About the Blender Python Consortium

Goals

The BPyC's main goal is to eventually become a central, community-driven, one-stop-shop for python scripting in Blender. A major function of the BPyC is the provision and development of an online script repository where authors can host and maintain their scripts and users can easily browse, download, update, and maintain their choice of scripts. In addition to the script repository, the BPyC seeks to provide a community environment that fosters the development of python scripting for Blender through publications, tutorials, and forums (none of which have been integrated into the BPyC's web site yet).

History

September 2006

The BPyC gains an online presence! An initial site concept and script repository prototype are launched on some borrowed web space.

After observing some discussions going round on the bpython mailing list about a change in the way scripts are to be included and bundled with Blender, and observing the general complaints and frustrations that were expressed by those responsible for maintaining the packaged Blender scripts (and those who have a hard time including their scripts with Blender), Levi decided to unleash his vision of the future of Blender's script management: The BPyC script repository.

July 2005

The BPyC was conceived by Levi Schooley during the summer of 2005.
After several ideas were formulated, Levi posted an initial proposal for review to the community at the Blender and Blender Artists forums:
http://www.blender3d.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6475
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread?t=45591

Later, an e-mail was sent to the bpython mailing list to announce his intentions to the Blender python developers:
http://projects.blender.org/pipermail/bf-python/2005-July/002895.html

Prior history

The BPyC and the BPyC script repository were not born in a vacuum. They are merely a vision for the future derived from the complaints, ideas, and work of the past. Numerous efforts have been made to consolidate Blender's scripts, most of which are non-existent today. The following are a few examples of such complaints, requests, and efforts:

One of the more recent efforts by mpan3 - Python Script repository site [Work in Progress] (Does not seem to exist any longer).

An exampe of a "link repository" maintained by theeth - New Script List (Abandoned).

A request for somewhere to host scripts - is there a script repository somewhere?

An early (but very nice!) attempt from SamAdam at synchronizing/updating local scripts - BpyMan Script Repository Package Manager
The main site here (the link is not in the above post) - BPyMan Repository

And a couple of requests for a repository on the blender.org forum:
Things being done twice
Extending Blender: an idea

Structure

The BPyC consists of three main entities: The organizers/developers/managers, the script authors, and the repository.

The BPyC organizers

Currently, the BPyC only has one organizing member.
Levi Schooley is a 21-year-old computer science student that has been with blender since the summer of 2000. That's about it. He hasn't familiarized himself with the blender development, does not consider himself an exceptional coder or artist, and has very little to show for the hours he's spent with blender. He is a very busy person who has spent way too much of his study time in Blender and the development of the BPyC, but loves it all dearly (even the studying).

The BPyC authors

Unlike prior script "repositories" and sites dedicated to Blender python scripting, the BPyC is intended to be community-driven and maintained. This means that all scripts and content are managed by their respective authors. It means that if a script in the repository is outdated, it's the author's fault. Delegating the maintenance responsibility to a broad community of individuals, rather than a single individual or merely a select few, ensures that the repository will never "die" as others have in the past.

The BPyC repository

The BPyC script repository attempts to address the following problems:

1. Disarray. Currently, Python scripts created for Blender are scattered across forums, authors' websites, and other web (and non-web) locations. There is no central location for retrieving even half of these scripts. This leads to...
2. Circulation of out-of-date versions. Often, links to certain scripts from web sites will be out of date, or will be hosting a version of a script that has since been updated by the author.
3. Duplication of effort. Without an organized system, many scripts are created "twice" because one of the authors was not aware that a script had already been created to fulfill a particular need.
4. Fragmented authorship. Very few scripts have been created as a "team effort." Most script authors work (and struggle) on small, fragmented scripts, or are working on scripts that could be benefited by a multi-person team.
5. Limited script inclusion with the Blender releases. The official Blender release cannot and should not include every single script. The download would be too large, and the maintenance overwhelming. Not only that, but it is often hard for the authors to "perfect" their scripts for release status.
6. Lack of synchronization. There have been some efforts to help users keep their "official release scripts" up to date. However, there is no real mechanism in place to help users stay up to date with any of the other scripts they might have chose to add to their collection.