A few things I really didn't fully understand or am not sure even rewinding your videos .....
Your last Video, linking "girl"
Isn't that what Blender Assets should be for ? (Or does this break the link to the original geometry - no more update, add to file size, ...)
Does it really help to link Objects just for File Size of the master file ? The model has to be rendered, loaded in VRAM, ... anyway. Linking has several advantages in this regard but wouldn't it be necessary to reduce the complexity of the geometry in the first place ?
Synchronizing IFC and Blend
Did I get that correct, if you have a Bonsai IFC file - and you save that file for the first time as a Blend file - from that moment Bonsai, when saving the IFC (CTRL+S), will always also save a Blend File with same Name beside the IFC reliably ?
(So the key to later link that "Bonsai IFC Blend File" into your parent Render/Entourage Blend File)
BTW,
watching your real world project - looks like synchronizing IFC with Blend is a big thing - not just only for me
You can either append or link via BlenderAssets. Like the video says i don't like to use 'appending' as it adds to the file size.
You can also 'link' via the Blender Assets and then do a library override, like that video says, but I don't like doing this either as it still adds to the file size. Not as much as appending, but still enough where it's quite noticeable.
So that's why i like having links inside collection instances. That way, nothing (or almost nothing) is added to the parent file. I like to keep my parent file small, as it allows for quick opening/saving and also, i don't like pushing huge files to Git, if I can prevent it. The version history, and overall repo gets very big after awhile.
and you save that file for the first time as a Blend file - from that moment Bonsai, when saving the IFC (CTRL+S), will always also save a Blend File with same Name beside the IFC reliably
correct. Cntl+S saves both the .blend file and .ifc file simultaneously.
watching your real world project - looks like synchronizing IFC with Blend is a big thing - not just only for me
Yes it very much has its advantages. They do get out of sync here and there, but if they do, it's relatively easy to fix. That is, you can open the .ifc anew, and then just copy/paste all your .blend assets from the old .blend file. And then do a 'save as' to overwrite the old .blend file.
They do get out of sync here and there, but if they do, it's relatively easy to fix. That is, you can open the .ifc anew, and then just copy/paste all your .blend assets from the old .blend file.
Exceeds my imagination how and why these can get out of sync that way ....
That is why I thought I should "link" the Bonsai blend file into an extra blend file.
BIM.ifc + BIM.blend, containing BIM stuff only AND a Visualization.blend containing Lights, Cameras, Entourage, .... and the BIM.blend linked in like a Reference file in CAD (?)
With the disadvantage that you have to work with two files, in case these may use shared resources (?) But I am not yet experienced with Blenders file linking, where I could overwrite or not, if it will autoupdate and such things. Was already overcharged by Blenders over complicated Append File process.
Just my testimonial on these tutorial series so far. I have not finished them as I tend to watch them several times over different days to get best comprehension:
- Simply the best practical, pragmatic approach to get started fast and efficiently in Bonsai with Blender.
Before taking them I had to save work (the git panel has saved me tens of times) like mad because I was putting myself in situations that looked as if the software was unstable or simply behaving randomly... The reality is that the software is behaving I would say very stable for calling it alpha :) and that I was not performing the correct steps, or not on the right place/state, or had by mistake done some unknown shortcut...
Now I feel Bonsai is a tool that I can use in an efficient manner. Many workflows in the series have helped me to improve my speed.
There are many hidden gems which clearly would be impossible to know unless you spend countless hours searching.
To name a few I liked a lot: Statistics to know your selected vertices (xray mode)..Intelligent tags, material management, drawing debugging, gizmos, regenerating back bevels...
Really looking forward for new additions on the so many fronts Bonsai is evolving.
Just my two cents :)
Cheers!
PS: The intelligent tags video has prompted me to issue PR 7106
Passionate people are at the core of open source software.
Watching these tutorials and finding out the countless tips hidden all the way through them, you can feel and benefit from the passion of a knowledgeable architect that masters both Blender and Bonsai.
Open source software is inherently appealing, but the learning curve is most often steep and sometimes represent a barrier, because of the limited training material.
These videos are just what one needs to get up and running with a fast growing and powerful architectural tool such as Blender+Bonsai.
Thank you Theoryshaw for sharing
Unfortunately, Blender and Bonsai being in fast development, are not yet that self explanatory and documentation not always perfect or complete. There are lots of hidden things you just have know to be able to use them right. This comprehensive Tutorial Series shows and explains where, how and why to do things in a certain way and warns about possible traps.
Watching the videos, that follow a project from early start to finish in Bonsai, you'll get a great overview of what Bonsai is already capable of. You can learn tons of insider tricks and practice by completing the delivered Files . And if you forgot something or run into a problem later, you know where to find help and can re-watch a video.
I also welcome if the Tutorial would get small updates when Bonsai development may change or add workflows in the future.
Ryan,
Extremely helpful, it obviously took a lot of effort to put all this together. Well done. Excellent piece of work, easy to consume in small bites or large, and also easy to navigate to areas of interest.
I've been involved in STEP and IFC development for many years, now with BuildingSmart Australasia, and also a strong supporter of open source, and it's great to see this development harnessing these two efforts, it's about time!
I've been a financial supporter of OSArch for several years, and invite anyone with interests in open source tools and standards to get behind these efforts, with whatever financial support you can manage. The amount of volunteer labour for both the IFC technical standards and now this Bonsai Blender Extension is enormous. And if you're really keen to see the IFC open standards extended in industry, consider joining your regional chapter of BuildingSmart.
But again, Ryan, thanks for this great introduction to Bonsai, it's just what I needed to start climbing this open source 3D learning curve. Michael Hund
Hi Ryan,
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for creating such an amazing video resource. I can't imagine how many hours it took to create and edit it.
I decided to try and watch them all before I go back and drill down on the specific lessons I want to focus on... I'm currently on video 136. The pacing and delivery really helps me understand so much more about this amazing software.
This is really the best resource I've come across after weeks of searching... I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to make a start on Blender and Bonsai.
Cheers,
Doug
Hi Ryan,
I just wanted to say thank you very much for your work and contribution to the community. Helping shape and guide the first steps in the open-source world is one of the most valuable aspects. Your videos are very easy to follow and make it simple to start getting real value from the material right away.
Looking forward to seeing more!
@dscoular just made an awesome contribution where each video now has subtitles associated with it.
Video viewers like VLC media player can sync the subtitles from the accompanying .srt file (text file). This .srt file, is also searchable as well, allowing you to more easily find a particular part of the video that contains a certain topic. https://hub.openingdesign.com/OpeningDesign/Bonsai_Tutorials/pulls/5
Hi Ryan, sorry to bother.
I'm finally trying to get into these tutorials, I've been trying to clone the repository without success. I've followed the provided steps, set the registry keys for Windows long file names, and I think I've configured everything correctly.
POST git-upload-pack (193 bytes)
POST git-upload-pack (270 bytes)
The folder is created successfully, it has about 25kb with the .git folder in it, but never gets past this step, nor does it seem to be downloading in the background, since I see no network or processor activity. Neither TortoiseGIT nor Git-GUI were successful, both yeild the same result, and Gitnuro just got stuck without any further progress.
Did I miss some step? Do I have to apply for a registered account first with a matching email?
From what I gathered this is caused by big repositories containing large binary files, but couldn't get past it on my end.
Thanks @duarteframos for letting me know.
I think @falken10vdl had the same problem. @falken10vdl do you remember, off hand, how you fixed it?
... @duarteframos, in the meantime, i'll send you a direct link, so you can download the files directly.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Best, Ryan
@theoryshaw said:
in the meantime, i'll send you a direct link, so you can download the files directly.
No rush, lets see if we can find a solution.
Direct links are reserved for higher tiers, and I haven't even made a donation yet. I'd hate to get undeserved perks ;)
I am on Windows 10.
Now tested at home also running Windows 10, and it seems to finally have synced successfully.
Left it running while I went away, took almost half an hour to clear that step, but it eventually went through and synced the whole 22GB.
Either I wasn't patient enough, or it was taking longer on the other computer, but managed through plain Git command line.
Thanks for the help guys, and sorry for the unnecessary noise.
It's possibly unimportant, but is it BonsaiBIM or Bonsai? I've noticed it sometimes gets portmanteau'd with the second part of it's former moniker (BlenderBIM) into BonsaiBIM. I'm fairly certain the proper name is simply Bonsai. Of course this is slightly confusing because the website dns name uses bonsaibim.
@sjb007 said:
It's possibly unimportant, but is it BonsaiBIM or Bonsai?
Difficult question.
The Blender in BlenderBIM may not have been ok.
But Bonsai is quite general. It could similarly be Sumo, Cactus or Rabbit. FreeCAD or LibreCAD may have been more lucky in terms of readability. I would not search for Bonsai to find a BIM App/Addon and it feels a bit hard to explain or to promote to potential new users.
Somehow I miss the BIM or something that hints to AEC. Not sure about in combination with Bonsai (?)
BIM for Blender or Bonsai IFC (?)
That's a great Article about the Tutorial.
I just don't get the paragraph about "Build Once, Adapt Anywhere". It may have more to do with Ryan's open Architecture approach than with how Bonsai, IFC or the Tutorial works. But it really gives a great and comprehensive overview about the tutorial.
Oh I knew about the whole renaming thing the Blender org started pushing for. I agree Bonsai is a bit non-specific, but on the other hand it isn't as intimidating ;-)
"Build Once, Adapt Anywhere" - I think this might be referring to the idea that you can produce a suite of building designs, and then create specific sites using a library of cohesive designs. No idea... just spitballing.
Comments
Sorry but I hovered over any Button's tool tip but I can't find that Button.
I found I can switch Spaces (and other spatial stuff) from here :
EDIT : found it ...
A few things I really didn't fully understand or am not sure even rewinding your videos .....
(So the key to later link that "Bonsai IFC Blend File" into your parent Render/Entourage Blend File)
BTW,
watching your real world project - looks like synchronizing IFC with Blend is a big thing - not just only for me
You can either append or link via BlenderAssets. Like the video says i don't like to use 'appending' as it adds to the file size.
You can also 'link' via the Blender Assets and then do a library override, like that video says, but I don't like doing this either as it still adds to the file size. Not as much as appending, but still enough where it's quite noticeable.
So that's why i like having links inside collection instances. That way, nothing (or almost nothing) is added to the parent file. I like to keep my parent file small, as it allows for quick opening/saving and also, i don't like pushing huge files to Git, if I can prevent it. The version history, and overall repo gets very big after awhile.
correct.
Cntl+Ssaves both the .blend file and .ifc file simultaneously.Yes it very much has its advantages. They do get out of sync here and there, but if they do, it's relatively easy to fix. That is, you can open the .ifc anew, and then just copy/paste all your .blend assets from the old .blend file. And then do a 'save as' to overwrite the old .blend file.
Exceeds my imagination how and why these can get out of sync that way ....
That is why I thought I should "link" the Bonsai blend file into an extra blend file.
BIM.ifc + BIM.blend, containing BIM stuff only AND a Visualization.blend containing Lights, Cameras, Entourage, .... and the BIM.blend linked in like a Reference file in CAD (?)
With the disadvantage that you have to work with two files, in case these may use shared resources (?) But I am not yet experienced with Blenders file linking, where I could overwrite or not, if it will autoupdate and such things. Was already overcharged by Blenders over complicated Append File process.
Just my testimonial on these tutorial series so far. I have not finished them as I tend to watch them several times over different days to get best comprehension:
- Simply the best practical, pragmatic approach to get started fast and efficiently in Bonsai with Blender.
Before taking them I had to save work (the git panel has saved me tens of times) like mad because I was putting myself in situations that looked as if the software was unstable or simply behaving randomly... The reality is that the software is behaving I would say very stable for calling it alpha :) and that I was not performing the correct steps, or not on the right place/state, or had by mistake done some unknown shortcut...
Now I feel Bonsai is a tool that I can use in an efficient manner. Many workflows in the series have helped me to improve my speed.
There are many hidden gems which clearly would be impossible to know unless you spend countless hours searching.
To name a few I liked a lot: Statistics to know your selected vertices (xray mode)..Intelligent tags, material management, drawing debugging, gizmos, regenerating back bevels...
Really looking forward for new additions on the so many fronts Bonsai is evolving.
Just my two cents :)
Cheers!
PS: The intelligent tags video has prompted me to issue PR 7106
Passionate people are at the core of open source software.
Watching these tutorials and finding out the countless tips hidden all the way through them, you can feel and benefit from the passion of a knowledgeable architect that masters both Blender and Bonsai.
Open source software is inherently appealing, but the learning curve is most often steep and sometimes represent a barrier, because of the limited training material.
These videos are just what one needs to get up and running with a fast growing and powerful architectural tool such as Blender+Bonsai.
Thank you Theoryshaw for sharing
I agree with all above ....
Unfortunately, Blender and Bonsai being in fast development, are not yet that self explanatory and documentation not always perfect or complete. There are lots of hidden things you just have know to be able to use them right. This comprehensive Tutorial Series shows and explains where, how and why to do things in a certain way and warns about possible traps.
Watching the videos, that follow a project from early start to finish in Bonsai, you'll get a great overview of what Bonsai is already capable of. You can learn tons of insider tricks and practice by completing the delivered Files . And if you forgot something or run into a problem later, you know where to find help and can re-watch a video.
I also welcome if the Tutorial would get small updates when Bonsai development may change or add workflows in the future.
Ryan,
Extremely helpful, it obviously took a lot of effort to put all this together. Well done. Excellent piece of work, easy to consume in small bites or large, and also easy to navigate to areas of interest.
I've been involved in STEP and IFC development for many years, now with BuildingSmart Australasia, and also a strong supporter of open source, and it's great to see this development harnessing these two efforts, it's about time!
I've been a financial supporter of OSArch for several years, and invite anyone with interests in open source tools and standards to get behind these efforts, with whatever financial support you can manage. The amount of volunteer labour for both the IFC technical standards and now this Bonsai Blender Extension is enormous. And if you're really keen to see the IFC open standards extended in industry, consider joining your regional chapter of BuildingSmart.
But again, Ryan, thanks for this great introduction to Bonsai, it's just what I needed to start climbing this open source 3D learning curve.
Michael Hund
Hi Ryan,
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for creating such an amazing video resource. I can't imagine how many hours it took to create and edit it.
I decided to try and watch them all before I go back and drill down on the specific lessons I want to focus on... I'm currently on video 136. The pacing and delivery really helps me understand so much more about this amazing software.
This is really the best resource I've come across after weeks of searching... I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to make a start on Blender and Bonsai.
Cheers,
Doug
I just shot IfcOpenShell/Bonsai's open collective, $684.64 USD (20% of $3,423.21 USD -- the revenue from contributors since the last payout)
Thank you to those that contributed thus far!
And thank you for the kind testimonials!
total revenue to date: $4,610.50
total payout contribution to date: $922.10
Hi Ryan,
I just wanted to say thank you very much for your work and contribution to the community. Helping shape and guide the first steps in the open-source world is one of the most valuable aspects. Your videos are very easy to follow and make it simple to start getting real value from the material right away.
Looking forward to seeing more!
@dscoular just made an awesome contribution where each video now has subtitles associated with it.
Video viewers like VLC media player can sync the subtitles from the accompanying .srt file (text file). This .srt file, is also searchable as well, allowing you to more easily find a particular part of the video that contains a certain topic.
https://hub.openingdesign.com/OpeningDesign/Bonsai_Tutorials/pulls/5
I just shot IfcOpenShell/Bonsai's open collective, $332.88 USD (20% of $1,664.39 USD -- the revenue from contributors since the last payout)
Thank you to those that contributed thus far!
total revenue to date: $6,274.89
total payout contribution to date: $1,254.98
Hi Ryan, sorry to bother.
I'm finally trying to get into these tutorials, I've been trying to clone the repository without success. I've followed the provided steps, set the registry keys for Windows long file names, and I think I've configured everything correctly.
Whenever I try the clone command I get stuck at
The folder is created successfully, it has about 25kb with the .git folder in it, but never gets past this step, nor does it seem to be downloading in the background, since I see no network or processor activity. Neither TortoiseGIT nor Git-GUI were successful, both yeild the same result, and Gitnuro just got stuck without any further progress.
Did I miss some step? Do I have to apply for a registered account first with a matching email?
From what I gathered this is caused by big repositories containing large binary files, but couldn't get past it on my end.
Thanks @duarteframos for letting me know.
I think @falken10vdl had the same problem.
@falken10vdl do you remember, off hand, how you fixed it?
...
@duarteframos, in the meantime, i'll send you a direct link, so you can download the files directly.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Best, Ryan
No rush, lets see if we can find a solution.
Direct links are reserved for higher tiers, and I haven't even made a donation yet. I'd hate to get undeserved perks ;)
@duarteframos In may case it was my linux installation. Reinstalled git in another machine and it worked.
What OS are you using?
I am on Windows 10.
Now tested at home also running Windows 10, and it seems to finally have synced successfully.
Left it running while I went away, took almost half an hour to clear that step, but it eventually went through and synced the whole 22GB.
Either I wasn't patient enough, or it was taking longer on the other computer, but managed through plain Git command line.
Thanks for the help guys, and sorry for the unnecessary noise.
No worries. glad you brought it up.
Very cool! BlenderNation posted an article about the Bonsai tutorials!
https://www.blendernation.com/2026/04/03/learn-bonsaibim-with-a-full-project-a-course-by-architect-ryan-schultz/
Thanks for @allanbrito for spreading the love! :)
It's possibly unimportant, but is it BonsaiBIM or Bonsai? I've noticed it sometimes gets portmanteau'd with the second part of it's former moniker (BlenderBIM) into BonsaiBIM. I'm fairly certain the proper name is simply Bonsai. Of course this is slightly confusing because the website dns name uses bonsaibim.
Difficult question.
The Blender in BlenderBIM may not have been ok.
But Bonsai is quite general. It could similarly be Sumo, Cactus or Rabbit. FreeCAD or LibreCAD may have been more lucky in terms of readability. I would not search for Bonsai to find a BIM App/Addon and it feels a bit hard to explain or to promote to potential new users.
Somehow I miss the BIM or something that hints to AEC. Not sure about in combination with Bonsai (?)
BIM for Blender or Bonsai IFC (?)
That's a great Article about the Tutorial.
I just don't get the paragraph about "Build Once, Adapt Anywhere". It may have more to do with Ryan's open Architecture approach than with how Bonsai, IFC or the Tutorial works. But it really gives a great and comprehensive overview about the tutorial.
Oh I knew about the whole renaming thing the Blender org started pushing for. I agree Bonsai is a bit non-specific, but on the other hand it isn't as intimidating ;-)
"Build Once, Adapt Anywhere" - I think this might be referring to the idea that you can produce a suite of building designs, and then create specific sites using a library of cohesive designs. No idea... just spitballing.