.blend file format of Blender: Python parsing library

Blender is an open source suite for 3D modelling, sculpting, animation, compositing, rendering, preparation of assets for its own game engine and exporting to others, etc. .blend is its own binary format that saves whole state of suite: current scene, animations, all software settings, extensions, etc.

Internally, .blend format is a hybrid semi-self-descriptive format. On top level, it contains a simple header and a sequence of file blocks, which more or less follow typical TLV pattern. Pre-last block would be a structure with code DNA1, which is a essentially a machine-readable schema of all other structures used in this file.

Application

Blender

File extension

blend

KS implementation details

License: CC0-1.0

References

This page hosts a formal specification of .blend file format of Blender using Kaitai Struct. This specification can be automatically translated into a variety of programming languages to get a parsing library.

Usage

Runtime library

All parsing code for Python generated by Kaitai Struct depends on the Python runtime library. You have to install it before you can parse data.

The Python runtime library can be installed from PyPI:

python3 -m pip install kaitaistruct

Code

Parse a local file and get structure in memory:

data = BlenderBlend.from_file("path/to/local/file.blend")

Or parse structure from a bytes:

from kaitaistruct import KaitaiStream, BytesIO

raw = b"\x00\x01\x02..."
data = BlenderBlend(KaitaiStream(BytesIO(raw)))

After that, one can get various attributes from the structure by invoking getter methods like:

data.hdr # => get hdr

Python source code to parse .blend file format of Blender

blender_blend.py

# This is a generated file! Please edit source .ksy file and use kaitai-struct-compiler to rebuild

import kaitaistruct
from kaitaistruct import KaitaiStruct, KaitaiStream, BytesIO
from enum import Enum


if getattr(kaitaistruct, 'API_VERSION', (0, 9)) < (0, 9):
    raise Exception("Incompatible Kaitai Struct Python API: 0.9 or later is required, but you have %s" % (kaitaistruct.__version__))

class BlenderBlend(KaitaiStruct):
    """Blender is an open source suite for 3D modelling, sculpting,
    animation, compositing, rendering, preparation of assets for its own
    game engine and exporting to others, etc. `.blend` is its own binary
    format that saves whole state of suite: current scene, animations,
    all software settings, extensions, etc.
    
    Internally, .blend format is a hybrid semi-self-descriptive
    format. On top level, it contains a simple header and a sequence of
    file blocks, which more or less follow typical [TLV
    pattern](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type-length-value). Pre-last
    block would be a structure with code `DNA1`, which is a essentially
    a machine-readable schema of all other structures used in this file.
    """

    class PtrSize(Enum):
        bits_64 = 45
        bits_32 = 95

    class Endian(Enum):
        be = 86
        le = 118
    def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
        self._io = _io
        self._parent = _parent
        self._root = _root if _root else self
        self._read()

    def _read(self):
        self.hdr = BlenderBlend.Header(self._io, self, self._root)
        self.blocks = []
        i = 0
        while not self._io.is_eof():
            self.blocks.append(BlenderBlend.FileBlock(self._io, self, self._root))
            i += 1


    class DnaStruct(KaitaiStruct):
        """DNA struct contains a `type` (type name), which is specified as
        an index in types table, and sequence of fields.
        """
        def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
            self._io = _io
            self._parent = _parent
            self._root = _root if _root else self
            self._read()

        def _read(self):
            self.idx_type = self._io.read_u2le()
            self.num_fields = self._io.read_u2le()
            self.fields = []
            for i in range(self.num_fields):
                self.fields.append(BlenderBlend.DnaField(self._io, self, self._root))


        @property
        def type(self):
            if hasattr(self, '_m_type'):
                return self._m_type

            self._m_type = self._parent.types[self.idx_type]
            return getattr(self, '_m_type', None)


    class FileBlock(KaitaiStruct):
        def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
            self._io = _io
            self._parent = _parent
            self._root = _root if _root else self
            self._read()

        def _read(self):
            self.code = (self._io.read_bytes(4)).decode(u"ASCII")
            self.len_body = self._io.read_u4le()
            self.mem_addr = self._io.read_bytes(self._root.hdr.psize)
            self.sdna_index = self._io.read_u4le()
            self.count = self._io.read_u4le()
            _on = self.code
            if _on == u"DNA1":
                self._raw_body = self._io.read_bytes(self.len_body)
                _io__raw_body = KaitaiStream(BytesIO(self._raw_body))
                self.body = BlenderBlend.Dna1Body(_io__raw_body, self, self._root)
            else:
                self.body = self._io.read_bytes(self.len_body)

        @property
        def sdna_struct(self):
            if hasattr(self, '_m_sdna_struct'):
                return self._m_sdna_struct

            if self.sdna_index != 0:
                self._m_sdna_struct = self._root.sdna_structs[self.sdna_index]

            return getattr(self, '_m_sdna_struct', None)


    class Dna1Body(KaitaiStruct):
        """DNA1, also known as "Structure DNA", is a special block in
        .blend file, which contains machine-readable specifications of
        all other structures used in this .blend file.
        
        Effectively, this block contains:
        
        * a sequence of "names" (strings which represent field names)
        * a sequence of "types" (strings which represent type name)
        * a sequence of "type lengths"
        * a sequence of "structs" (which describe contents of every
          structure, referring to types and names by index)
        
        .. seealso::
           Source - https://archive.blender.org/wiki/index.php/Dev:Source/Architecture/File_Format/#Structure_DNA
        """
        def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
            self._io = _io
            self._parent = _parent
            self._root = _root if _root else self
            self._read()

        def _read(self):
            self.id = self._io.read_bytes(4)
            if not self.id == b"\x53\x44\x4E\x41":
                raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x53\x44\x4E\x41", self.id, self._io, u"/types/dna1_body/seq/0")
            self.name_magic = self._io.read_bytes(4)
            if not self.name_magic == b"\x4E\x41\x4D\x45":
                raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x4E\x41\x4D\x45", self.name_magic, self._io, u"/types/dna1_body/seq/1")
            self.num_names = self._io.read_u4le()
            self.names = []
            for i in range(self.num_names):
                self.names.append((self._io.read_bytes_term(0, False, True, True)).decode(u"UTF-8"))

            self.padding_1 = self._io.read_bytes(((4 - self._io.pos()) % 4))
            self.type_magic = self._io.read_bytes(4)
            if not self.type_magic == b"\x54\x59\x50\x45":
                raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x54\x59\x50\x45", self.type_magic, self._io, u"/types/dna1_body/seq/5")
            self.num_types = self._io.read_u4le()
            self.types = []
            for i in range(self.num_types):
                self.types.append((self._io.read_bytes_term(0, False, True, True)).decode(u"UTF-8"))

            self.padding_2 = self._io.read_bytes(((4 - self._io.pos()) % 4))
            self.tlen_magic = self._io.read_bytes(4)
            if not self.tlen_magic == b"\x54\x4C\x45\x4E":
                raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x54\x4C\x45\x4E", self.tlen_magic, self._io, u"/types/dna1_body/seq/9")
            self.lengths = []
            for i in range(self.num_types):
                self.lengths.append(self._io.read_u2le())

            self.padding_3 = self._io.read_bytes(((4 - self._io.pos()) % 4))
            self.strc_magic = self._io.read_bytes(4)
            if not self.strc_magic == b"\x53\x54\x52\x43":
                raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x53\x54\x52\x43", self.strc_magic, self._io, u"/types/dna1_body/seq/12")
            self.num_structs = self._io.read_u4le()
            self.structs = []
            for i in range(self.num_structs):
                self.structs.append(BlenderBlend.DnaStruct(self._io, self, self._root))



    class Header(KaitaiStruct):
        def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
            self._io = _io
            self._parent = _parent
            self._root = _root if _root else self
            self._read()

        def _read(self):
            self.magic = self._io.read_bytes(7)
            if not self.magic == b"\x42\x4C\x45\x4E\x44\x45\x52":
                raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x42\x4C\x45\x4E\x44\x45\x52", self.magic, self._io, u"/types/header/seq/0")
            self.ptr_size_id = KaitaiStream.resolve_enum(BlenderBlend.PtrSize, self._io.read_u1())
            self.endian = KaitaiStream.resolve_enum(BlenderBlend.Endian, self._io.read_u1())
            self.version = (self._io.read_bytes(3)).decode(u"ASCII")

        @property
        def psize(self):
            """Number of bytes that a pointer occupies."""
            if hasattr(self, '_m_psize'):
                return self._m_psize

            self._m_psize = (8 if self.ptr_size_id == BlenderBlend.PtrSize.bits_64 else 4)
            return getattr(self, '_m_psize', None)


    class DnaField(KaitaiStruct):
        def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
            self._io = _io
            self._parent = _parent
            self._root = _root if _root else self
            self._read()

        def _read(self):
            self.idx_type = self._io.read_u2le()
            self.idx_name = self._io.read_u2le()

        @property
        def type(self):
            if hasattr(self, '_m_type'):
                return self._m_type

            self._m_type = self._parent._parent.types[self.idx_type]
            return getattr(self, '_m_type', None)

        @property
        def name(self):
            if hasattr(self, '_m_name'):
                return self._m_name

            self._m_name = self._parent._parent.names[self.idx_name]
            return getattr(self, '_m_name', None)


    @property
    def sdna_structs(self):
        if hasattr(self, '_m_sdna_structs'):
            return self._m_sdna_structs

        self._m_sdna_structs = self.blocks[(len(self.blocks) - 2)].body.structs
        return getattr(self, '_m_sdna_structs', None)