Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Blender 4.1.1 (required — other versions may cause compatibility issues)

• A Grease Pencil object already created in your scene (typically provided by the lead animator with pre-set layers and keyframes)

• A monitor tablet with pressure sensitivity is recommended but not required

• Discord: To have access to the file for now, updates and the community for help.

Note

You don’t need to ‘install’ the tool on files that are already set up by Fred (such as inbetween or test files). However, when a revision comes out, you may want to update, in which case you’ll need to re-run the script as described below.

Requirements & Warnings

Important

The Violence Layer Manager is designed for a specific Grease Pencil workflow. It will not work with arbitrary GP objects.

This Grease Pencil Object must have:

1. Multi-layer format — Layers named and organized according to the Violence Tool convention (Body, Head, Eyes, Mouth, etc.)

2. Material slot setup — The 1234/QWER/ASDF material slot configuration

3. Blender 4.1.1 — The add-on uses GPencil APIs introduced in Blender 4.x

If your object doesn’t match this format:

• The layer switching operators will fail silently

• The panel buttons won’t select the correct layers

• You may see errors in the Blender console, or, it may fail silently

Getting the Tool

The Violence Tool is currently distributed exclusively through Fred’s Discord server.

1. Join the Server: If you haven’t already, join the Discord community linked on the project homepage.

2. Ask for access to the Grease Pencil channel: Resources and the py file are pinned to the channel.

3. Download: Save the file named TheViolenceLayerManager.py to your computer.

Important

There is no public website, GitHub repository, or Blender Market listing for this tool yet. Access is restricted to the Discord community. If you are not a member, please contact Fred directly to request an invitation.

---

Installing the Tool

There are two ways to install The Violence Tool, as a plugin, or running it through the Text Editor.

Method 1: Run from the Text Editor (Quick Start)

This is the fastest way to get started. The script runs directly in Blender’s Text Editor. You’ll have to load it each time.

Step 1: Open the Text Editor

1. In Blender, switch any window to the Text Editor (click the editor type icon in the top-left corner and select “Text Editor”).

Figure 1: Switch a window to the Text Editor

Step 2: Load the Script

1. Click Open in the Text Editor toolbar.

2. Navigate to the .py file for The Violence Tool.

3. Select the file and click Open.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop the .py file directly into the Text Editor window.

Figure 2: The script loaded in the Text Editor

Step 3: Run the Script

1. Click the Play Button (▶️) at the top of the Text Editor toolbar.

Figure 3: Click the Play button to run the script

Warning

Running the script will overwrite any unsaved changes to the script file. Always save your modifications before running.

Method 2: Install as a Blender Add-on (Recommended)

This method installs the tool permanently so it loads every time you open Blender, via the N menu.

Step 1: Save the Script

Save the TheViolenceLayerManager.py file to a location on your computer.

Step 2: Install via Preferences

1. In Blender, go to Edit → Preferences.

2. Click the Add-ons tab.

3. Click the Install… button (top left).

4. Navigate to your saved .py file and select it.

Step 3: Enable the Add-on

1. Find “The Violence: Grease Pencil Layer Manager” in the list (or search for “Violence”).

2. Check the box to enable it.

3. Click Save Preferences (bottom left) to ensure it loads on startup.

Verifying Installation

Regardless of which method you chose:

1. Switch to the 3D Viewport.

2. Press N to open the sidebar (if not already visible).

3. Look for the “Fred” tab.

Figure 4: The “Fred” tab appears in the sidebar

If you see the panel with layer buttons, the installation was successful!

Updating the Tool

When a new version of the script is released:

1. Save any custom changes you made to the script first (if applicable).

2. Close the old script in the Text Editor (Method 1) or remove the old add-on in Preferences (Method 2).

3. Load the new .py file.

4. Run the script or re-enable the add-on.

Warning

Updating will overwrite any unsaved changes to the script file. Always save your modifications before updating.

---

Configuring Keybindings

For optimal workflow, we highly recommend configuring specific keyboard shortcuts. See Important Keybindings for detailed setup instructions on:

• Holding Alt to nudge lines while drawing

• Using F to change sculpt radius

• Quick-switching between Draw, Erase, Sculpt, and Fill modes with single keys

• Toggling “Fade Inactive Layers”

And others!

Tip

These keybindings are optional but will significantly improve your efficiency when using The Violence Layer Manager.

---

What if I want to use this for my own project?

This is welcome, but could involve some organization that might be unique to your project, depending on your style. Here’s what we recommend to start:

1. Practice with the provided scene files using the default setup to get an idea of how the system works

2. Play around and find your personal workflow

3. Consider sharing with us what you discovered!

Note

As the community grows, we hope to share your invented workflows and guides.

---

Next Steps

Once installed, head to The Violence Tool - User Manual to learn the daily workflow and practice with the provided scene files.

See Blender Basics for Animators if you are new to Blender in general.

Animation Workflows (AFIS) explains how-tos by user goal, which might be helpful.

Troubleshooting & Known Issues is a collection of symptom-based help. Animation Workflows (AFIS) has troubleshooting sorted by goal ‘step’ instead.

See also

For solutions to common installation problems, see Troubleshooting & Known Issues.