Origin to Base is a straightforward and efficient Blender addon designed to simplify a common yet crucial task: repositioning a mesh object's origin point. The origin, or pivot point, is fundamental for an object's transformation, rotation, and scaling behaviors. Manually setting it to an object's base can be tedious and imprecise. This addon streamlines the process, ensuring your models behave predictably and are easy to manage, which is especially vital in workflows like architectural visualization, game development, and 3D printing.

This tool is free and open-source.

The addon provides two intelligent modes to calculate the perfect base position for any mesh:

• Origin to Volume Base: This operator calculates the bottom center of the object's total surrounding volume (its bounding box). It's ideal for quickly setting the pivot for regular or symmetrical objects.
• Origin to Bottom Vertices: For more complex or irregular shapes, this operator identifies the vertices at the absolute bottom of the mesh and calculates their average center. This provides a more accurate and intuitive pivot point based on the actual geometry.

The tools are seamlessly integrated into Blender's native interface, accessible from the 3D Viewport through the "N" panel (sidebar), the Object context menu, and the F3 search function.

Installing the Render Manager addon follows the standard procedure for any Blender addon.

1. Download the Addon: First, download the latest release of the addon as a .zip file from the marketplace. It is crucial that you DO NOT unzip or extract this file. Blender installs addons directly from the compressed .zip file.
2. Open Blender Preferences: Launch Blender and navigate to the preferences window by selecting Edit > Preferences....
3. Install from File: In the Preferences window, select the Add-ons tab on the left. Click the Install... button located at the top right of the window.
4. Select the .zip File: A file browser will open. Navigate to where you saved the downloaded .zip file, select it, and click the Install Add-on button.
5. Enable the Addon: Blender will install the addon and filter the list to show it. Find "Render: Render Manager" in the list and enable it by ticking the checkbox next to its name.

Once enabled, the Render Manager panel will be available in the Output Properties tab of the Properties editor.

The addon requires no special setup in Blender's Preferences. All settings are located directly in the addon panel.

The "Origin to Base" addon is equipped with two distinct operators, each designed for a specific purpose. These tools provide you with the flexibility to set the origin point with precision, whether you're working with simple geometric primitives or complex, irregular meshes.

Both tools are non-destructive to your geometry. They only modify the object's origin point and its corresponding transform matrix to keep the object visually in the same place.

Origin to Volume Base 🧊

This is the go-to tool for quickly centering the origin to the base of an object's overall volume.

• What it does: It moves the object's origin to the center of the bottom face of its bounding box. The bounding box is the smallest rectangular prism that completely encloses your mesh.
• How it works: The operator gets the eight corners of the object's bounding box, identifies the minimum Z-height, and calculates the center point of that bottom plane. The origin is then moved to this calculated position.
• Best for: Symmetrical and regularly shaped objects like cubes, cylinders, walls, architectural columns, or any model where the visual base corresponds well with the bottom of its bounding box.

Origin to Bottom Vertices VERTEX

This tool offers a more precise, geometry-aware method for setting the origin.

• What it does: It moves the object's origin to the geometric center of the lowest vertices in the mesh.
• How it works: The operator analyzes the position of all vertices in the mesh to find those with the lowest value on the Z-axis. It then calculates the average position of this group of bottom vertices and places the origin there.
• Best for: Irregular or organic models, objects that are tilted, or any mesh where the lowest point is not represented by the full base of its bounding box. Examples include a tripod, a character standing on tiptoes, or a tree with roots touching the ground at different points.

Integrating the "Origin to Base" addon into your daily modeling habits is seamless. Using it becomes second nature once you see how quickly you can prepare models for scene assembly, animation, or simulation.

A typical workflow involves preparing one or more objects to rest perfectly on a surface, like a floor or a tabletop.

1. Select Your Object(s) First, select the mesh object (or multiple objects) you want to modify in the 3D Viewport. The addon is designed to work on any active mesh selection.
2. Access and Execute the Operator You can call the operator from your preferred access point. For maximum efficiency, choose the one that best fits your screen layout and habits:
   • For quick access, press F3 to open the search menu, type "origin to base", and select the desired operator from the list.
   • For a visual approach, open the Sidebar (N-Panel), navigate to the "Origin Tools" tab, and click the button for either "Origin to volume base" or "Origin to bottom vertices".
   • For menu-driven work, navigate to the Object menu in the 3D Viewport header, go down to Set Origin, and you will find the "Origin to Base" submenu containing the two operators.
3. Position Your Object Once the operator is executed, the object's origin is instantly moved to its base. The object itself will remain in its current position in the scene. Now, placing it on the ground plane is as simple as setting its Location Z coordinate to 0.

Best Practice

For the most predictable and accurate results, it is highly recommended to Apply the Scale (Ctrl+A > Scale) on your objects before using the addon. Non-uniform or unapplied scale can alter the geometric calculations for both the bounding box and the vertex locations, leading to an improperly placed origin.

This guide will walk you through a simple, practical example of using the Origin to Base addon. We will create a small scene and use both of the addon's main tools to place different objects perfectly onto a ground plane.

Goal: To align a Cube, a Cylinder, and a Cone to a ground surface.

Step 1: Setting Up the Scene

1. Open Blender and start with a new scene.
2. Delete the default Cube.
3. Add a ground plane: Press Shift + A > Mesh > Plane. Scale it up by pressing S, typing 10, and pressing Enter.
4. Now, add three new objects and move them so they are floating above the plane:
   • A Cube (Shift + A > Mesh > Cube)
   • A Cylinder (Shift + A > Mesh > Cylinder)
   • A Cone (Shift + A > Mesh > Cone)

Your scene should look something like this, with three shapes hovering above the plane.

Step 2: Using "Origin to Volume Base"

This tool is perfect for the Cube and Cylinder.

1. Select the Cube.
2. Open the Sidebar by pressing N in the 3D Viewport. Find the "Origin Tools" tab.
3. Click the "Origin to volume base" button. You will see the object's orange origin dot instantly jump to the center of its bottom face.
4. With the Cube still selected, go to the Object Properties panel (the orange square icon) and set its Location Z to 0. The Cube will drop down and rest perfectly on the plane.
5. Repeat the process for the Cylinder: Select it, click "Origin to volume base", and set its Location Z to 0.

Step 3: Using "Origin to Bottom Vertices"

The Cone has a single point at its base, making it a perfect candidate for the vertex-based tool.

1. Select the Cone.
2. In the "Origin Tools" sidebar panel, click the "Origin to bottom vertices" button.
3. The operator finds the single lowest vertex and moves the origin precisely to that tip.
4. Just as before, set the Cone's Location Z to 0. It will now stand perfectly on its tip on the ground plane.

Conclusion

You have now successfully used both of the addon's operators to quickly and accurately prepare a scene. All three objects are perfectly aligned with the ground, and their transformation pivots are now located at their base, making them much easier to select, move, and manage.

Q: I installed the addon, but I can't find the tools. Where are they?

A: After installing and enabling the addon in Edit > Preferences > Add-ons, you can find its tools in three places:

• In the 3D Viewport Sidebar (N-Panel), under a tab named "Origin Tools".
• In the Object Menu: Object > Set Origin > Origin to Base.
• Via the Search menu: Press F3 and type "origin to base" to find both operators.

Q: I'm clicking the buttons, but nothing is happening. Why?

A: This usually happens for one of two reasons:

1. You do not have an object selected.
2. The object you have selected is not a mesh.

The addon is designed to work only on selected objects of the 'MESH' type. Please ensure you have at least one mesh object selected before running the operator.

Q: The origin point seems to be placed incorrectly. Why is it inaccurate?

A: The most common cause for inaccurate origin placement is unapplied object scale. The addon's calculations depend on the object's geometric data. If your object's scale is not (1, 1, 1), these calculations can be skewed.

Solution: Before using the addon, select your object and apply its scale by pressing Ctrl + A and choosing Scale. This will ensure the most accurate result.

Q: Can I use the tools on multiple objects at once?

A: Yes. The addon is designed to work on all selected mesh objects. You can select as many mesh objects as you need, run the operator once, and it will be applied to every object in the selection.

Q: What is the difference between "Origin to volume base" and "Origin to bottom vertices" again?

A:

• Origin to volume base uses the object's invisible rectangular "bounding box" to find the bottom center. It's fast and ideal for regular shapes like cubes and cylinders.
• Origin to bottom vertices analyzes the actual mesh geometry to find the average center point of the lowest vertices. It is more precise for irregular or organic shapes.

If you believe you have found a bug or are experiencing an issue not covered in this documentation, we encourage you to report it. Your feedback is essential for improving the addon for everyone.

Please use the official contact method or support ticket system on the marketplace where you purchased the product (e.g., Blender Market, Gumroad, etc.).

What to Include in Your Bug Report

To help us resolve the issue as quickly as possible, please include the following information in your report:

• Addon Version: The version of the addon you are using (e.g., 1.5.0).
• Blender Version: The version of Blender you are using (e.g., 4.1, 3.6 LTS).
• Operating System: Your operating system (e.g., Windows 11, macOS Sonoma, Linux).
• A Clear Description of the Problem: Please describe what happened and what you expected to happen.
• Steps to Reproduce: A numbered list of the exact steps needed to trigger the bug. This is the most important part of the report.
• Error Messages: If any error messages appear, please open Blender's System Console (Window > Toggle System Console) and copy and paste the entire message into your report.
• Sample .blend File (Optional but very helpful): If possible, attaching a simple .blend file that demonstrates the issue is the best way for us to quickly identify and fix the problem.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a report. We appreciate your help in making our tools better!