Community-driven documentation for The Violence Tool, a Blender Grease Pencil layer management tool, workflow, and the animation projects it supports.
These docs are hosted on Read the Docs. This allows for version choosing, text search and export options:
If Read the Docs is unavailable, you can view the latest static build on GitHub Pages: GitHub Pages Preview
This repository manages the documentation's source code. You're probably here to:
- Learn the Tool: This isn't the best place to actually read the docs. Visit the Live Documentation for installation, features, workflow guides and collected troubleshooting.
- Report Issues: Found a typo, broken link, or outdated instruction? Open an Issue.
- Contribute: Want to improve the docs, add examples, or translate content? See the Contributing Guide. Read the Docs makes it extra easy for translation versions too.
- Fork & Adapt: We encourage the community to experiement and try things. We'd appreciate partners to work with our Code of Conduct
The plugin itself is currently in closed beta. If you are an animator working on "A Fox in Space" or a related project, please contact the project lead (Fred) for access.
Prerequisites:
- Blender: Version 4.1 or 4.1.1 only. Prefer 4.1.1, since it has relevant bugfixes.
- OS: It's a plugin/script, so it'll work in your Blender, regardless of system.
- Knowledge: Basic Blender navigation is helpful but fairly simple to learn; no prior Grease Pencil experience required to use the tool, since its goal is to simplify workflow. You will want to read the docs, though, as it's still not self-explanatory.
Features Overview: The Violence Tool streamlines character animation by managing:
- Layer Structure: Organized groups (Background, Body, Head, Eyes, Mouth, etc.).
- Workflow Shortcuts: Auto-merge toggles, layer locking, and brush presets.
- Artistic Effects: Randomized line art, stroke joining/smoothing, and onion skinning.
We welcome contributions to improve the documentation! If you see typos, missing or wrong information, please consider contributing or even just dropping us a note about it.
Quick Fixes: Found a typo or broken link? Open an Issue and we can take care of it.
Write Content: Want to add more?
1. Clone the repo: `git clone https://github.com/Danweel/ProjectViolenceDocs.git`
2. Run the setup script: `./setup_for_contributors.sh` (Guides you through installing Python, Poetry, and Sphinx).
3. Edit files in `docs/source/` (reStructuredText format). (Though the setup includes MyST, which lets you write in markdown as well.)
4. Preview locally: `poetry run sphinx-build docs/source docs/_build/html`
I recommend using VSCodium for the plugins (but no Windows telemetry). Once you have the repo cloned, I've created the script file to simplify the setup of the Read the Docs/Sphinx environment. Then all you need to do is edit/add rst files in docs/source. ~ Dan
This project follows a Code of Conduct. By participating, you agree to uphold it.
Documentation Content: Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Plugin Code: Licensed separately. Not available currently.
| Need | Where to Go |
|---|---|
| Documentation Errors | GitHub Issues |
| Plugin Bugs | GitHub Issues (Tag as plugin-bug) |
| General Questions | GitHub Discussions |
| Plugin Access | Contact Fred via Patreon or the Fox in Space Discord. |
Last updated: April 2026
