Blender_bevy_components_workflow/README-workflow-classic.md

# Workflow: classic

The workflow goes as follows (once you got your Bevy code setup)

- create & register all your components you want to be able to set from the Blender side (this is basic Bevy, no specific work needed)

![component registration](./docs/component_registration.png)

## Component creation
- Create an object / collection (for reuse) in Blender
- Go to object properties => add a property, and add your component data
    - unit structs, enums, and more complex strucs / components are all supported, (if the fields are basic data types at least,
    have not tried more complex ones yet, but should also work)
        - for structs with no params (unit structs): use a **STRING** property & an empty value 
        - for structs with params: use a RON representation of your fields (see below) 
        - for tupple strucs you can use any of the built in Blender custom property types: Strings, Booleans, floats, Vectors, etc

        ![unit struct components in Blender](./docs/components_blender.png)

        In rust:

        ![unit struct components in Bevy](./docs/demo_simple_components.png)

        (the Rust struct for these components for reference is [here](./examples/basic/game.rs#34) )


        ![complex components in Blender](./docs/components_blender_parameters.png)

        In rust:

        ![complex components in Blender](./docs/camera_tracking_component.png)

        (the Rust struct for this component for reference is [here](./examples/basic/core/camera/camera_tracking.rs#21) )

        There is an other examples of using various Component types: Enums, Tupple structs,  strucs with fields etc [here](./examples/basic/test_components.rs),
        even colors, Vecs (arrays), Vec2, Vec3 etc are all supported

        ![complex components in Blender](./docs/components_blender_parameters2.png)

- for collections & their instances: 
    * I usually create a library scene with nested collections
        * the leaf collections are the assets you use in your level
        * add an empty called xxxx_components
        * add the components as explained in the previous part
        
        ![blender collection asset](./docs/blender_collections.png)

    * In the Level/world itself, just create an instance of the collection (standard Blender, ie Shift+A -> collection instance -> pick the collection)

## Exporting to gltf 

- export your level as a glb/gltf file :
    - using Blender's default gltf exporter
        !!**IMPORTANT** you need to check the following:
        - custom properties
        - cameras & lights if you want a complete level (as in this example)
        ![gltf_export](./docs/gltf_export.png)
    - or much better, using [gltf_auto_export](./tools/gltf_auto_export/)

## Now use your gltf files in Bevy

- load it in Bevy (see the various examples for this)
- you should see the components attached to your entities in Bevy

![components in bevy](./docs/components_bevy.png)
![components in bevy](./docs/components_bevy2.png)
![components in bevy](./docs/components_bevy3.png)


> note: you get a warning if there are any unregistered components in your gltf file (they get ignored)
you will get a warning **per entity**

![missing components warnings](./docs/component_warnings.png)