What you need
| Blender | 4.5 LTS or 5.x (tested on 4.5.14 and 5.2.2) |
| After Effects | 2025 or newer, with the ShotLink plugin |
| Versions | The Blender add-on and the AE plugin must be the same version (for example, both 2026.10.1). Different versions can't see each other |
| System | Windows 10/11 x64. Blender and AE on the same machine, both running |
Install
ShotLink for Blender is a Blender add-on. It works with ShotLink for After Effects, so install that first, then the add-on.
After Effects plugin
The same ShotLink plugin used with Unreal. If it's already installed, skip this. Otherwise follow the installation guide — only the After Effects part is needed.
Blender add-on
- Download the add-on —
shotlink-2026.10.1.zip. Don't unzip it. - Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions.
- Top right, the ⌄ arrow → Install from Disk… → the downloaded zip. You can also drag the zip into the Blender window.
- ShotLink should appear in Add-ons, enabled.
The ShotLink camera
Any camera can be a source for After Effects:
- Add → Camera → ShotLink Camera — a new camera with ShotLink already on;
- or on an existing camera: Properties → camera tab (green) → ShotLink panel → tick the checkbox in its header.
ShotLink∷∷
Fly
Preserve AE Camera State
Max Samples16
View Layer
OutputImage
Live (1 sample)
ShotLink Camera - Shot_A_Hero [qa] [Blender]
Version 2026.10.1
| Fly | Look through this camera in the 3D view and move it with viewport navigation. Press again for the normal view. Then press Get in the ShotLink effect in AE to bring the pose over |
| Preserve AE Camera State | Leave the Blender camera at the pose of the last AE frame (by default it returns after rendering) |
| Max Samples | Sample cap for AE frames. Only applies if the scene has more samples. 0 — no limit |
| View Layer | Which layer to render. Empty — the window's active layer. Used for masks (see Object mask) |
| Output | What to send to AE: image, Solid, depth, normals, Mist, Object Index, AOV (see Output modes) |
| Live (1 sample) | Fast draft mode (see Output modes) |
| The 🔗 line | The name this camera shows under in AE: camera - scene [file] [Blender] |
| Version | Add-on version — must match the AE plugin |
Connect in After Effects
Keep Blender open with your file loaded — it renders every frame After Effects asks for.
- Create a comp at the same frame rate as the Blender scene (for example, 24 fps). Frames map one to one.
- Add a camera (Layer → New → Camera) and a solid. Make both as long as the Blender scene — Bake needs a camera on every frame.
- On the solid: Effect → ShotLink Labs → Shot Link.
Effect Controls Black Solid 1×
Composition – Blender
fx
Shot Link
Reset
SourceShotLink Camera - Shot_A_Hero [qa] [Blender]
SequenceScene
Realtime Mode
Coordinate Mapping
Origin0.0, 0.0, 0.0
Unit Scale1.0000
Origin from UnrealGet
Null Object
Picked Position0.0, 0.0
Null at PositionCreate
Camera
Transfer from UnrealGet
Bake to SequencerBake
| In AE | What it is in Blender |
|---|---|
| Source | The ShotLink camera (by the name on the 🔗 line) |
| Sequence | The Blender scene. Frame 0 in AE = the scene's first frame (frame_start). Empty (None) — the scene as it is right now |
| Transfer from Unreal → Get | Take the Blender camera's pose and lens onto the AE camera (as a key at the current time) |
| Bake to Sequencer → Bake | Write the animated AE camera into Blender: the selected scene gets a camera <name> Baked keyed on every frame, plus a marker on the first frame. The AE comp and camera must be at least as long as the scene |
| Null Object → Create | Click an object in the frame → a null in AE right on its surface |
| Realtime Mode | The frame updates by itself as Blender changes. Turn it off before RAM Preview and rendering |
The effect is shared with Unreal, so some controls keep Unreal names: Sequence means the Blender scene, Transfer from Unreal and Bake to Sequencer work with Blender the same way.
Output modes and speed
Live works only with EEVEE, so EEVEE is the engine to work in. Cycles renders full frames too, and it's the only engine for Object Index.
Timings: a 1920×1080 frame, test scene, on a laptop RTX 4060. A desktop GPU will be faster; the ratios between modes hold.
| Output | Live | Frame in AE | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image | off | ~700 ms | Final picture: full EEVEE or Cycles render |
| Image | on | ~70–130 ms | Working and scrubbing: EEVEE at 1 sample — noisy soft shadows, no anti-aliasing, no DOF |
| Solid (fast) | — | ~150 ms | Layout and timing: the grey look of your 3D view in Solid |
| Depth / Normal / Mist / AOV | off | ~700 ms | Full-quality passes |
| Depth / Normal / Mist / AOV | on | ~65–100 ms | Blender 5.x only. Same values as the full render |
| Object Index | — | ~700 ms+ | Cycles only. An 8-bit pixel = the object's Pass Index |
Live (1 sample)
A checkbox under Image (and under passes in Blender 5.x).
ShotLink∷∷
Fly
Preserve AE Camera State
Max Samples16
View Layer
OutputDepth
Live (1 sample)
Depth Near0 m
Depth Far25 m
ShotLink Camera - Shot_A_Hero [qa] [Blender]
Version 2026.10.1
- works for the scene and View Layer open in the Blender window, and only with EEVEE; otherwise it falls back to a full render;
- the very first Live frame after opening a file is slow (shader compilation, up to tens of seconds), then it's fast;
- for the final, untick it (or keep a separate camera without Live for rendering).
Solid (fast)
Looks like the Solid mode of your 3D view: change Viewport Shading → Lighting / Color / Outline / Cavity and the frame in AE changes the same way.
ShotLink∷∷
Fly
Preserve AE Camera State
Max Samples16
View Layer
OutputSolid (fast)
ShotLink Camera - Shot_A_Hero [qa] [Blender]
Version 2026.10.1
Depth and Normal
Depth: white is Depth Near, black is Depth Far and the sky. Normal: world normals in colour (floor facing up = 128/128/255).
Several passes of one shot (beauty, depth, normals): make several ShotLink cameras with different Output and put each on its own layer in AE — they all update together.
Object mask
A mask is an object on a transparent background, cut by whatever stands in front of it. Use it as a Track Matte in AE.
- View Layer → New (for example,
Mask Hero). - In the Outliner, switch to that layer and turn on Holdout for every collection except the one you need (no column? Outliner filter → Restriction Toggles → Holdout). Collections with volumes (smoke, fog) — exclude them (the Exclude checkbox): in EEVEE, Holdout doesn't remove volumes.
Scene Collection
⌄ShotLink QA Content
›Bouncer 1
›Bouncer 2
›Bouncer 3
›Bouncer 4
›Glass Sphere
›Ground
›Neon Torus
›Particle Droplet
›Particle Emitter
›Rim Area
›Sun
⌄ShotLink QA Hero
›Chrome Suzanne
ShotLink QA Volumes
›ShotLink Camera
›ShotLink Depth
›ShotLink Mask Hero
›ShotLink Mist
›ShotLink Normal
›ShotLink Solid
- On a separate ShotLink camera: View Layer = Mask Hero, Output = Image.
ShotLink∷∷
Fly
Preserve AE Camera State
Max Samples16
View LayerMask Hero×
OutputImage
Live (1 sample)
ShotLink Camera - Shot_A_Hero [qa] [Blender]
Version 2026.10.1
A mask always renders in full (~700 ms); Live doesn't work for it. This is a Blender limitation: the fast path can only draw the layer open in the window.
Making it faster
- Preview at Half / Quarter in AE — smaller frames are requested.
- Live (1 sample) while working, full render for the final.
- Realtime Mode: if nothing changed in Blender, the frame comes from cache (~10 ms).
- EEVEE: Raytracing off or Resolution ½, Volumetrics → Tile Size 8–16, less Subdivision at render.
- Laptop: on mains power, "Best performance" power mode.
If something's wrong
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The camera isn't in the Source list | The add-on and AE plugin versions match (the Version line in the panel). The ShotLink checkbox on the camera is on |
| Black frame in AE | The reason is in the log: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ShotLinkLabs\ShotLink\Logs\blender-….log (lines with ERROR) |
| Bake: "no active camera for part of the ShotLink layer" | The AE camera and comp are shorter than the Blender scene — extend them |
| Can't see the baked camera | It's in the scene selected in Sequence — switch the Blender scene |
| Animation in AE runs faster or slower | The AE comp fps ≠ the Blender scene fps |
| Particles or cloth wrong on an arbitrary frame | Bake the simulations |
| Live is as slow as a full render | The camera's scene or View Layer isn't the one in the window; the engine isn't EEVEE; passes in Blender 4.5 |