how to make 3d videos with claude and blender without opening an editor (full loop)
180 frames rendered in 4 min 3 s on an integrated intel gpu. claude writes the scene as one python file, blender renders it with no window open, a second script adds the text and pipes the frames into ffmpeg
> install blender 4.2 portable (the zip, no installer) and ffmpeg
> ask claude code for one file, https://t.co/uDT7AVy6qQ: objects, materials, lights, a camera path in keyframes, and a render loop that takes the output folder, start and end frame from the command line
> render: blender -b -P https://t.co/uDT7AVy6qQ -- frames 1 360
> stitch: ffmpeg -framerate 30 -i frames/v_%04d.png -pix_fmt yuv420p out.mp4
write the brief like a shot list: the object, the mood of the light, and camera beats with frame numbers. "wireframe until frame 85, clay until 170" gets you a video. "make it cinematic" gets you a screensaver
what crashed blender for me:
> calling its operators inside a loop. build each mesh once, then copy it
> bevel modifiers on cylinders. leave them plain and smooth by angle
what saves time:
> render every 2nd frame and show each one twice. half the render time, and slow camera moves still read fine
> one blender process beats two on an integrated gpu
no editor was opened for the clip above