NodeKit

Tools for building better Blender node trees

About

NodeKit is a Blender addon designed for developing, testing, and managing Geometry Node Trees with version control in mind. The addon lets you export node trees to JSON format and import them back into Blender, allowing to easily share them.

Key Features:

• Export/Import Geometry Node Trees as JSON
• Asset management for node tree dependencies
• Version control friendly workflow
• In development: Testing framework for geometry nodes

⚠️ Development Status: This add-on is under active development and may contain bugs in the importer and exporter. Use with caution in production projects.

Settings

• Export on Save: Whether node groups should be exported automatically to the specified location whenever the blend file is saved

Installation

Method 1: Download from Releases

1. Download the latest NodeKit.zip from the Releases page
2. In Blender, go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons
3. Click Install and select the downloaded NodeKit.zip file
4. Enable the "NodeKit" addon in the list

Method 2: Drag and Drop

1. Download NodeKit.zip from releases
2. Simply drag the zip file into your Blender viewport
3. Confirm the installation when prompted

Usage

Getting Started

1. Set up a project folder: NodeKit works with a dedicated folder structure to organize JSON files and assets
2. Export your first node tree: Select an empty folder and export your geometry nodes to it
3. Version control: Add your project folder to Git or your preferred VCS

Notes

• Store local .blend files separate from the git repository - all relevant information to reconstruct the node tree is included in the JSON folder
• Currently, linked objects are not separated; localize all objects before exporting
• Using "Import from JSON" will delete all other node groups in the current scene
• Use the "Append" function to add node groups without affecting existing ones

Export Structure

Folder Structure

MyProject/
├── GeometryNodeTree/           # Exported geometry node trees (JSON)
│   ├── Groups/                 # Main geometry node groups
│   │   ├── MyNodeGroup1.json
│   │   ├── MyNodeGroup2.json
│   │   └── ...
│   └── Tests/                  # Test geometry node groups (prefix: ".test: ")
│       ├── .test: TestGroup1.json
│       ├── .test: TestGroup2.json
│       └── ...
└── Assets/                     # Referenced assets and dependencies
    ├── Objects/                # 3D objects and meshes
    ├── Collections/            # Blender collections
    ├── Materials/              # Material definitions
    └── Images/                 # Textures and image assets

JSON Structure

Here is an example of the typical structure of a Geometry Node Tree json file

{
    "name": "Geometry Nodes",
    "tree": {
        "bl_idname": "GeometryNodeTree",
        "name": "Geometry Nodes",
        "is_modifier": true,
        "uuid": "06ddc5a6-a930-45b3-bc3e-63b782202223",
        "nodes": {
            "Group Input": {
                "bl_idname": "NodeGroupInput",
                "location": [
                    -685.4281616210938,
                    61.29835891723633
                ],
                "name": "Group Input",
                "outputs": [
                    {
                        "bl_idname": "NodeSocketGeometry",
                        "name": "Geometry",
                        "to_socket_index": [
                            0
                        ],
                        "to_node": [
                            "Set Position"
                        ],
                        "index": 0
                    }
                ]
            },
            "Group Output": {
                "bl_idname": "NodeGroupOutput",
                "location": [
                    53.52098083496094,
                    35.02762985229492
                ],
                "name": "Group Output"
            },
            "Set Position": {
                "bl_idname": "GeometryNodeSetPosition",
                "location": [
                    -250.32614135742188,
                    87.569091796875
                ],
                "name": "Set Position",
                "inputs": [
                    {
                        "bl_idname": "NodeSocketBool",
                        "name": "Selection",
                        "default_value": true,
                        "index": 1
                    },
                    {
                        "bl_idname": "NodeSocketVector",
                        "name": "Position",
                        "index": 2
                    },
                    {
                        "bl_idname": "NodeSocketVectorTranslation",
                        "name": "Offset",
                        "index": 3
                    }
                ],
                "outputs": [
                    {
                        "bl_idname": "NodeSocketGeometry",
                        "name": "Geometry",
                        "to_socket_index": [
                            0
                        ],
                        "to_node": [
                            "Group Output"
                        ],
                        "index": 0
                    }
                ]
            },
            "Vector": {
                "bl_idname": "FunctionNodeInputVector",
                "location": [
                    -505.98858642578125,
                    -47.92365264892578
                ],
                "name": "Vector",
                "vector": [
                    1.0,
                    2.0,
                    3.0
                ],
                "outputs": [
                    {
                        "bl_idname": "NodeSocketVector",
                        "name": "Vector",
                        "to_socket_index": [
                            3
                        ],
                        "to_node": [
                            "Set Position"
                        ],
                        "index": 0
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        "interface_items": [
            {
                "name": "Geometry",
                "in_out": "OUTPUT",
                "socket_type": "NodeSocketGeometry",
                "bl_idname": "NodeTreeInterfaceSocketGeometry"
            },
            {
                "name": "Geometry",
                "socket_type": "NodeSocketGeometry",
                "bl_idname": "NodeTreeInterfaceSocketGeometry"
            }
        ]
    },
    "blender_version": "4.5.0",
    "tree_type": "GeometryNodeTree",
    "category": "Groups"
}

Development

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/NodeKit.git
cd NodeKit

# Build the addon
python dev.py build

# Run tests
python dev.py test

Project Structure

NodeKit/
├── dev.py                    # Development script
├── README.md
├── NodeKit/                  # Main addon code
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── blender_manifest.toml
│   ├── operators.py          # Blender operators
│   ├── ui.py                # User interface
│   ├── properties.py        # Addon properties
│   └── json_nodes/          # Core JSON export/import logic
│       ├── import_export.py
│       ├── assets.py
│       ├── attributes/
│       └── representations/
└── tests/                   # Test suite
    ├── test_trees.py
    └── test_trees.blend

Future Roadmap

• Support for other node tree types like Shader and Compositor nodes
• Build a comprehensive testing framework for geometry nodes
• Improve asset management and linking between projects
• Optimize performance for large node tree exports and imports
• Enhance the user interface and overall workflow experience