Blender: Multi-Instances on Mac OSX

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Coming from LInux or Windows, it is hard to understand why it is not possible having multiple Blender instances running. For a certain period of time I was using a shell script, to start multiple instances of Blender. The best way is using the “open” command. Open a terminal. You can do this by browsing your apps folder or type “terminal” into Spotlight. Inside the Terminal type:

Mac OS - Terminal

Repeat this step once again and you will have two Blender Instances running. Hooray! Since we don’t want to use the terminal every time, we will use the Automator to add this to the dock.

The easiest way to start the Automator App is to type “automator” into Spotlight. The following window should appear:

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.59.24

Inside the dialog, click “Application”. Then search for “Run Shell Script”. See below.

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 12.00.10

Inside the textarea, add the command we’ve previously used:

open -n /Applications/blender.app

Click on “Run”, in order to see if it works. A Blender Instance should appear.

Screen Shot 2013-01-02 at 13.12.56

Now save ( File -> Save ). Create a folder named “Applications” inside your home folder and save the Application. Open Finder and drag the Application to your Dock. Now you can start as much as Blender Instances as you like.

To give it a nice icon, go to the folder “/Applications”. Select “blender.app” and press “CMD-i”. Click on the upper icon and press “CMD-c”. Now go back to your home directory and open the Applications folder, we’ve created. Select “Blender Instance” and press “CMD-i”. Click the upper icon and press “CMD-p”.

Screen Shot 2013-01-02 at 13.24.04

Finished!

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Comments

7 responses to “Blender: Multi-Instances on Mac OSX”

  1. Eduard

    Using MacOS for a long time but never used the Automator. Very useful Tip, thanks.

  2. klaus

    First you need to install Blender into “/Applications”-Folder. Then, install Blender-Instance into “/Applications”-Folder as well. Click on Blender-Instance as often as you what, multiple Blender-Instances will open.

  3. Charlie

    It doesn’t work. Could it be because Blender is in a folder?

  4. klaus

    Of course, you can do that. But the advantage of my solution is, that it works after each update of blender. Playing around with the original installation means to repeat your adjustments with every new version. This solutions here works out of the box – with every update.

  5. Activity: Script For Multiple Instances Of Blender «

    […] http://www.iamklaus.org/2013/01/02/blender-multi-instances-on-mac-osx/ […]

  6. Mr. X

    Hi,

    I had been wanting to do this for a while now. Thank you!

    Other solutions were to cumbersome and needed be repeated every time.
    This will work and save time.

    Mr. X

  7. Benjamin

    My solution to this problem is to have multiple Blender copies in my Application folder. That way I can also give them different names and avoid confusion…

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