options, return values, properties, and context.temp_override (4.0+ replacement for context override). Keywords: Operator, execute, invoke, modal, poll, bl_idname, bl_options, temp_override, REGISTER, UNDO, operator properties, bpy.ops, create custom operator, add button, operator CANCELLED.

Use when adding custom properties to Blender objects -- BoolProperty, IntProperty, FloatProperty, EnumProperty, PointerProperty, or PropertyGroup. Prevents the common mistake of not using update callbacks (changes not reflected in UI) or returning stale items from dynamic EnumProperty. Covers all bpy.props types, subtypes, units, getters/ setters, and CollectionProperty patterns. Keywords: bpy.props, PropertyGroup, BoolProperty, IntProperty, FloatProperty, EnumProperty, PointerProperty, CollectionProperty, update callback, dynamic enum, add custom property, user input, settings.