Download: skycubewizard v0.2
The script needs Python and the Python Imaging Library to run.

Blender Artists Thread: http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=142335

Details:

A Blender environment map has a layout like this for the top half of the scene:

The script rearranges it into this image:

This is an image layout that is easily mapped to a half cube. Make a cube in Blender, cut it in half so that only the top half remains, mark the four vertical sides a seams, and unwrap it (Tab into edit mode -> AKEY to select all vertiecs -> UKEY -> Unwrap). The result should look like this:

This UV layout can then be directly used for the cube maps from the wizard.

Since Blender tends to show seams at the vertical sides of the skycube when mapped to the edges of the image, the script automatically extends those sides by four pixels to prevent that. A different extend margin can be set by the -e command line option. The option -h shows a short help and further options.

Example usage:
python skycubewizard.py my-blender-envmap.png

Limitations:
1. Right now only the first particle system gets operated on. Might be due to a bug in the Python API which I’ll be investigating and reporting if needed.
[EDIT] Might be my mistake. I found that for baked particle systems it works fine, so it seems that’s the solution.

2. Surface objects get duplicated as Curve objects, I found no way around that. Any modifiers on the original object therefore can’t be copied to the new duplicated objects, because their type doesn’t match.

object-make-partobs-real.py version 0.2

BlenderArtists thread

It converts duplicated particle objects of particle systems which visualization type is set to “Object”, to real objects. Those converted objects are either linked duplicates of the original object, or they get their own data, as user choice. I also wanted to support the visualization type “Group”, but access to the grouped particle objects doesn’t seem to be supported yet by Blender Python.

The script looks for particle systems on the active object only. After the operation the converted objects are selected and also part of a group for easy access.

Here’s the script. Put it in your Blender scripts or custom scripts folder and access it from the scripts window under “Object” or from the Object/Scripts menu entry in the 3D view menu header, menu entry “Make Particle Objects Real”.

object-make-partobs-real.py version 0.1

BlenderArtists thread

Yaf(a)Ray GUI Python plugin for Blender:
yafaray_ui-193-sunsky-0.1.1.py.tar.gz

You still need my modified python script to access the sunsky setting from inside the exporter GUI:
yafaray_ui-188-sunsky-0.1.py.tar.gz

The python GUI for Blender is the latest version as of revision 188, with additional sunsky functionality, and with one other function changed: I disabled quit by escape key and added a quit button instead.

Here’s a screenshot of the sunsky GUI part:

You can set the sun direction in the GUI with either the normal button (the sphere like button in the middle) or with the x, y, z value. You can also get the sun direction *or* position from a selected sun lamp in the 3d scene with the “From (get angle)” and “From (get position)” buttons. The last button, “From (update sun)” updates the selected sun lamp’s position *and* direction according to the current GUI values.

Download

Patch for the Blender exporter code:
patch-188-blenderplugin-sunsky.txt

Modified Yaf(a)Ray GUI Python plugin for Blender:
yafaray_ui-188-sunsky-0.1.py.tar.gz

For Yaf(a)Ray svn revision 188

Modified Yaf(a)Ray GUI Python plugin for Blender

For Yaf(a)Ray svn revision 183