Blender 5.1 NPR Port - Features and Usage Guide

Project Introduction

Blender 5.1 NPR Port is an NPR-focused Blender branch. In addition to integrating characteristic nodes from Goo Engine and the 4.4 NPR-prototype, it adds a set of Eevee-oriented extension nodes, filter workflows, and interface improvements.

Most features are Eevee-only and do not support Cycles.

Documentation Scope

This document describes the NPR / Eevee extension features that have been added to the current Blender 5.1 NPR Port branch compared with official Blender 5.1, together with their basic usage.

5.1.2 Highlights

• Merged official Blender 5.1.2 fixes and version updates
• Added GLSL Script Expression for quick custom scalar, vector, or color outputs from a single GLSL expression
• Added label support to GLSL Function @glsl_meta v1, allowing input, output, and sampler2D sockets to use custom UI display names
• Added shadow and probe attribution groups to the Eevee Performance view: Shadow Contexts, Shadow Lights, and Probe Costs
• Added Native Camera FX Outputs, allowing Eevee native Motion Blur and Depth of Field to be applied to selected View Layer channels
• Restored the standalone OKLab Color Ramp node; regular Color Ramp keeps the existing RGB / HSV / HSL workflow
• Fixed GLSL Function vec4 inputs losing the w component during refresh or compile paths
• Fixed Scene Color Position source offset sampling so it matches the other scene-buffer sources
• Fixed transparent / Blended Forward layers overwriting behind-surface AOVs when they do not explicitly write an AOV
• Updated the NPR Port splash screen

Node Overview

_{Shader Nodes}

_{NPR Tree Nodes (some shader nodes can also be used inside NPR Tree)}

_{Filter Nodes}

• Scene-Level Extensions

  ---

  Start with the scene-level Eevee extensions to understand the core features.

  View Scene-Level Extensions →

• Extended Nodes

  ---

  Dive into the functionality of each newly added node.

  View Extended Nodes →

• NPR Workflow

  ---

  Learn how the NPR Tree workflow is organized.

  View NPR Workflow →

• Interface & Settings

  ---

  Check additional interface options and workflow settings.

  View Interface & Settings →

Main Feature Categories

1. Scene-Level Eevee Extensions

• Render Textures
• Filter Materials
• Eevee Outline
• Native Camera FX Outputs
• AOV Input / AOV Output in the Filter domain

2. Shader Nodes

• Filter Object Info
• Filter Mask
• Scene Color
• Render Info
• Scene Time
• Screen Derivative
• Portal In / Portal Out
• Outline Control
• Screenspace Info
• World Environment
• Light Probe Color
• World To Tangent
• GLSL Function
• GLSL Script Expression
• Image to Closure
• Light Shader Info
• Light Shader Output
• Basis Transform
• Twirl
• Water Ripples
• Hex Grid Texture
• SDF Primitive
• SDF Operator
• SDF Vector Operator
• Bevel
• Curvature
• Shader Info
• Light Info
• OKLab Color Ramp

3. NPR Workflow

• NPR Input
• NPR Refraction
• Image Sample
• For Each Light
• Built-in node-group assets

4. Interface & Settings

• Eevee Performance Outliner view
• Shadow / probe cost attribution in Eevee Performance
• Material preview control
• Material face culling
• Material ZTest / Stencil / Color Write / Depth Write
• Lightgroup management
• Sun Shadow Map Scale
• Splash version tag
• Pose bone Outliner visibility

Eevee Only

All NPR Port features require the Eevee render engine. Cycles is not supported.