Adding Addons To Mac

I am so sorry. I have searched for solutions, but nothing is working. Can someone please explain, in simple terms, how to install add ons to Blender on a Mac? I can hammer this out no problem on a PC, but a Mac -at least for me- seems to have a slight learning curve that my ancient mind cannot get on.
I do not seem to have a application support folder.
I CAN add single .py files. But some add ons have folders with multiple files. Do these files in these folders need to be installed one by one?

Thank you for your assistance and please excuse my ignorance.

James

I am sure you do. You want
Users/user/Library/Application Support/Blender/2.70/scripts/addons
Unfortunately, a couple of versions ago Apple had a brainfade that made them think that hiding the user Library folder was a Good Idea. The easiest way to unhide it is to hold Option while pulling down the Finder’s Go menu: you will see ‘Library’ magically appear (probably in between ‘Home’ and ‘Computer’). Once you have the Library folder open, drill down to addons.

I CAN add single .py files. But some add ons have folders with multiple files. Do these files in these folders need to be installed one by one?

Not usually. If it is a well-designed Python module (among other things, the folder should contain an ‘init.py’ file), you just add the whole folder to addons.

Best wishes,
Matthew

2 Likes

Applications/utilities/terminal
copy/paste this
chflags nohidden ~/Library/

enter.
exit terminal.

That’s it.
Now hidden library is unhidden until your next update from apple. LOL
When this happen, do the same again.
and lol
lol

Hello James,

Many addons are easiest installed from within Blender.
User Preferences and click Install from File point to the addon zip file and click Install from File and finally enable the addon.

Cheers

I’ve been wondering about that for some time now, MCollett. Thank you. It’s just so simple it’s hard – like a lot of things about Macs.

I usually just right-click on the Blender.app and choose Show Package Contents. Then a folder window will popup and you can navigate down to the addons folder Windows style. Just copy the folder or file in.

That does work (and is the way I used to do it myself); the catch is that if you put addons inside the .app instead of in the library, they won’t be copied with the rest of your preferences when you upgrade to a new version.

Best wishes,
Matthew

I am new to a Mac and just realizing that as well. Each time I pull down a new version of Blender I have to re-copy all my AddOns back in. I may have to try the Library approach.

Thanks a lot gang! All this really helped. Reminds me of Linux.

[SOLVED]I added the archmesh folder containing the _init_py to my addons but none of the items show up in preferences.

using Mac OS 10.9 Blender 2.7

restarted Blender second time and everything showed up (Must be problem with the guy at the keyboard)

zOMG, you really helped me out here. Many thanks!

normally Blender asks whether you want to take the settings of the old version - if you click “yes” you will have all your addons in the new version.

In Preferences → File Path → Script Directories … give it once a name & folder where you want to store/install your addons in.
Then when installing a new addon under Preferences → Addons → Install → … click the gear icon and under Target Path choose the Name of the Script Directory you have just given install the addons.

The addons get installed in this folder you have just given.
Next time you update to a new Blender version, start it up and choose to use the settings from the previous Blender version.

This way it copies the settings from the previous version, WHAT includes the script directory location (the new folder with the addons) and everything is working.

If you don’t choose to keep the setting from the previous version, you can go to Preferences → File Path → Script Directories and manually set only the script directory path,
and all addons will be seen with the new blender version, after restart.
(you basically then have a vanilla install but with all addons already & ready to use and activate)

This way you won’t have issues and all Blender Versions where you use this script directory, share your addons.
Means no clutter and addons installed several times in each blender version.

Hope that helps !

One Script Folder to rule them All !!!