Modernization Fork Available: Blender 4.2+ Compatibility (Not for Direct Merge)

[Clonephaze]

Hello,

This PR is informational only - not intended for direct merging. I wanted to make you and the community aware that a modernized fork is available for users who need Blender 4.2+ support.

Purpose of This PR

• Alert users searching for Blender 4.x compatibility that a working version exists
• Provide a reference for the changes needed to support modern Blender
• Make the fork discoverable for those who need it now
• Offer the work back to you if/when you return to active development to the add-on

Fork Location

Repository: https://github.com/Clonephaze/Blender3mfFormat
Branch: CriticalFixesFirst
Status: Production-ready, fully tested

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📊 What Was Modernized

Core Compatibility

• Blender 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 5.0α - Full compatibility verified
• Python 3.11+ - Updated for modern Python
• Blender Extensions - Uses new manifest format (blender_manifest.toml)

Critical API Updates

• Removed deprecated __init__() methods from operators (Blender 4.2+ requirement)
• Verified PrincipledBSDFWrapper compatibility
• Verified mesh.loop_triangles API
• Verified evaluated_depsgraph_get() API

Testing Infrastructure

• 142 unit tests - All updated and passing (Python 3.11)
• 16 integration tests - Real Blender functionality tests
• CI/CD - GitHub Actions running automatically
• Cross-platform test runners - PowerShell (Windows) + Bash (macOS/Linux)

Code Quality Improvements

• Complete type hints across all modules (100% coverage)
• Replaced wildcard imports with explicit imports
• Modern f-string formatting throughout
• __all__ exports for clear public API
• User-visible error/warning messages via self.report()
• Warning deduplication to prevent UI spam

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⚠️ Why Not Merge Directly?

This fork includes changes that are specific to my workflow and may not align with your vision:

Documentation Changes (Fork-Specific)

• Modified README with fork-specific information
• Updated CONTRIBUTING.md to reflect to test suite
• Added my testing documentation

Structural Choices (Debatable)

• Comprehensive type hints (you may prefer different typing approach)
• Specific error reporting patterns
• Code style choices (f-strings, etc.)

Testing Approach (Different Philosophy)

• My test infrastructure setup
• Specific mock patterns
• CI/CD configuration choices

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What You Might Want to Cherry-Pick

If you return to development, these changes are universally needed for Blender 4.2+:

Essential (Required for Blender 4.2+)

# OLD (Breaks in Blender 4.2+)
class Export3MF(bpy.types.Operator):
    def __init__(self):
        self.resource_id = 1

# NEW (Required for Blender 4.2+)
class Export3MF(bpy.types.Operator):
    def execute(self, context):
        self.resource_id = 1  # Initialize in execute()