ID Tools
ID Tools
Introduction
ID Tools offers a handful of operators to aid in debugging and manipulating IDs. Whether it's to help artists optimize their work, or help new users understand data-block relationships, it can sure be useful to put on a utility belt with operators at your disposal.
NOTE:
"ID" is a term exchangeable with "data-block". ID = data-block
ID Tools registers these operators:
Weigh IDs
Export Selected IDs as Library
Replace ID
User Path Report
Quick Make Pointer from Parent ID
Make Pointer from Parent ID
Remove All Pointers to IDs
Dump All Pointers from IDs
Make Custom Properties Overridable
Operators
The list below shows all the available operators, and where to access them.
Weigh IDs
Parameters
- Compress
- Choose whether or not to compress the final result. This parameter is available in the preferences, and the Outliner or Properties Context Menu.
How To Use
This operator is accessible from:
- 3D Viewport via
Object -> Weigh IDs - Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Weigh IDs - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Weigh IDs
Weigh IDs quickly provides the file size of selected IDs through the info report at the bottom of the screen.
Please note that the resulting size is not just the IDs, and also includes the .blend file headers.
Export Selected IDs as Library Operator
Parameters
- Compress
- Choose whether or not to compress the final result.
- Library Path Remap
- Remap the paths for used libraries. By default,
RELATIVE_ALLis used.
- Remap the paths for used libraries. By default,
- Fake User
- Add Fake Users to the IDs to ensure their persistence.
- Create Default Scene
- Creates a default scene to link IDs to, ensuring they are viewable on first open. Otherwise, you will have to link them to a scene yourself.
How To Use
This operator is accessible from:
- File -> Export (only exports objects)
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Export Selected IDs as Library - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Export Selected IDs as Library
When the operator is called, a file select menu will pop-up allowing you to find a destination to export the selected IDs to. When you have confirmed, a new .blend file will be written containing only the IDs you have selected, and required dependencies.
Replace ID
Parameters
- Chosen ID
- The desired ID to replace or to replace with.
- Replace With Selected
- When enabled, the selected ID will replace the chosen ID. When disabled, the selected ID will be replaced with the chosen ID.
How To Use
This operator is accessible from:
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Replace ID - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Replace ID
This operator replaces all instances of the ID that the operator was called through with a new Chosen ID.
If the behavior is reversed with Replace With Selected, the operator will replace all instances of the Chosen ID with the ID that the operator was called through.
User Path Report
How To Use
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> User Path Report - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> User Path Report
This operator reports all paths where an ID is used. This goes a step further from simply reporting which IDs are using the ID in question.
For example, this can be used to show the exact locations (or paths) where an image is used. It will report the exact node that is using the image.
The "User Path Report" is printed into the console to read.
Make Custom Properties Overridable
How To Use
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Make C.Properties Overridable - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Make C.Properties Overridable
Enables the library overridable flag on all custom properties. Only applies to float, int, or bool types.
Pointer Tools
NOTE:
A pointer is a property that targets another ID. Below is an example of creating a pointer using custom properties:
bpy.data.objects["RIG-Tripod_Monster"]["rig_ui"] = bpy.data.texts["tripod_monster_ui"]
Now, the text file is always attached to the rig object, and will always be imported with it.
Pointers ensure that targeted IDs are always attached and associated with the pointer holder. Any ID can have custom properties that point to any ID. A single custom property can point to more than one ID.
Quick Make Pointer from Parent ID
Parameters
- Requires two or more selected IDs. The active ID will have the pointer to the selected IDs
How To Use
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Quick Make Pointer from Parent ID
A custom property pointer will quickly be made, from the active ID, to the selected IDs. The default custom property name is "id_tools_pointer"
Make Pointer from Parent ID
Parameters
- Custom Property Pointer Name
- The name of the custom property pointer (
"id_tools_pointer"by default)
- The name of the custom property pointer (
- Parent Data-Block
- The ID or data-block to host the pointer
- Add to Existing
- If enabled, it will add onto the existing custom property pointer. If disabled, it will overwrite the pointer.
How To Use
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Make Pointer from Parent ID - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Make Pointer from Parent ID
When called, a UI will be displayed to configure the pointer. The ID the operator was called through will be pointed to by the Parent ID selected in the UI.
Remove All Pointers to IDs
How To Use
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Remove All Pointers to IDs - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Remove All Pointers to IDs
Removes all the custom property pointers that are pointing to the selected IDs
Dump All Pointers from IDs
How To Use
- Outliner via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Dump All Pointers from IDs - Data-block selector via
Context Menu (right click) -> ID Tools -> Dump All Pointers from IDs
Dumps all the custom property pointers from the selected IDs
End of Documentation
Created by hisanimations
I hope you find it useful!
What's New
1.2.0 December 11th, 2025
- Added tools to create pointers to IDs
- Added a user path report tool
- Added a tool to enable the library overridable flag on custom properties
- Rebranded to ID Tools
A nice little add-on that does exactly what it says on the tin (and more)! Was really useful trying to figure out what was bloating up my save files that were mysteriously hundreds of megabytes large.
The only improvement I could ask for is the ability to weigh the ID's of things from the video sequencer, as that's where I found most of my storage being eaten up.