Operator Inventory (Release 5.0)¶

This page lists operators provided by The Violence Layer Manager. Each operator is mapped to its function. For the specific native Blender operations executed by these macros, see the Technical Appendix: Native Blender Operations at the bottom of this page.

Note

Limitations: Some operators are marked as Non-functional or Buggy. These are documented for transparency but should not be used.

Warning

All operators require a Grease Pencil object to be selected and active. If no object is selected, the operator will report a warning.

Layer Switching (Drawing & Filling)¶

These operators unlock the specific layer, set it as active, switch the brush tool (Draw or Fill), and assign the correct material.

Drawing Operators (Lines)¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.body_lines`	Switch to Body line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.head_lines`	Switch to Head line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.eyes_lines`	Switch to Eyes line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.mouth_lines`	Switch to Mouth line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.extra_lines`	Switch to Extra (Arms/Tail) line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.foreground_lines`	Switch to Foreground (Hands) line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.background_lines`	Switch to Background (Layer 7) line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.layer8_lines`	Switch to Misc. 8 line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.layer9_lines`	Switch to Misc. 9 line art layer. Material: `1 I LINE`.
`fred.layer10_lines`	Switch to Holdout/Mask (Layer 10) line art layer. Material: `B HOLDOUT` (Changed in v5.0).

Filling Operators (Colors)¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.body_fills`	Switch to Body fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.head_fills`	Switch to Head fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.eyes_fills`	Switch to Eyes fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.mouth_fills`	Switch to Mouth Mask layer. Material: `THROAT`.
`fred.extra_fills`	Switch to Extra fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.foreground_fills`	Switch to Foreground fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.background_fills`	Switch to Background (Layer 7) fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.layer8_fills`	Switch to Misc. 8 fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.layer9_fills`	Switch to Misc. 9 fill layer. Opens material selection menu.
`fred.layer10_fills`	Switch to Layer 10 fill layer. Opens material selection menu.

Specialized Drawing & Animation¶

Operators for specific character parts, effects, and animation workflows.

Mouth & Teeth Control¶

Mouth & Teeth Control¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.mouth1`	Mouth Lines: Unlock and switch to mouth outline.
`fred.mouth2`	Mouth Mask: Unlock and switch to mouth mask (for teeth/tongue visibility).
`fred.mouth3`	Upper Teeth: Unlock and switch to upper jaw/teeth layer. Material: `UPPERTEETH`.
`fred.mouth4`	Lower Teeth: Unlock and switch to lower jaw/teeth layer. Material: `LOWERTEETH`.

Effects¶

Effects¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.shadowfills`	Switch to Shadows layer. Brush size: 70px. Material: `SHADOW`.
`fred.highlights1`	Switch to Highlights layer. Material: `HIGHLIGHT1`.
`fred.highlights2`	Switch to Highlights layer. Material: `HIGHLIGHT2`.
`fred.highlights3`	Switch to Highlights layer. Material: `HIGHLIGHT3`.

Keyframe Operators¶

Keyframes¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.frames1`	Unlock Mouth and Mask layers for keyframing (Front View).
`fred.frames2`	Unlock Mouth, Mask, and Lower Jaw layers for keyframing.
`fred.addkeyframes`	Duplicate the current frame for all unlocked layers (Insert Keyframe).

Sculpting & Editing¶

These operators isolate specific body parts for sculpting or editing. They unlock both the Line and Fill layers for the selected part, switch to Sculpt Mode briefly to prepare the brush, then return to Paint Mode.

Sculpt Operators¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.sculpt1`	Isolate Body (Lines + Fills) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt2`	Isolate Head (Lines + Fills) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt3`	Isolate Eyes (Lines + Fills) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt4`	Isolate Mouth (Lines + Mask) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt5`	Isolate Extra (Lines + Fills) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt6`	Isolate Foreground (Lines + Fills) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt7`	Isolate Background (Layer 7) for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt8`	Isolate Misc. 8 for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt9`	Isolate Misc. 9 for Sculpt/Edit.
`fred.sculpt10`	Isolate Misc. 10 for Sculpt/Edit.

Custom Tools & Utilities¶

New in v5.0: These operators provide advanced functionality for retopology, compositing, and bulk actions.

New 5.0 Operators¶

New v5.0 Operators¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.op8` (Jiggle)	NEW: Apply randomized noise to unlocked strokes. Dialog Options: Strength, Size, Repeat. (Replaces the old static noise operator).
`fred.op15`	NEW: Unlock Mouth, Mask, Upper/Lower Teeth, AND Head layers. Useful for complex jaw/head animations.
`fred.op36`	Retopo Helper: Flattens Y-axis, smooths vertices, snaps to nearest face. (Designed for mesh retopology workflows).
`fred.op37`	Affect Selected GP: Disables lights on all layers of the selected GP object.
`fred.op38`	Affect All GP: Placeholder for bulk actions across all GP objects in the scene.
`fred.op39`	Toggle Compositor: Switches viewport compositor between `DISABLED` and `ALWAYS`.
`fred.op40`	Toggle Layer Hide: Toggles the visibility of the currently active GP layer.

Legacy Operators¶

Legacy & Utility Operators¶
Operator ID	Description
`fred.op1` / `fred.op2`	Set Stroke Strength to 0% or 100%.
`fred.op3`	Join selected strokes and smooth them.
`fred.op4` / `fred.op5`	Jump to Previous/Next Keyframe.
`fred.op6` / `fred.op7`	Jump to Previous/Next Marker.
`fred.op9` / `fred.op10`	Switch to Eraser Point or Eraser Stroke.
`fred.op11`	Create a new blank Grease Pencil object (Fox template).
`fred.op12`	Randomize selected vertices (Legacy).
`fred.op13`	Lock all non-character layers.
`fred.op14`	Unlock all mouth layers (Legacy).
`fred.op16` / `fred.op17`	Enable/Disable Auto-Merge Strokes.
`fred.op18`	Toggle “Fade Inactive Layers” overlay.
`fred.op19`	Toggle Onion Skins overlay.
`fred.op20`	Remove all vertex paints from all layers/frames.
`fred.op21` / `fred.op22`	Enable/Disable “Draw Behind” mode.
`fred.op23`	Large Pass Randomize (Legacy).
`fred.op24`	Smooth selected strokes.
`fred.op25`	Create GP Object (Fox McCloud): Generates the full Fox template with materials.
`fred.op26` - `fred.op35`	Various legacy material, brush, and modifier toggles.

Advanced Configuration¶

Note

The fred.applynoise operator (dialog box) remains available but is distinct from the new fred.op8 (Jiggle). fred.applynoise uses the older implementation with fixed randomness ranges.

Warnings & Known Bugs¶

fred.op15

Marked as Non-functional in the code. It currently only pushes an undo message.

Intended: Unlock and clear Mouth/Head frames via hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+4).

Bug: The code fails to make invisible layers visible before unlocking them. (V1.0)

Workaround: Manually ensure layers are visible and unlocked in the Outliner.

fred.op30

Marked as Crash Risk. The code contains a syntax error. But there’s no way for the user to get to it anyway.

fred.applynoise

This is a Dialog Box operator. It will open the dialog window rather than perform the operation. (This is fine, but a hotkey assigned to it won’t technically perform an operation, is all.)

Technical Appendix: Native Blender Operations¶

This section details the specific native Blender operations used by the operators above. Click the Ref Key in the tables to jump to the relevant section here.

Note

API Links: Links prefixed with Blender API: point to the Blender API Reference. If a link targets a class, navigate to the specific attribute mentioned in parentheses (e.g., see active).

Blender Manual Links: Links prefixed with Blender Manual: point to the User Manual for Blender’s explanation of its use.

Unlock & Activate Layer¶

Used by: All Layer Switching, Mouth, Jaw, Effects, Keyframe operators

Unlock Layer

bpy.ops.wm.context_toggle(data_path="object.data.layers['" + layer_name + "'].lock")

Blender API: Layer Unlock

Applies a toggle to the lock state of a specific layer.

Blender Manual: Layers (see #Layers List - Lock)

Set Active Layer¶

bpy.context.active_object.data.layers.active = bpy.context.active_object.data.layers[layer_name]

Blender API: GreasePencil (see layers.active)

When the code runs bpy.context.active_object.data.layers.active = …, it is doing three specific things simultaneously:

Blender Manual: Set Active Layer (see #Active Layer)

‘Setting’ the “Target” for drawing: In Blender, you can have 18 layers, but you can only draw on one at a time.

Chages the visual (UI) focus:

Outliner: The layer name in the Outliner (the list on the right) becomes highlighted.

Properties Panel: The “Layer” tab in the sidebar updates to show the settings (opacity, lock status, color) for that specific layer.

Context for Other Operations:

Many other Blender operations (like “Delete,” “Duplicate,” or “Lock”) operate on the enitre active layer by default if no specific selection is made.

Fred’s use case: “I want to lock all layers except the one I’m working on.” The tool does this by unlocking the active one and locking the rest.

Set Brush Tool¶

bpy.ops.wm.tool_set_by_id(name='builtin_brush.Draw') and name='builtin_brush.Fill'

Blender API: Set Tool by ID (see name)

Switches the active brush tool to either Fill or Brush, depending on the layer selected.

Blender Manual: Brush Settings (see #Selecting-a-brush-and-material)

Set Brush Size¶

bpy.context.tool_settings.gpencil_paint.brush.size = 13

Blender API: In 4.1 Brush (see gpencil_settings.pen_size)

Sets the brush radius to one specified by the layer materials.

Blender Manual: Brush Settings

Set Brush Strength¶

bpy.context.tool_settings.gpencil_paint.brush.gpencil_settings.pen_strength = 1

Blender API: Brush (see gpencil_settings.pen_strength)

Sets the stroke opacity/strength to the one specified by the layer materials.

Blender Manual: Brush Settings

Set Material Active¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.material_set(slot=m.name)

Blender API: Set Material

Assigns the layer’s material to the active stroke/layer. (I think?)

Blender Manual: Materials

Sculpt Mode & Push Brush¶

Used by: All Sculpt Isolation operators

Enter Sculpt Mode¶

bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='SCULPT_GPENCIL')

Blender API: Mode Set

Switches to Sculpt Mode.

Blender Manual: Sculpt Mode

Set Push Brush¶

bpy.ops.wm.tool_set_by_id(name='builtin_brush.Push')

Blender API: Set Tool by ID

Sets the active brush to “Push” (used for “butterknifing”).

Blender Manual: Sculpt Mode

Return to Draw Mode¶

bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='PAINT_GPENCIL')

Blender API: Mode Set

Returns to Draw Mode.

Blender Manual: Draw Mode

Select Random & Apply Noise¶

Used by: fred.applynoise, fred.op8, fred.op12, fred.op23

Select All¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.select_all(action='SELECT')

Blender API: Select All

Selects all vertices on unlocked layers.

Blender Manual: Selecting Strokes

Deselect Random¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.select_random(ratio=0.995, action='DESELECT', ...)

Blender API: Select Random

Selects everything, then randomly deselects 99.5%, leaving 0.5% selected.

Blender Manual: Random Selection

Apply Noise (Translate)¶

bpy.ops.transform.translate(value=(mynoisex, mynoisey, 0), ...)

Blender API: Translate

Moves selected vertices randomly.

Blender Manual: Array Modifier

Apply Thickness (via Shrinkfatten)¶

bpy.ops.transform.transform(mode='GPENCIL_SHRINKFATTEN', ...)

Blender API: Transform

Changes stroke thickness.

Blender Manual: Build Modifier

Duplicate Frame¶

Used by: fred.addkeyframes

Duplicate Frame¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.frame_duplicate(mode='ALL')

Blender API: Duplicate Frame

Duplicates the current frame on all unlocked layers.

Blender Manual: Duplicating Frames (see #Duplicate Active Keyframe (All Layers))

Set Brush Strength¶

Used by: fred.op1, fred.op2

Set Brush Strength¶

bpy.context.tool_settings.gpencil_paint.brush.gpencil_settings.pen_strength = 0 (or 1)

Blender API: Blender 4.1 Brush (see gpencil_settings.pen_strength)

Sets the stroke opacity/strength to 0% or 100%.

Blender Manual: Brush Strength (see #Strength)

Join & Smooth Strokes¶

Used by: fred.op3, fred.op24

Join Strokes¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.stroke_join(type='JOIN')

Blender API: Join Strokes

Joins two selected strokes into one.

Blender Manual: Joining Strokes (see #join)

Smooth Strokes¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.stroke_smooth(
  repeat=10,
  factor=0.5, ...
)

Blender API: Smooth Strokes

Smooths the position and thickness of selected strokes.

Blender Manual: Smoothing Strokes (see #smooth)

Jump Keyframe/Marker¶

Used by: fred.op4, fred.op5, fred.op6, fred.op7

Jump Keyframe¶

bpy.ops.screen.keyframe_jump(
  next=False)
  # or ``True``

Blender API: Keyframe Jump

Jumps the playhead to the previous or next keyframe.

Blender Manual: Markers (see #selecting keyframes)

Jump Marker¶

bpy.ops.screen.marker_jump(next=False) (or True)

Blender API: Marker Jump (see #Jump to next/previous marker)

Jumps the playhead to the previous or next marker.

Blender Manual: Markers

Set Eraser Brush¶

Used by: fred.op9, fred.op10

bpy.context.scene.tool_settings.gpencil_paint.brush = bpy.data.brushes["Eraser Point"]

Blender API: Brush

Sets the active brush to “Eraser Point” or “Eraser Stroke”.

Blender Manual: Eraser Brushes (see #Point Erasing, #Stroke Erasing)

Create GP Object¶

Used by: fred.op11, fred.op25

Create Data¶

bpy.data.grease_pencils.new("ANIM_FOX")

Blender API: GreasePencil

Creates a new Grease Pencil data-block.

Blender Manual: Creating Grease Pencil Objects (see #Data Block)

Create Object¶

bpy.data.objects.new("GP_FOX", gp_data)

Blender API: Object

Creates a new object using the GP data-block.

Blender Manual: Creating Grease Pencil Objects (see #Sroke)

Create Material¶

bpy.data.materials.new("1 I LINE")

Blender API: Material

Creates a new material with Grease Pencil properties.

Blender Manual: Materials (see #Setting Up Materials)

Lock All Layers¶

Used by: fred.op13

Lock All¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.lock_all()

Blender API: Lock All

Locks all Grease Pencil layers at once.

Blender Manual: Layers (see #Layer Specials - Lock All)

Toggle Automerge¶

Used by: fred.op16, fred.op17

Set Automerge¶

bpy.ops.wm.context_set_value(data_path='scene.tool_settings.use_gpencil_automerge_strokes', value='True')

Blender API: ToolSettings

Enables or disables automerge toggle for stroke endpoints.

Blender Manual: Automerge (see #Drawing Options, Automerge)

Toggle Overlay¶

Used by: fred.op18, fred.op19

Toggle Fade Layers¶

bpy.ops.wm.context_toggle(data_path="space_data.overlay.use_gpencil_fade_layers")

Blender API: SpaceView3D

Fades layers that are not currently active.

Blender Manual: Fading Layers (See Visibililty)

Toggle Onion Skins¶

bpy.ops.wm.context_toggle(data_path="space_data.overlay.use_gpencil_onion_skin")

Blender API: SpaceView3D

Toggles onion skin visibility for adjacent frames.

Blender Manual: Onion Skinning (See #Display - Fade)

Clear Vertex Colors¶

Used by: fred.op20

Iterate GP Objects¶

for gp in bpy.data.grease_pencils:

Blender API: GreasePencil

Iterates through all Grease Pencil data-blocks in the file.

Blender Manual: Selecting First/Last

Clear Vertex Color¶

point.vertex_color = [0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]

Blender API: GPencilStrokePoint

Resets vertex color data to transparent black on all strokes and points.

Blender Manual: Vertex Colors (see #Reset Vertex Color)

Toggle Draw on Back¶

Used by: fred.op21, fred.op22

Set Draw on Back¶

bpy.ops.wm.context_set_value(data_path='scene.tool_settings.use_gpencil_draw_onback', value='True')

Blender API: ToolSettings

Enables or disables drawing strokes behind existing geometry.

Blender Manual: Draw on Back (see #Drawing Options, Draw-on-back)

Smooth Stroke¶

Used by: fred.op24

Smooth¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.stroke_smooth(repeat=2, factor=0.5, ...)

Blender API: Smooth Strokes

Smooths the position, thickness, and strength of selected strokes.

Blender Manual: Smoothing Strokes (see #Smooth)

Set Material¶

Used by: fred.op26

Set Material¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.material_set(mat)

Blender API: Set Material

Assigns the active material to selected strokes.

Blender Manual: Materials

View Frame¶

Used by: fred.op27

bpy.ops.action.view_selected()

Blender API: View Selected

Zooms the Dope Sheet to show selected keyframes.

Blender Manual: View Frame (see #Frame Selected, Numpad .)

View Frame¶

bpy.ops.action.view_frame()

Blender API: View Frame

Centers the Dope Sheet on the current frame.

Blender Manual: View Frame (see #Go to Current Frame, Numpad 0)

Set Brush¶

Used by: fred.op28, fred.op29

Set Brush¶

bpy.context.scene.tool_settings.gpencil_paint.brush = bpy.data.brushes["01 PEN"]

Blender API: Brush

Sets the active brush to a named brush preset.

Blender Manual: Data Block Menu

Toggle Material Visibility¶

Used by: fred.op31

Toggle Visibility¶

obj.hide = True (or False)

Blender Manual: Materials (see Common Settings, Viewport/Render Visibility)

Toggles the visibility of the active Grease Pencil material.

Blender API: MaterialGPencilStyle

Reveal Material¶

Used by: fred.op32

Reveal¶

bpy.ops.gpencil.material_reveal()

Blender Manual: Materials

Makes all Grease Pencil materials visible.

Blender API: Reveal Material

Hide All Fills¶

Used by: fred.op33

Toggle Modifier¶

bpy.ops.wm.context_toggle(data_path="object.grease_pencil_modifiers['HIDE ALL FILLS'].show_viewport")

Blender Manual: Viewport Visibility

Toggles the viewport visibility of the “HIDE ALL FILLS” modifier.

Blender API: Modifier (see show_viewport)

Set Fill Draw Mode¶

Used by: fred.op34, fred.op35

Set Mode¶

bpy.data.brushes["Fill Area"].gpencil_settings.fill_draw_mode = 'CONTROL' (or 'BOTH')

Blender Manual: Fill Draw Mode (See #Fill Brushes)

Sets the fill brush to react to control lines only, or both control lines and strokes.

Blender API: Brush (see gpencil_settings.fill_draw_mode)

Native Blender Operations (v5.0 Additions)¶

Used by: OP36, OP37, OP38, OP39, OP40, and the rewritten OP8.

Toggle Layer Visibility (Hide)¶

layer.hide = not layer.hide

Toggles whether a layer is visible in the viewport.

Used by: fred.op40

Blender API: bpy.types.GPencilLayer.hide

Set Layer Lighting¶

layer.use_lights = False

Disables scene lighting on a Grease Pencil layer, causing it to render with flat/unlit colors regardless of scene lights.

Used by: fred.op37

Blender API: bpy.types.GPencilLayer.use_lights

Iterate All Objects by Type¶

for obj in bpy.data.objects:if obj.type == 'GPENCIL':

Loops through every object in the blend file and filters by type. obj.type returns a string enum such as 'GPENCIL', 'MESH', etc.

Used by: fred.op38

Blender API: bpy.types.BlendData.objects, bpy.types.Object.type

Iterate Screen Areas and Spaces¶

for area in context.window.screen.areas:
  if area.type == 'VIEW_3D':
    for space in area.spaces:
      if space.type == 'VIEW_3D':

Walks through all editor areas in the current window, then accesses their space data. Used to modify viewport settings that aren’t exposed through a simpler API path.

Used by: fred.op39

Blender API: bpy.types.Screen.areas, bpy.types.Area.type, bpy.types.SpaceView3D

Toggle Viewport Compositor¶

space.shading.use_compositor =
  'DISABLED'
  # or 'ALWAYS'

Switches the viewport compositor mode. Valid values are 'DISABLED', 'CAMERA', and 'ALWAYS'.

Used by: fred.op39

Blender API: bpy.types.View3DShading.use_compositor

Resize (Scale) Transform with Axis Constraint¶

bpy.ops.transform.resize(
  value=(1, 0, 1),
  orient_type='GLOBAL',
  constraint_axis=(False, True, False)
)

Scales the selection. Setting a component of value to 0 flattens that axis. constraint_axis limits the operation to specific axes.

Used by: fred.op36

Blender Manual: Resize

Translate with Snap to Nearest Face¶

bpy.ops.transform.translate(
  value=(0, 0, 0),
  snap=True,
  snap_elements={'FACE_NEAREST'},
  snap_target='CLOSEST')

Moves the selection. With snap=True and snap_elements={'FACE_NEAREST'}, vertices are projected onto the nearest surface of the target mesh. A zero-value translate with snapping effectively “conforms” geometry to the surface.

Used by: fred.op36

Blender Manual: Translate

Smooth Mesh Vertices¶

bpy.ops.mesh.vertices_smooth(
  factor=0.5,
  repeat=3
)

Averages vertex positions with their neighbors. factor controls the strength (0.0–1.0), repeat controls iterations.

Warning

This operator only works in Mesh Edit Mode. It will fail on Grease Pencil objects.

Used by: fred.op36

Blender Manual: Smooth Vertices

Integer Property for Dialog Input¶

arg1: bpy.props.IntProperty(
  name="Strength",
  default=1,
  min=1,
  max=1000
)

Defines an integer property on an operator class. When used with invoke_props_dialog(), the property appears as a slider/input field in a popup dialog before execution.

Used by: fred.op8 (Jiggle)

Blender API: bpy.props.IntProperty

Invoke Properties Dialog¶

def invoke(self, context, event):return context.window_manager.invoke_props_dialog(self)

Opens a popup dialog showing the operator’s properties before running execute(). The user can adjust values, then click OK to proceed. Must be defined alongside execute().

Used by: fred.op8 (Jiggle), fred.applynoise

Blender API: bpy.types.WindowManager.invoke_props_dialog()