Install IMVU Toolkit for Blender

Description

Version 1.2.x brings major changes to the IMVU Toolkit so it needs to be installed in a way that clears out all previous iterations. Blender version depending, the Toolkit can be added by dropping the ZIP file directly into the open application, no need to extract.

Duration: total c. 5 mins (00:05:00).
Info: 1080p.
Suitability: Beginner+.
Source: n/a.
Product ID: n/a.

Design note: some additional considerations installing the updated Toolkit into Blender;

Important: DO NOT extract the contents of the ZIP file, it must be intact.

Auto-Remove

When installing the Toolkit obsolete files from previous versions should be overwritten and/or removed. This process may not complete immediately, but upon restarting Blender or creating a new project, a notification may appear that asks for confirmation in removing ‘legacy’ files. Click “Yes” to continue full use of Blender and the IMVU Toolkit.

Aside: after clicking “Yes” the notice may remain on-screen until the mouse is moved.

After installing the Toolkit for Blender, a notice to remove ‘legacy’ files may appear. Click “Yes” to confirm and continue to Blender.

Manual Removal

To manually remove previous versions of the Toolkit, from the main Edit menu click Preferences – Edit » Preferences. In Blender Preferences, select Addons and search for “IMVU“. Expand the entry that appears and click the “Uninstall” button to remove.

AppData\…\Addons

Under some circumstances the Toolkit may not install properly or fully remove stubborn files associated with previous versions of the Toolkit. When this happens they will need to be removed manually. However, as customs scripts and tools constitute User data, Blender/Windows stores these in a system location, AppData, that’s hidden by default. To enable access, in File Explorer browse the C:\ drive for the Users folder;

C:\Users

Select Users, or open Users and select a specific user folder, i.e. KatsBits, and for Windows 11, click the “See more” ‘hamburger’ menu (···) in the header and select Options. In the Folder Options window that appears enable “Show hidden files, folders and drives“, and if that doesn’t work, optionally disable “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)“.

Aside: disabling “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” will expose the operating system, making core data accessible; if this is being done on a shared computer only modify the Folder Options for a specific ‘User’ that needs AppData access and/or make sure no other accounts have Administrative Rights, which grants system wide access privileges.

Removing old files manually may mean manually granting access to AppData, which is a hidden location by default.

Timestamps

Times are approximate;
– n/a