Blender Plugin
Monitor your Cycles and Eevee renders in real-time
Overview
The RenderBuddy Blender plugin provides a seamless connection between your Blender rendering workflow and the RenderBuddy mobile app. It supports both Cycles and Eevee engines.
Beta Release
Currently supports Windows only. Mac/Linux support coming soon. Remote cancel only works between frames due to Blender API limitations.
Live Preview
Stream rendered frames directly to your phone as they finish.
Rich Telemetry
Track Samples, Tiles, Device (CPU/GPU), and Resolution.
Remote Control
Stop or cancel renders remotely from the app.
Real-time Notifications
Get instant push notifications when your render completes or fails.
Supported Versions
Installation
Download the Add-on
Download the RenderBuddy.zip add-on from the Downloads page.
Install in Blender
Open Blender and go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons.
Click Install... and select the downloaded ZIP file.
Enable the Add-on
Search for "RenderBuddy" in the add-ons list and check the box to enable it.
Verify Connection
Go to the Render Properties tab. You should see the RenderBuddy panel showing "Agent Connected".
Render Monitoring
RenderBuddy automatically hooks into Blender's render pipeline. Whether you're using Cycles for final shots or Eevee for previews, we've got you covered.
Cycles
For Cycles renders, RenderBuddy tracks:
- Sample count progress (Current / Total)
- Tile/Bucket updates
- Denoising steps
- Device usage (OptiX/CUDA/CPU)
Eevee & Eevee Next
Real-time monitoring for Eevee timelines:
- Frame-by-frame timeline progress
- Render time per frame
- Samples (TAA) tracking
- Shadow map generation status
Tips for Blender Artists
Lock Interface
For slightly faster renders, check "Lock Interface" in the Render menu. RenderBuddy still works in the background!
Output Paths
Use relative output paths (e.g., //render/frame_####) to ensure seamless
path resolution for previews.
Troubleshooting
"Agent Disconnected" in Render Properties
Ensure the RenderBuddy Agent desktop application is running. The plugin connects to the Agent via localhost:5556.
Updates not showing in app
Check if your firewall is blocking local connections on port 5556, or if the Agent is blocked from accessing the internet.
Remote "Stop Render" doesn't work immediately
This is a known limitation. Blender's Python API cannot force-stop an active render mid-frame. The stop command only takes effect between frames. For single-frame renders, you may need to cancel directly in Blender (press Escape).
Plugin not working on Mac/Linux
The current beta version only supports Windows. Mac and Linux support is planned for a future release.