Smart Explode – Blender Add-on Documentation
Overview
Smart Explode is a procedural animation engine for Blender that turns complex assemblies into stunning exploded views without endless guess work of manual keyframing. It features art-directable controls for displacement, rotation, and secondary idle motion (floating/drifting), plus a robust baking system for export.
Installation
For Blender 4.2 and newer:
Simply drag and drop the Smart_Explode.zip file directly into the Blender viewport.
Blender will ask you to confirm installation. Click OK.
For older versions (3.0 – 4.1):
Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons.
Click Install…, select the zip file, and enable the checkbox.
The panel will appear in the 3D Viewport Sidebar (press N) under the Smart Explode tab.
Getting Started (Workflow)
Step 1: Create a System
In the “Collections to Explode” panel, click the + (Add System) button.
Step 2: Configuration
Name It: Give your system a recognizable name (e.g., “Engine Block”).
Link Collection: Select the collection containing the objects you want to animate.
Center Object (Optional):
Option A (Automatic): Leave this field empty. Smart Explode will automatically calculate the average center of your objects and create a control Empty for you.
Option B (Manual): Select an existing object or Empty to serve as the explosion center.
Step 3: Initialize
Click the Play icon (Initialize System) button.
Result: The system is now active. If you didn’t provide a center object, one has been created at the centroid of your collection.
Core Controls
Explosion Control
Progress Slider: The master control for the explosion animation (0.0 = Assembled, 1.0 = Fully Exploded).
Link All Progress: When enabled, the “Global Progress” slider overrides individual system sliders, allowing you to animate complex multi-collection assemblies with a single keyframe track.
Animation Style
Explosion Type:
Spherical: Objects move outward from the center point.
Linear: Objects move along a specific axis (X, Y, or Z).
Distance (Near/Far): Defines the travel distance. “Near” affects objects closest to the center; “Far” affects objects on the perimeter.
Distribution Bias: Adjusts spacing density.
Animation Order:
Proximity: Creates a cascading wave effect based on distance from the center.
Collection Order: Animates based on the alphanumeric order in the Outliner.
Random: Randomizes the order.
Stagger Amount: Controls the delay between objects (0.0 = All at once, 1.0 = Sequential).
Advanced Features
Influence
Restricts the explosion to a specific zone.
Radius: Objects outside this spherical radius will remain assembled.
Falloff: Creates a soft transition zone to prevent objects from “popping” into motion.
Rotation Style
Adds procedural rotation to parts as they explode.
Axes (X/Y/Z): Enables random rotation on specific axes.
Value Sync Mode: Synchronizes rotation direction across adjacent parts for a fluid, wave-like look.
Idle Motion
Adds life to static parts by applying a continuous procedural drift.
Idle Start Progress: Determines when the floating motion fades in during the explosion.
Fade In/Out: Smoothly blends the motion to avoid jerky stops.
Wave Sync: Synchronizes the floating “wave” across hundreds of parts.
Animation Tools (Baking)
Use this section to convert the procedural system into standard Blender keyframes for rendering or export (Unreal/Unity).
Warning: Baking is destructive. It writes standard keyframes to the Location and Rotation channels of your objects.
Operations
Bake Explode: Animates from Assembled -> Exploded.
Bake Assemble: Animates from Exploded -> Assembled.
Bake Full Cycle: Automatically generates a loop: Explode -> Wait (Hold Duration) -> Assemble.
Clear Animation: Removes baked keyframes and returns control to the Smart Explode sliders.
Global Presets
Save your favorite animation styles (speed, stagger, rotation settings) and apply them to any new system instantly.
Add (+): Save current settings as a preset.
Update: Refresh the selected preset with current settings.
Load: Apply the preset to the active system.