Changelog

Full version history for Light Wrangler. Newest releases first.

v4.2.17

April 27, 2026
  • Welcome Tip: First-run popup pointing new users to the right-click Light Operations menu and the Light Data customization panel.

v4.2.16

April 27, 2026
  • Fix: Parented and animated lights misbehaving in interactive mode — wrong orbit pivot, light snapping on entry, and imprecise Reflect/Direct placement.

v4.2.15

April 18, 2026
  • Fix: Light Customization panel causing continuous UI lag when the cache directory is on a network share.

v4.2.14

April 14, 2026
  • Fix: Temperature controls causing errors on Blender 4.2–4.4 where the use_temperature API doesn't exist.

v4.2.13

April 9, 2026
  • Fix: "Select a light or blocker" error when adding a new light with "Organize lights" enabled.

v4.2.12

March 25, 2026
  • Fix: Companion thumbnail folders (e.g., "PlusThumbnails") appearing as separate HDRI categories when the sibling folder contains actual HDR textures.
  • Fix: Sequentially-numbered HDRI textures (e.g., "Abstract_01.exr", "Abstract_02.exr") being incorrectly detected as animation sequences and collapsed into a single entry.

v4.2.11

March 25, 2026
  • Fix: User texture folders with names containing "thumbnail", "preview", or "cache" (e.g., "PlusThumbnails") being incorrectly excluded from directory scanning, causing most textures to not appear in the addon.

v4.2.10

March 20, 2026
  • Fix: DG helper lights, flag visuals, and reflector visuals not following their parent light when moved to another collection. Child objects now automatically sync collection membership with their parent.

v4.2.9

March 12, 2026
  • Separate Glossy Color: Set a different color for glossy (specular) reflections independent of diffuse color.
  • Scrim Preview: Preview now renders both diffuse and glossy lights when Diffuse/Glossy split is active, showing the combined color appearance.
  • Fix: Rare crash on first install when background thumbnail downloads access Blender's online_access setting from worker threads.

v4.2.8

March 12, 2026
  • Fix: Add Light keyboard shortcut (F9) resetting to default after addon update or reinstall. User shortcut customizations now persist across updates.
  • Change: Default Add Light shortcut changed from F9 to F7 to avoid conflict with Blender's Adjust Last Operation (F9).
  • Fix: Custom IES folders showing only a subset of profiles instead of all files.
  • Change: IES local folder label renamed from "textures" to "Profiles" in addon preferences.
  • UI: Hide category dropdown when folder has no subcategories.

v4.2.7

March 11, 2026
  • False Color: Zone System and ARRI now show full Look options (Punchy, Greyscale, contrast controls) matching Blender's built-in False Color.
  • False Color: Improved OCIO config descriptions.

v4.2.6

March 7, 2026
  • Fix: Console error when opening a fresh file with a custom cache path set.

v4.2.5

March 6, 2026
  • Fix: Scrim texture duplication when creating new scrim lights after Snapshot addon restore.

v4.2.4

March 6, 2026
  • Fix: Error messages when adding scrim lights ("Unable to pack file, source path not found").

v4.2.3

March 4, 2026
  • Scrim Textures: Externalize packed scrim images to cache directory to reduce .blend file size.
  • Auto-Repair: Automatically restore dead V4 texture paths on file load (gobo, HDRI, IES). Relinks to current cache or downloads missing assets in background.

v4.2.2

March 2, 2026
  • Fix: Textures not populating new cache directory without restart when cache path is changed.
  • Fix: Gobo panel UI error.

v4.2.1

March 2, 2026
  • Fix: Custom cache path not applying for zip-installed users.

v4.2.0

March 1, 2026
  • Fix: Default cache directory being recreated on every startup when custom path was set.

v4.1.9

February 28, 2026
  • Custom Cache Directory: Redirect downloaded textures (gobos, HDRIs, IES) to a NAS, external drive, or any custom location. Existing cache content is automatically copied to the new location.

v4.1.7

February 27, 2026
  • V3 Texture Repair Tool: Scans scenes for broken v3 Light Wrangler texture paths, downloads originals from the server, and relinks references.
  • Fix: Duplicate image datablocks accumulating in Image Editor after node group loading.

v4.1.5

February 27, 2026
  • Internal packaging improvements.

v4.1.4

February 25, 2026
  • Fix: Performance lag when using custom texture folders.
  • Fix: Scrim preview transparency bleed-through.
  • Fix: Scrim background process error when running Blender in headless mode.

v4.1.3

February 13, 2026
  • Copy/Paste Light Settings: Added to right-click context menu.
  • Blender 5.1 Support: Extended max supported Blender version to 5.1.9.

v4.1.1

February 10, 2026
  • HDRI Contrast Slider: Added Contrast slider to HDRI light customization panel.
  • Fix: Addon freeze on activation when Scrim preview process fails to start.

v4.1.0

February 7, 2026
  • Mouse Drag Adjustment Mode: New "Adjustment Method" preference. Hold modifier keys and drag left/right to adjust light properties. Positioning is activated by holding 1/2/3 keys, eliminating accidental position jumps.
  • Fallback Positioning: Lights, flags, and reflectors now appear at the cursor position along the view ray when no geometry is under the mouse.
  • Camera Visibility Shortcut: V key now toggles camera visibility for Cycles area lights.
  • Fix: S shortcut toggling to Ellipse instead of Disk for square/disk area lights.

v4.0.5

February 6, 2026
  • Adaptive Power Scaling: Adaptive Initial Size now also scales light power using inverse square law for consistent illumination at adaptive distances.
  • Shift Toggle: Hold Shift while adding a light to temporarily toggle Adaptive Initial Size on or off.
  • Fix: Scrim preview rendering incorrectly when a diagnostic view transform was active.

v4.0.4

February 5, 2026
  • IES Scale Control: Added Scale slider for IES lights.
  • IES Rotation Fix: IES light direction now properly respects the light object's rotation.

v4.0.3

February 2, 2026
  • Scrim Light v3: Updated Scrim Light node group to version 3. Imperfection slider at zero now fully eliminates imperfections.

v4.0.2

January 31, 2026
  • Adaptive Initial Size: New preference that sets initial light distance and size based on the largest dimension of selected objects. Also applies to flags and reflectors.
  • IES Fixture Names: Built-in IES profiles now show their real fixture name in labels.
  • Fix: IES profile download failing after selection.
  • Fix: Undo reverting downloaded textures when undoing unrelated actions.

v4.0.1

January 15, 2026
  • Server-Based IES Profiles: IES profiles now downloaded on-demand from the server, matching the gobo/HDRI system.
  • Scrim Preview Default: Scrim preview is now enabled by default.
  • Unified Online Access: "Allow Online Access" button now downloads gobos, HDRIs, and IES previews together.
  • Fix: Upside-down gobo texture on flags with Keep Upright enabled.

v4.0.0

January 23, 2026
  • Online Catalog System: Textures now downloaded from a server instead of being bundled.
  • Diffuse/Glossy Balance: New slider to control a light's contribution to diffuse and glossy material components.
  • Gobo Mode for Flags: Blockers renamed to "Flags" with stencil gobo support.
  • EEVEE Spotlight Gobos: Gobo support now available in EEVEE.
  • HDRI Light v2: Added Hue Shift and Saturation controls.
  • ARRI False Color & Zone System: New view transform options.
  • IES Library Integration: Online IES browser with manufacturer/tag filtering, favorites, and search.
  • Auto IES Strength: Automatically adjusts strength based on IES profile data.
  • Terminology Updates: Blockers renamed to Flags. Transparency renamed to Opacity (inverted logic).
  • Keep Upright Toggle: New constraint-based rotation toggle (U key).
  • Tracking Support: Flags and reflectors now support object tracking.
  • Orbit Method Preference: Choose from three light rotation modes.
  • Z-Axis Rotation Step: Reduced from 5° to 2° for finer control.
  • IES Color Temperature Presets: Easy selection of common color temps.

v3.3.6

January 5, 2026
  • Fix: Distance reversal issue in Reflect/Direct modes after pause/resume.
  • Fix: Custom IES folders now correctly load from ies_paths collection.
  • Fix: Corrected HDRI rotation speed for Polydome.

v3.3.5

January 4, 2026
  • New preference: Initial spread setting for area lights.

v3.3.4

January 3, 2026
  • Fix: Resolved interactive mode failure caused by third-party addon interference.
  • New: Added flicker effects.

v3.3.2

December 23, 2025
  • Fix: Blocker and reflector visuals could be deleted when renaming the parent light.

v3.3.1

December 23, 2025
  • Blender 4.4 Compatibility: Updated light temperature API.
  • Fix: Gimbal lock — resolved 180° Z-axis rotation flip on vertically oriented lights.
  • Third-party HDRI addon support: Detect nodes with rotation inputs (e.g., PolyDome).
  • Overlay Visibility Respect: Overlays now correctly follow user gizmo and overlay visibility settings.

v3.3.0

December 17, 2025

New Features

  • Introduced blockers and reflectors.
  • Added node group controls for Scrim, HDRI, Gobo, and IES modes to the Light Customization panel.
  • Experimental Scrim light interactive preview.
  • Gobo customization mode now partially supports Blender asset libraries.
  • Custom texture slots are now dynamic — add or remove as many as needed.
  • Preference to disable obstacle avoidance.
  • Visual feedback for light linking operations.
  • HUD panel position preference (left/right).
  • Customizable color preferences for help values.
  • S-shape toggle for switching between SQUARE and DISK shapes.
  • Viewport gizmos can now enter interactive mode with a single click.
  • Gobo Stencil material panel with gobo selection UI for converted planes.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed Blender 5.0 auto-keying crash.
  • Fixed crash when using Scrim lights with external ACES/OCIO color configurations.
  • Fixed inverted light positioning and incorrect distance calculations.
  • Fixed orbit center not moving with duplicated lights.
  • Resolved TrueSKY addon conflict.
  • Reduced Scrim node group size (TIFF → WebP).
  • Fixed IndexError in convert-to-plane operator.
  • Fixed animated gobo driver detection and dependency cycle.
  • Fixed video gobo thumbnails not being detected when already generated.

v3.2.6

September 30, 2025
  • Auto Power: Gobo mode excluded from automatic power changes.
  • Fix: TypeError when resuming with TAB key.
  • Blender 5.0 compatibility fixes.
  • Viewport: Added feathered border for modal operation feedback.

v3.2.5

September 25, 2025
  • New: Enable Tracking button for muted tracking constraints.
  • Font: Switched to Blender's native monospace font.

v3.2.4

September 19, 2025
  • Tracking: New confirmation dialog before disabling; constraints are now muted instead of removed.
  • Auto-Adjust Light Power now works for Point lights.
  • Bug fixes: Fixed crashes during animation playback.

v3.2.3

September 18, 2025
  • Scrim Light v2.1: Added slider to control Scrim edge sharpness.
  • N-Panel Awareness: HUD and controls adjust positions when N-panel is open.
  • Fix: Rare AttributeError when reopening Blender files.

v3.2.2

September 17, 2025
  • Blender 5.0 Compatibility: Fixes for HDRI and Scrim render operators.
  • Keymap improvements: Prevented keymap changes during addon registration.
  • Fix: Resolved conflict with Render Toolbox (and possibly ZenUV).

v3.2.1

September 16, 2025
  • Light Pie Menu: Added pie menu configuration to preferences UI.
  • Direct Mode Entry Keys: Now off by default; restores default collection hiding behavior when disabled.
  • Blender 5.0 Alpha: Initial support.

v3.2.0

September 9, 2025
  • Precise Mode: Press Space for exact surface positioning without normal averaging.
  • Axis Snapping for Orbit: New World/View axis snapping with smooth Ctrl transitions.
  • Texture System Overhaul: Improved reliability with automatic folder detection.
  • Texture Preview Upgrades: Adjustable preview size, popup scale, and toggle for labels.
  • 1/2/3 Key Control: Option to enable or disable number keys for direct mode access.
  • Scrim HDRI Export: Export procedural Scrim as HDRI (EXR) image.
  • Scrim Version Selection: Choose between Version 1 and Version 2.
  • Blender 4.5 Compatibility.
  • Adjustable gizmo placement via preferences.

v3.1.11 – v3.1.15

August 11, 2025
  • Improved Shift+Mouse Wheel support in Blender 4.5.
  • Streamlined Logging: Default log level now shows only critical messages.
  • HDRI Spread Retention: Option to keep spread values when switching HDRIs.

v3.1.10

April 5, 2025
  • Fix: Blender 4.4 crash when dragging lights on macOS.
  • TAB key now respects the "Always Start Paused" preference.
  • Fix: Cursor disappeared in paused mode after using Orbit.
  • Fix: Remote repository install failure on Blender 4.4.

v3.1.9

April 3, 2025
  • Scrim Preference: "Use Scrim for New Area Lights" checkbox added.
  • Soft error handling for context switch exceptions.
  • Fix: Crash due to special character in update_light_visibility.
  • Lights now correctly retain paused state across TAB entries/exits.

v3.1.8

March 26, 2025
  • Preferences: Introduced checkbox "Use Scrim for New Area Lights".

v3.1.6

March 20, 2025
  • Fix: Lights spawned at ceiling height in enclosed spaces — now appear near target surface.

v3.0.8

March 3, 2025
  • Fix: Persistent keymap reset issue.
  • Blender 4.5 Alpha Support.

v3.0.5

March 1, 2025
  • Workaround: Disabled override of Blender's 1/2/3 view-layer keymaps to prevent keymap resets.

v3.0.4

February 28, 2025
  • Fix: Crash when duplicating lights.
  • Known issue (regression): Updating to this version resets many custom Blender keymaps.

v3.0.3

February 27, 2025
  • Fix: Shortcuts now remain visible and editable in Preferences.
  • Fix: Spacebar no longer causes exception during light adjustment.

v3.0.2

February 27, 2025
  • Fix: Black frame issue on Scrim Light.

v3.0.1

February 27, 2025
  • Fix: Orbit center behavior when starting in paused mode.

v3.0.0

February 26, 2025
  • Complete Rewrite: Rebuilt from the ground up for improved stability and performance.
  • Smoother Light Positioning: Refreshed positioning modes.
  • Updated UI: Cleaner and more intuitive interface.
  • New Scrim: Enhanced feathering and improved gradient control.
  • Improved Auto-Adjust Light Power.
  • Local Z-Axis Rotation: Z + mouse wheel.
  • Separate Area Light Scaling: Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift for independent width/height.

v2.4.2

January 11, 2025
  • Video GoBo Textures: Playback speed now matches Blender's project frame rate.
  • Light Isolation: Minor fixes and new gizmo icon.
  • New animated GoBo textures added.

v2.4.1

June 1, 2025
  • Fix: Compatibility issue with Physical Starlight and Atmosphere addon.

v2.4.0

December 16, 2024
  • Fix: "Convert to Plane" error in Gobo caused by missing shadow_method attribute.

v2.3.9

December 13, 2024
  • Auto Keying: Enhanced compatibility with Blender's Animation Preferences.

v2.3.8

December 11, 2024
  • HDRI Scene Rendering: Added support for emissive mesh objects.
  • Auto Keying: Light Wrangler operations now add changes to keyframes when Auto Keying is enabled.

v2.3.7

December 10, 2024
  • Initial Light Positioning States: Choose Active (default) or Inactive (adjustments only, no position changes).
  • HDRI Rotation Scale: Visual scale showing exact rotation in degrees during Alt + right mouse drag.

v2.3.6

December 5, 2024
  • Light Direction Inversion: "I" key to invert light direction relative to the hit point.
  • Viewport text hints: Improved positioning to avoid T-panel overlap.

v2.3.5

December 5, 2024
  • Blender 4.3+ Compatibility: Fixed use_contact_shadows error.

v2.3.4

December 3, 2024
  • New Orbit Sensitivity Setting: Adjustable values between 0.1 and 2.0.
  • Shift key modifier: Reduces orbit sensitivity to one-fifth for precise adjustments.

v2.3.3

December 3, 2024
  • False Color Mode: F key shortcut to toggle between current view transform and False Color.
  • Isolate Light Gizmo: Now shifts with the N-panel.

v2.3.2

December 3, 2024
  • Optimized light placement for scenes with extremely high polygon counts.

v2.3.0 – v2.3.1

December 2, 2024
  • Partial Blender 4.4.0 Alpha compatibility.
  • Optimized light placement for high-poly scenes.
  • v2.3.1: Reverted optimizations due to identified bugs; fixed positioning on collection instances.

v2.2.7 – v2.2.9

November 2024
  • Alt + Right Mouse Drag: Rotation of world HDRIs and dome objects.
  • Light Visibility System: Improved manual visibility handling.
  • ColorTemp Slider: Integer mode for smoother drag adjustments.
  • Partial Lens Sim compatibility.
  • Blender 4.3 EEVEE fix for use_contact_shadow.

v2.2.0 – v2.2.5

October – November 2024
  • Orbit Mode Snap: Hold CTRL to snap to left, right, top, bottom, behind, or in front.
  • Clear Tracking: Remove light tracking to adjust positions in interactive mode.
  • Light Isolation fix: Emissive geometry states reverted properly.
  • Major fix: Objects with camera clipping no longer obstruct light placement.
  • Intelligent manual visibility detection.

v2.1.0 – v2.1.9

August – September 2024
  • Light Linking Control: L key to add/exclude/remove objects from light linking. Shift+L for shadow linking.
  • Updated viewport text hints with mode highlighting and value display.
  • H/I keys now function as toggles for hide/isolate.
  • Enhanced light isolation in non-active mode.
  • Fix: Non-mesh Geometry Nodes outputs.
  • Fix: Duplicated lights sharing texture changes.
  • ColorTemp 0 enables plain RGB emission.
  • Trackpad scroll support.
  • Smart Light Adjustments off by default.

v2.0.0

July 15, 2024
  • Blender 4.2 compatibility.
  • Improved light positioning algorithm: rewritten from scratch.
  • Custom GOBO textures: Add your own folders in settings.
  • Custom IES profiles folder support.
  • Numerous stability enhancements.

v1.9.2 – v1.9.11

March – June 2024
  • Custom HDRI Textures: Personal HDRI texture folders.
  • Auto Light Visibility: Toggles with selection.
  • Organize Lights: Auto-arrange into 'Lights' collection.
  • Interactive Scrim Preview in customization panel.
  • Convert to Plane button in Gobo mode.
  • Enhanced Gobo Controls: Invert toggle and rotation slider.
  • Convert to HDR: Replaces 'Render Scrim to EXR'.
  • HDRI Scene Rendering: 360° HDRI render in one click.
  • Shortcut customization via addon preferences.
  • Orbit mode mouse cursor wrap.

v1.7.5 – v1.8.5

February 2024
  • New visual gizmos for Reflect, Orbit, and Direct modes.
  • 1/2/3 keys for instant mode activation.
  • Quick Adjust: Click and drag on any gizmo for temporary adjustment mode.
  • Hide Viewport Overlays during light adjusting mode.
  • Renamed positioning modes: Reflect Mode and Direct Mode.
  • Adjust Light shortcut changed to TAB from F10.
  • HDRI image sorting improvements.

v1.5.0 – v1.6.1

November – December 2023
  • Light Customizations: Scrim, HDRI, Gobo, and IES modes (early access).
  • Animated GoBos: Introduction of animated gobo textures.
  • Normal positioning mode (perpendicular light placement).
  • Spacebar to switch positioning modes.
  • 14 beta animated vegetation gobos.

v1.4.4

November 19, 2023
  • Auto Light Visibility Toggle.
  • Manual Ground Level Setting.
  • Duplicate Light Option.

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