Common issues and their solutions.

Setup Issues

  • The file won’t open? Ensure you are using Blender 4.1.1+.

The panel is empty or buttons do nothing.

Check: Does your active Grease Pencil object match the required layer/material structure? Fix: Ensure the object is selected and correctly configured. How:

  1. Select the Grease Pencil object in the 3D Viewport.

  2. Check the Object Data Properties tab (green pencil icon).

  3. Verify that the layers are named correctly (e.g., “Body”, “Head”, “Eyes”) and have the correct material slots assigned.

  4. See the Installing section for the exact setup.

Keybinding Issues

Keybindings (like D, E, S) do not work or trigger unexpected actions.

Check: Is your keyboard set to the wrong language? Fix: Switch your OS keyboard layout to US/International. How: Look at your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS/Linux) and ensure the input language is English (US).

Tip: The tool’s keymap is configured for the QWERTY US layout. Other layouts (like AZERTY or QWERTZ) map keys differently.

“Operator not found” error.

Check: Is the keybinding name correct? Fix: Verify the keybinding name and restart Blender. How:

  1. Go to Edit → Preferences → Keymap.

  2. Search for OBJECT_MT_Fred_Custom_Layer_Menu.

  3. Ensure the name is spelled exactly as shown (case-sensitive).

  4. If the keybinding exists but doesn’t work, restart Blender to ensure the add-on loaded correctly.

  5. If the error persists, check the System Console (Window → Toggle System Console) for specific error messages.

Usage Issues

The brush size or sculpt radius is too big/small to see, or the tool seems unresponsive.

Check: Are you at a very large or tiny scale? Fix: Scale your object to match a “Default Cube” (2x2x2 meters). How:

  1. Select your Grease Pencil object.

  2. Press Ctrl+A and select Scale.

  3. If the object is huge, zoom out. If tiny, zoom in.

Tip: The tool assumes a standard scale. If your object is 1000x larger than a cube, the brush radius might be effectively invisible.

The tool only affects the current frame, or behaves erratically.

Check: Are you in Multi-Frame Editing Mode? Fix: Ensure you are in Object Mode or Draw Mode. The add-on is designed to switch layers globally, which requires Object Mode. How: Look at the top-left of the 3D Viewport. If it says “Multi-Frame Editing”, click the mode dropdown and select Object Mode (or press Esc to exit the mode).

Tip: The Violence Layer Manager is designed for Object Mode (to switch layers globally) or Draw Mode (to draw on specific layers). In Multi-Frame Editing, Blender locks the view to a specific frame range, which can interfere with the add-on’s layer switching logic.

You cannot see the Grease Pencil strokes or the layer panel icons.

Check: Is the Overlay disabled? Fix: Enable Overlays. How:

  1. Look at the top-right of the 3D Viewport.

  2. Click the Overlays dropdown (two overlapping circles icon) and ensure Grease Pencil is checked.

  3. Alternatively, press Shift-O to toggle overlays.

You can only see one object, and the layer panel seems to ignore other objects.

Check: Are you in Isolated Mode? Fix: Exit Isolated Mode. How:

  1. Look at the top-left of the 3D Viewport.

  2. If you see an “Isolate” icon (a single cube with a spotlight), click it or press the Backslash key (\) to toggle it off.

Strokes are missing or the layer panel shows empty slots.

Check: Are objects, polygons, or bones hidden? Fix: Unhide all elements. How: Press Alt+H in the 3D Viewport to unhide everything. Note: This works in both Object Mode (to unhide objects) and Edit Mode (to unhide strokes). Tip: If you are in Edit Mode, ensure no specific vertices or strokes are hidden (press Alt+H again if needed).

You can draw, but the tool doesn’t switch layers, or buttons are greyed out.

Check: Are you on the wrong/locked/hidden layer? Fix: Ensure the active layer is unlocked and visible. How:

  1. Open the Outliner (top-right).

  2. Expand your Grease Pencil object.

  3. Look at the Layers list.

  4. Ensure the Eye icon (visibility) and Lock icon are enabled for the layer you want to edit.

  5. Click the layer name to make it the Active Layer (it will highlight in orange).

Contributing Issues

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