Blender Time Tracker Addon

Track Your Project Time, Seamlessly!

This Blender Time Tracker Addon is designed to help you monitor the time spent on various activities within your Blender projects. Whether you're working in mesh edit mode, object mode, or the node editor, this tool ensures you have a clear picture of your time distribution. Best of all, it's completely free!

Features

• Activity Time Accuracy:
  Time is recorded only during active sessions. Inactive time (e.g., when you don't touch your mouse during a break, when Blender is minimized, etc.) will not be counted.
• Activity-Based Time Tracking:
  Log time by activity (EDIT_MESH, OBJECT, NODE_EDITOR, etc.) for detailed project analysis.
• Project-Specific Time Recording:
  Track time spent on different projects separately to manage multiple workflows.
• Optional Online Sync:
  Sync your time data to the cloud using jsonbin.io for backup and cross-device access.
• User-Friendly Interface:
  Clean and intuitive UI for easy time tracking, including project renaming and activity time logs.

How to Install

Download the Addon

Click the Download button above to get the time_tracker.py file.

Install in Blender

1. Open Blender and go to Edit > Preferences.
2. Select the Add-ons tab.
3. Click Install and choose the downloaded time_tracker.py file.
4. Enable the addon by checking the checkbox next to its name.
5. Optionally, change the saved local file name (if needed).

Start Tracking

Once installed, the addon will automatically begin tracking your activity time. You can manage your projects from the Time Tracker panel.

Optional: Syncing Your Data Online

Sync your project time data with jsonbin.io for backup and cross-device access.

Steps:

1. Create an account on jsonbin.io. A free account will grant you 10000 requests, that should last at least a couple of years.
2. Generate an API key and create a bin to store your data. If asked to fill something in the bin, copy-paste your current json file inside.
3. Enter your API key and bin ID into the addon's preferences:
   • Go to Edit > Preferences and find the Time Tracker Addon.
   • Input your jsonbin.io API key and bin ID.
4. The addon will sync your project times on Blender startup and shutdown.

Renaming Projects (and Merging)

When you click the Rename button next to the project dropdown, a text field will appear with the current project name. You can edit the text directly, and once you're done, click Confirm to save the new name.

Merge Behavior:

• If you rename a project to an existing project name, the addon will automatically merge the time data. It adds the time spent on the renamed project to the existing one, ensuring no time is lost, and all tracked time is consolidated under the new project name.

Syncing Projects (Even After a Crash or Without Internet)

Your project timings are saved in a local JSON file by default, and can be synced online using jsonbin.io.

Local Save:

• Your time data is always stored in a local JSON file, which can be easily accessed and modified offline. This ensures that even if you don't have an internet connection, all your tracking data is saved.

Sync Behavior:

• During the sync process, the addon compares the local and online JSON files. For each activity, it keeps the larger recorded value (from either the local or online file). This ensures that no data is lost in case of a crash or if Blender is closed unexpectedly.

Offline Syncing:

• If you're offline or Blender crashes, the next time you open Blender and sync, the addon will merge the data without losing any of your tracked times. It will always keep the largest value to ensure you don’t lose any recorded time.

Installing the Requests Python Library (if not existing)

The addon uses the requests library for syncing to jsonbin.io. If you don't have it installed, you can install it manually using the following steps:

1. Open Blender and go to Edit > Preferences > Python.
2. In the Python Console, type the following command:

   import subprocess
   subprocess.check_call([bpy.app.binary_path_python, "-m", "ensurepip"])
   subprocess.check_call([bpy.app.binary_path_python, "-m", "pip", "install", "requests"])

3. This will automatically install the requests library, allowing the addon to sync with jsonbin.io.

Tags

Blender Addon, Time Tracker, Productivity Tools, 3D Modeling, Project Management, Time Management, Online Sync, JSON Sync, Timelapse Addon, Blender Workflow, Python Script, Blender Plugin, 3D Artists, Task Tracker, Blender Time Tracker, Blender Projects, 3D Software, Open Source, Blender Customization, Blender Productivity, Elektree, CDM, Free

Updates

• You can now choose the default project in the addon user preferences. The chosen project will be the one selected in the list when a new Blender file is created
• Project dropdown is now ordered alphabetically
• Fixed Blender autosave
• Fixed Blender crash when toggling the addon on and off