Changelog

Persistence overhaul. Stack nodes now round-trip cleanly through save and reload. Layer data, internal mix chain, input sockets, and external links all survive a file close-and-reopen as expected.

Under the hood

• Layer data is now stored directly on the node as a CollectionProperty — the single source of truth. The parallel ID-property shadow store and the load_post restore handler that shipped in v1.0.3 have been removed. Net reduction of ~220 lines.
• Fixed the underlying persistence bug: Stack's internal node_tree is now marked use_fake_user = True, preventing Blender from garbage-collecting it during save. This was the root cause of sockets disappearing on reload.

Compatibility

• Files saved with v1.0.3 should load in v1.0.4 without issue.
• Files saved with earlier test builds of v1.0.4 where sockets were already lost cannot be recovered — the internal node_tree was purged from the .blend on save. Delete the affected Stack nodes and add them fresh.

Changelog

Stack v1.0.3 Release Notes

Persistence Redesign

Replaced the JSON serialization layer with native Blender ID properties. Layer state (blend mode, opacity, enabled, collapsed, layer name) is now stored as individual custom properties directly on the node group datablock, which Blender serializes natively to .blend files without any addon intervention.

What changed:

The save_pre handler and all JSON serialization code (json.dumps / json.loads) have been removed entirely. Layer data is now written to ID properties immediately when the user makes a change, there is no deferred sync step and no risk of data loss if Blender crashes before a save.

A lightweight read-only load_post handler remains to restore the transient runtime cache from the persisted ID properties after file load. This handler does not write or serialize any data.

Changelog

Stack

Layer blending node for Blender's Shader Editor.

Stack adds a single node that lets you layer and blend textures with per-layer blend modes, opacity, and masking, similar to layer stacking in Photoshop or composite maps in other 3D tools.

Features

• Multiple layers — add as many layers as you need
• Blend modes — Normal, Multiply, Add, Subtract, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Difference, Darken, Lighten
• Per-layer opacity — control the strength of each layer
• Mask input — plug in any texture as a per-layer mask
• Collapsible layers — keep the UI compact
• Reorderable — move layers up and down in the stack
• Renamable — give each layer a descriptive name
• Non-destructive — editing layers preserves your connections and values

Usage

1. Open the Shader Editor.
2. Add → Custom → Stack.
3. Connect the Color output to your material.
4. Add layers, set blend modes, adjust opacity, and connect textures.

Requirements

• Blender 4.5.0 or later

Changelog

Stack

Layer blending node for Blender's Shader Editor.

Stack adds a single node that lets you layer and blend textures with per-layer blend modes, opacity, and masking, similar to layer stacking in Photoshop or composite maps in other 3D tools.

Features

• Multiple layers — add as many layers as you need
• Blend modes — Normal, Multiply, Add, Subtract, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Difference, Darken, Lighten
• Per-layer opacity — control the strength of each layer
• Mask input — plug in any texture as a per-layer mask
• Collapsible layers — keep the UI compact
• Reorderable — move layers up and down in the stack
• Renamable — give each layer a descriptive name
• Non-destructive — editing layers preserves your connections and values

Usage

1. Open the Shader Editor.
2. Add → Custom → Stack.
3. Connect the Color output to your material.
4. Add layers, set blend modes, adjust opacity, and connect textures.

Requirements

• Blender 4.5.0 or later

Changelog

v.1.0.0