Skip to content

Get started

What is PropUI

izom PropUI is a Blender extension for authoring custom-property controls in a visual editor and generating standalone Blender panels from them.

You do not write Python. You build a list of controls, arrange them, and press Generate UI. PropUI produces a normal Blender panel that drives custom properties on the data you choose.

The generated panel is real Blender UI. It is stored in the .blend as a Text datablock — or exported as a portable .py file — so it keeps running even when the PropUI editor is closed.

The two-layer model

The single most important idea in PropUI is that it has two separate layers:

  •  1. The Entry List

    The source list of controls you author. It can be hierarchical and organized however makes sense to you while you work.

  •  2. The Generated Layout

    Decides where those entries appear in the generated panel — its rows, shared rows, row boxes, and sub-panels.

This split is deliberate. You can keep your authored entries organized one way, then build a different generated layout from them with shared rows, row boxes, sub-panels, spacing rows, operator buttons, display links, and visibility rules.

Why this matters

Entry List membership and ordering do not automatically define the output. Nothing appears in the generated panel until you add or import it into the Generated Layout. Removing something from the Generated Layout does not delete the source entry. Keep these two ideas separate and the rest of PropUI falls into place.

Where generated panels can appear

A generated panel can live in a sidebar tab or a Properties editor tab:

  • 3D Viewport sidebar
  • Graph Editor / Drivers sidebar (optionally filtered to Graph Editor and/or Drivers)
  • Dope Sheet, NLA Editor, and Video Sequencer sidebars
  • Image / UV Editor sidebar (optionally filtered to Image Editor and/or UV Editor)
  • Node Editor sidebar (optionally filtered to Shader, Geometry Nodes, and/or Compositor)
  • Movie Clip Editor sidebar
  • Text Editor, File Browser, and Spreadsheet sidebars
  • Properties editor tabs: Tool, Render, Output, View Layer, Scene, World, Collection, Object, Constraints, Modifiers, Object Data, Bone, Bone Constraints, Material, Texture, Particle, and Physics.

What you can build

Entries come in eight types, from simple values to actions and links:

Entry type What it makes
Float A floating-point custom property
Integer A whole-number property, optionally a choice menu/toggle
Boolean An on/off custom property
String A text custom property
Array A typed vector / color / multi-component property
Data-Block A reference to a Blender data-block
Python A Python / IDProperty value (dictionaries, nested data)
 Display Link Draws an existing entry again, no new storage
 Custom Draws an existing Blender property or internal control
 Text A label, divider, or spacer — non-interactive
 Operator Button A button that runs a Blender operator

See Entry Types for the concept and the Entry type reference for every option.

Next steps

  • Walk through your first panel

    Follow the normal workflow from storage to a generated UI.

    Quickstart

  • Install the extension

    Add the zip in Blender and grant the permissions PropUI needs.

    Installation