Blender - Installer does not install for all versions

[zoomer]

No, v3 beta does not work for me either.
I got the Connector AddOn installed and it is activated. But I still can’t see any trace of Speckle in Blender’s GUI. No Speckle Tab in “N-Panel”
Blender official on Windows (from MS Store) is 4.4.1.

Also tried to copy v3 Beta bpy_speckle Folder over to my Mac.
Both, latest Blender official (4.4.3) and 4.5 Alpha, offer it in Settings/AddOns.
But when I try to activate Spckle AddOn, I will get :

cannot import name ‘AliasGenerator’ from ‘pydantic’ (/Users/micha/Library/Application Support/Blender/4.5/scripts/addons/modules/pydantic/init.py)

I thought I would need to also copy over the “modules” Folder from Windows … But in Windows “Roaming” profile there doesn’t even exist such “modules” or “pydantic” folder.

On the other hand, in Blender Settings on Mac, modules, pydantic folders and “init.py” are available …
Just no file that would contain that missing ‘AliasGenerator’ …

[dogukan]

Hey @zoomer,

Did you try to activate the Add-on through Edit → Preferences?

[gokermu (Mucahit Bilal GOKER)]

Our installer currently has a limitation when it comes to Blender downloaded from the Microsoft Store, and we’re aware of this issue. Rest assured, we have a ticket open to address it!

[zoomer]

Yes, I did try to activate it in Settings and it is not successful and causes these warnings.

I think usually when you install a standard AddOn in Blender, it is already activated by default.
(May be different if you load them as an “Extension” version, AFAIR then you have to switch back to AddOns Tab and activate it manually. Like BlenderBIM/Bonsai)

That does also work on Windows for v3 with its external Installer exe - the AddOn is already activated when you start Blender.
At least for the first time. AFAIR, if you deactivate it (as you do not find Speckle in Blender GUI) I was not able to reactivate it again. AFAIR it also failed for later installation attempts.
v3 installation for me worked only 2 times. Both time I had booted Windows before.

I think the same should be on MacOS.
AFAIR, older Speckle AddOns installed by Manager were already active. If a classic AddOn is loaded but not activated, I think it is because it has problems and may not be activated manually too.

@gokermu

Our installer currently has a limitation when it comes to Blender downloaded from the Microsoft Store, and we’re aware of this issue.

Has Blender a special version for App Store ?
Maybe.
So far I don’t test latest Blender builds on Windows, to see if there is a difference in AddOn behavior.

But For me it always looked like that Speckle so far just ignored any Blender installation above version 4.3 in general. Like as it forgot to add latest “official” Blender versions to its “allow installation” list since Blender 4.4.
While I see that Speckle installs in any orphaned older version’s Settings Folders.

[gokermu (Mucahit Bilal GOKER)]

@zoomer Versions we install into are hardcoded. Currently we only install from v 4.2 → 4.5. We have a ticket in our backlog to improve this.

[zoomer]

@gokermu

Currently we only install from v 4.2 → 4.5.

Strange.
On Mac I saw these Installation Folders (for my 2 existing Blender installations) in the hidden User/.config/Speckle Folder.
But by the Installation Log beside and in reality you can see that Speckle only installed the AddOn into my orphaned Blender 4.3 Settings Dummy Folder.

I saw that behavior for Speckle v2, on both, Mac and Windows.
No installation/upgrade/change in all Blender Settings Folders above Blender 4.3 or lower.
While I currently only have true installations for Blender 4.4 or above.
I just left (or recreated) some lower version Blender Settings Folders to be able to extract the bpy-speckle folders

It was only the external Speckle v3 Installer exe on Windows that I saw installing into 4.3+ Folders.

Anyway,
I don’t want to makle too much noise or hectic from our small niche Blender and/or even Mac user group, just info about or state some experiences.

@gokermu

We have a ticket in our backlog to improve this.

Looking forward to it but take your time.

[zoomer]

Hmmh, I really don’t get it.

There came a V3 Beta 2.
I installed it on Blender 4.4.3 official on Windows - it does install the v3 bpy_speckle Folder - it is activated - fine - but still no Speckle Tab in N-Panel.

I also copied the bpy_speckle Folder on my Blender Mac installations. Available in AddOn Menu, still not able to activate (Pydantic warning)

OK,
there also came a new V2 2.23.1 on Windows and Mac - fine.
But now again, I see that Manager will neither install 2.23 in any Blender 4.4 or 4.5 on Windows as well as on Mac !

V2 2.23 installed again just in my orphaned Blender 4.3 Setting Folder that I still kept (only) on Windows.
So I could copy the bpy_speckle Folder to Windows Blender 4.4 and it finally works, at least, on Windows again !!!

From Windows I also copied the bpy_speckle to test my Mac Blender 4.43 and 4.5 Alpha … available, but deactivated, in AddOn Menu … but I still am again not able to activate the Speckle 2.23 Version … same Pydantic error.
(I have no more Blender Speckle AddOn to test on Mac since 2-3 weeks now, I can just test uploading IFCs in my Web App and BTW IFC 4.3 do fail)

I really don’t get it anymore.

Is it me ?
Sequoia 15.5 Update ?
Corrupt custom Blender Start File ?
Corrupt Blender Settings ?
Conflict with other AddOns ?
(Bonsai ?, everything else works well)

[zoomer]

BTW,

can anyone on :

• Apple ARM M4
• Mac Sequoia 15.5
• Blender 4.4.3 and above
• Speckle V2 2.21.2 and above

confirm that the AddOn works for her/him ?

[zoomer]

BTW,
in case someone is interested, I got Speckle v3 to run on Mac.

The solution was to completely uninstall anything(!) Speckle AND Bonsai (BlenderBIM) and install Speckle first. Or better just add the bpy_speckle folder, which I copied from Windows, into Speckle Settings.
I was able to activate Speckle AddOn on Mac in Blender 4.3.3 and 4.5 Alpha, also the Speckle Tab appears in N-Panel.

I will try the same procedure on Windows later.

But unfortunately I can’t use Speckle on Mac as uninstallation deleted my Speckle Account and I am not able to create/connect my Account for v3 again on Mac.
Trying to do so will open a Safari Window on a local host address with an attached URL to create an Account, that Safari can’t open. Likely the preferred way on Windows that does not work on Mac, relatively unlikely a Firewall issue.
(If I just shorten the Link to the local host, the Firewall asks for permission. But it does not for the whole link …)

So if anyone knows a way to add my Account credentials in any other way, like as it worked in v2 AddOn or so, I am sure it v3 would work on Mac.

(To try to recreate my Speckle Account, I also tried to start QGIS, but my version was not able to load Speckle Connector. I updated QGIS but still does not work. I will also try to extract the Speckle Installer exe on Windows and see if I can copy some v3 things over and get it to run ?)

And there are likely more problems on my side.
Looks like either my whole Blender Settings got corrupt, OR my custom Blender Startup File (I can’t live without it and I put so much content and setup into it) got corrupt (on all Blender installations at the same time !?) OR today’s Blender Alpha build has issues OR Speckle and Blender AddOns do no more want to work beside each other.
Probably my paid Photographer AddOn or others may also not play together nicely with Speckle or Bonsai. At least Photographer also showed some issues and these 3 AddOns were usually updated - when those problems with Speckle and Bonsai started some weeks ago at the same time …

[oguzhan (Oğuzhan Koral)]

Why you had to uninstall anything to get v3 run in your Mac?

Accounts are same with v2 and v3. You could add via Manager and use that account in v3. Otherwise let me know.

[zoomer]

@oguzhan

Why you had to uninstall anything to get v3 run in your Mac?

Because it looks like Bonsai and Speckle AddOn do not work quite well beside each other.
And because it was said (by ChatGPD) that autoupdating Extensions (like Bonsai) would often not reliably clean the pycaches and that could cause old code mixed in.

At least I was never ever able to “activate” Speckle AddOn v3 … before I uninstalled Bonsai !
(And it was likely the same for v2 since a few weeks !)

I am still trouble shooting.

@oguzhan

Accounts are same with v2 and v3. You could add via Manager and use that account in v3. Otherwise let me know.

The V2 Manager.App on Mac knows my Account credentials.

Nevertheless v3 in Blender asks for an Account,

opens a Safari Window to :
http://localhost:29364/auth/add-account?serverUrl=https://app.speckle.systems
which does not work :

But I am not sure where it stores it.
From v2 times I was used that there was a hidden .config folder directly in my user account. Likely Manager App stores it here.

Although the Account folder is empty, there is an Accounts.db.
(EDIT : I copied it over from there (next Screenshot) … did not work )

But it looks like v3 uses a different folder.
AFAIK the Speckle Folder in User/Library/Application Support/ is new and came with v3 ? It also has an empty Account Folder but Account DBs.

EDIT :
No, looks like this exactly the Place where v2 Manager saves its Accounts.
As you brought me to the idea, I copied the whole Accounts DB stuff over to my hidden .config Folder in my User Folder.

And Tada !
That works - I’m in now.

Looks like Blender Speckle v3 also works on Mac.

But so far I was still not able to make v3 work on Windows. Likely I also would have to uninstall Bonsai before (?).
Although on Windows, I was able (!) to “activate” Speckle AddOn in Blender. But it never did show the Speckle Tab in N-Panel for me.
So maybe a complete different issue on Windows though.

[oguzhan (Oğuzhan Koral)]

First, thanks for detailed progress steps on your end.

We do not expect Sign In flow work on Mac because we do not have desktop service (service that helps to handle auth via http) for Mac yet.

v3 should use the same folder with v2 for accounts. This is something to check @dogukan also on windows side?

@gokermu could you follow up with @zoomer to understand why it is not activated with Speckle AddOn in Blender?

[zoomer]

BTW,
for the online auth I also tried to input my whole Speckle Workspace Project Path.
Which also failed.

But as I recognize in my own Screenshot, the Dialog following to the “Sign In” button says : “Add New Account” !?

So far I thought, this localhost procedure would take me to the usual Speckle website sign-in process … to then save these (now trusted) credentials locally on my Mac for v3. …

[zoomer]

So for now I have to assume all my Speckle Problems are related to Bonsai, on Mac (and likely also PC - not yet tested)

As long as no Bonsai AddOn is installed, or better, at least not activated, I can activate Speckle AND it works.
(The Speckle Tab appears in Blender and I can access my Workspace)

As soon as I activate a Bonsai Extension,
I can no more activate any so far deactivated Speckle AddOn. If Speckle was already activated, I can still see the Speckle Tab, but trying to stream a Speckle Project will also fail with an error message.
And it doesn’t matter if it is Blender 4.4 official or 4.5 alpha.
And it doesn’t matter if it is Bonsai 0.8.2 official or 0.8.3 daily.
(And AFAIR it doesn’t matter if Speckle V2 or V3)

As a side note,
If both, Speckle and Bonsai are activated, none of them works and Blender feels more unstable.
But it is a bit more difficult vice versa, for Bonsai.
deactivating Speckle AddOn does not really help Bonsai to work reliably. Bonsai, when activated, will only work for that Blender session. If I close and reopen Blender, Bonsai will again fail to open an IFC file with a similar python warning.
I would need to deactivate Bonsai, restart Blenmder, … to make Bonsai work again.

According to my tests, it looks like all problems are not related to my custom Blender Start File, likely also not my Blender settings. But so far I did not test if Bonsai would work again because I completely uninstall any Speckle.
(As it is still so cumbersome to install Speckle V2 or V3 on current Blenders on Mac)

But now something else …

As, since deactivating Bonsai, now have running Speckle Blender V3 fine on Mac.
(Successfully down loaded a few of my test projects into Blender)

But I do not find how to upload a Blender model up to Speckle !
(Would like to see new V3 features of what is v3 capable of loading up to Speckle. Materials, Hierarchies, Data, … )
I can’t see any option for upstreaming, in the new reduced Speckle Panel UI.

Or is that just not yet implemented in Blender Connector V3 Beta 2 ?

[zoomer]

… I know … it is a true Blender scene (or better an enhanced former FBX Import)

But i want upstream that file, from my first working Speckle V3 Beta Connector, to test how lossless or not it comes in to Speckle and streams back into Blender …

[zoomer]

@zoomer

So for now I have to assume all my Speckle Problems are related to Bonsai)

Sorry, also not true.

Meanwhile I got one of my Blender Configs running Speckle and Bonsai smoothly beside each other !

With a clean Bleander installation I also tested again if I could install Speckle official V2 but I was still not able to activate V2.

Thankfully it works here with Speckle V3 Beta on all my Blenders.

[gokermu (Mucahit Bilal GOKER)]

We’ll have to sync with Bonsai BIM people to solve the conflicts.