Ubisoft Stamp Info: Write text on images rendered with Blender
Print all the scene and animation information required to understand the context of an image directly onto the rendered outputs.
This tool is NOT SUPPORTED ANYMORE. It has been integrated inside Ubisoft Shot Manager V2.0+
In July 2022 this add-on was merged in the Blender add-on it was designed to complement. Its maintenance as a standalone add-on is not easy for us, we then let it available as an archive on GitHub .
The latest available version is 1.3.1. It was supporting Blender versions 2.93.x and 3.0.x.
See how this tool was used in production: User Stories - Blender and the Rabbids.
Disclaimer
Stamp Info is a pre-production tool that has been developed to support the previz of an animated TV series we did at Ubisoft between January 2020 and February 2021. We believe it can be very interesting for the Blender community so we shared it as an open source project and we keep supporting it.
Since it was dedicated to our production needs some limitations may appear for a more general purpose. Quality of the code is also probably arguable. In spite of all our efforts to make it reliable, it may in some circumstances corrupt you Blender scenes data. Be aware that neither Ubisoft nor Ubisoft employees can be taken as responsible in such cases. Use it at your own risks.
This said, we will do our best to listen to your feedback and improve this add-on accordingly in order to provide a robust and flexible production tool. Have fun !
Getting started
It is highly recommended to start by reading the Stamp Info General Philosophy to clearly understand the purpose of this tool !
Then:
— General philosophy – READ ME —
Before starting to use Stamp Info it worths understanding what this add-on is about and what you will be able to achieve with it.
The aim of Stamp Info is to write information onto the rendered images. Those pieces of information can be:
elements from the scene content: the name of the scene, of the camera, the output resolution…
information related to the use of the image: frame number, sequence range, custom notes…
information related to the edit: sequence and shot names…
information about your project: name, logo…
metadata: user name, date of rendering, file path…
All this is very useful in production to understand the context of creation of any image and to track the related Blender files used to generate it.
How it works
When a rendering is done with Stamp Info the stamped information is collected and written on an image that is saved on disk and then composited with the actual rendered image from the scene in a custom post-process step to create the final output. Technicaly speaking this blending is done is the Video Sequence Editor of the same Blender file as the one opened for the rendering. Temporary scene and files are then cleaned in order to make all that as transparent as possible for the user.
A previous implementation was based on the Compositing editor but the approach appeared to be not very reliable and complex to maintain in the case where a post-process compositing graph was already used in the scene.
Currently no information is visible in real-time directly in the viewport. This may be a good possible improvement for the add-on.
Features and settings
Stamping the output images is pretty simple: check the “Use Stamp Info” checkbox to enable it, check the metadata you want to print on the image and press the Render button located at the top of the panel. The images are then computed, composited and displayed (for a still image).
If the “Use Stamp Info” checkbox is not checked then the Blender usual rendering process is launched.
Printable data are sorted in several panels, gathered by theme. The list is available in the Stamp Info Features page
One setting is very different from the others though, it is the Final Resolution Mode. Basically it allows you to define if you want the data to be written over the rendered image, hidding a part of it at the top and bottom, or outside the rendered image, making the final composited image higher than the rendered output. Both have advantages and inconvenients. We suggest to use the mode “Outside Rendered Images” when in a production context, it saves rendering time while preserving the same aspect ratio for the cameras in the viewports.
Help and feedback
If you have any question or feedback please enter an issue on the add-on GitHub.
We hope you will enjoy this add-on!
Installation
Supported versions
Stamp Info is developed and actively tested on Windows 10. Community users reported successful usage on Linux platform.
Stamp Info is supported on Blender 2.93 and 3.0.
Current version is 1.0. The currently supported Blender versions are 2.93.x and 3.0.x.
Download
Open the latest release page from the Stamp Info GitHub releases page.
Download the zip file listed in Assets that has the package icon: 
.
Install of Stamp Info
Note
Stamp Info needs to download some external Python dependencies in order to be fully functionnal. Hence, when launching the installation of this add-on, be sure to match these conditions:
Be connected to the internet
Be sure the firewall is not blocking the requests (use OpenVPN or equivalent if needed)
In the case Blender has been installed from the executable installer package to your OS launch Blender in Administrator mode
Then inside Blender install the add-on as usual
Note that if you are using a verion of Blender coming for a zip file - which is probably the case when working in a studio and the application was deployed by the production - the Administrator rights should not be required.
Inside Blender
Once in Blender open the Preferences panel and go to the Add-ons section. Press the Install button located at the top of the panel. A dialog box opens, pick the add-on zip file you previously downloaded and validate. The add-on header will be displayed in the Preferences panel. Click on the checkbox at the left side of its name to proceed to the installation.
Once the addon is enabled, a Stamp Info tab is displayed in the 3D viewport N-Panel.
If you have any trouble during the installation process check the Troubleshooting FAQ Installation Error
Install of complementary add-ons
Stamp Info can work as is. Nevertheless we’ve developed 2 additional add-ons that are considerably expanding the features and capabilities of this tool. It is strongly advised to install them too to get the full experience.
Download Ubisoft Shot Manager here: Shot Manager latest release
Download Ubisoft Video Tracks here: Video Tracks latest release
First steps
If you haven’t done it yet, it is time to read the Stamp Info General Philosophy to clearly understand the purpose of this tool.
Once the add-on is installed open the Stamp Info panel. You will find it among the right tab panels.
The first thing to do, for each new scene, is to define how the stamped information will be written onto the rendered image. To do so choose between the 2 avalable modes of the Final Resolution Mode dropdown list.
Check the information you want to see displayed in the rendered images in the various category rollouts.
Then press one of the Render buttons at the top of the Stamp Info panel. This will compute the final image(s) according to the render settings of the scene.
Features and limitations
Information categories
Setting up the final resolution
The Final Resolution Mode defines how the metadata will be arranged over the rendered image.
Over Rendered images:
In this mode the black bands on which metadata text will be written directly on the image. It will then hide a part of it at the top and bottom. The final image still have the same resolution than the rendering output image.
* Outside Rendered images:
In this second mode the metadata are written outside the rendering output image, making the final composited image higher than the resolution specified in the Blender Rendering panel.
Both have advantages and inconvenients. We suggest to use the mode “Outside Rendered Images” when in a production context,
it saves rendering time while preserving the same aspect ratio for the cameras in the viewports.
For a more detailed description of these values watch this part of the video tutorial.
Text and layout
How information is organised on the rendered frame.
Limitations
The layout for the text and information stamped on the framed image is currenly better fitted for 16:9 ratio. Other ratios may produce unpredictable results. We have consideration for that issue for the future.
Time and frame information
Information related to the frame index, animation range and framerate…
Animation Duration
The Animation Duration is the exact number of frames contained in the image sequence.
Frame Range
Handles
The Handles are defining a set of frames at the begining and at the end of the image sequence that are used as additional in and out frames at edit time. When the frame index of the image is in the “in” set it is displayed in green. When it is in the “out” set it is displayed in orange. When inbetween it is displayed in the color defined for the text.
Shot and camera information
Information relative to what and how the scene content is filmed: sequence and shot names, camera name and lens…
Metadata information
Project name and logo, user name, rendering date and time, custom notes.
Logo
Logo path can be relative to the path of the current blender file. It must then start with //.
Frequently asked questions
General
Why so many questions?
Answer is under investigation…
Error during installation
Stamp Info needs to install Pillow, an external Python imagery library, in order to work correctly. For various reasons this installation may not run correctly, it is then important to check and follow the installation steps.
When the installation is not successfull the standard Preferences panel of Stamp Info is switched to another one that will report the error and provide the steps to fix the issue.
Here is how the panel will look like:
If in spite of all those conditions you are still not able to install the add-on, please report an issue on the GitHub.
Reporting an issue
Before reporting an issue, please make sure that you are using the latest version and check the faq.
If you think you have found a bug or would like to propose a new feature, please report an issue on GitHub.
Other add-ons from Ubisoft
At Ubisoft we developed several other Blender add-ons that may also interest you a lot. They were designed to answer real production needs, they may well suit yours!
As this one they are free and open-source. Enjoy!
Shot Manager
Manage the cameras and the editing of your scenes inside Blender in real time and with great simplicity.
Shot Manager
Video Tracks
Add track headers to the channels of the Video Sequence Editor, as well as tools To navigate between markers. (archived)
Video Tracks on GitHub
Mixer
Real-time collaboration between Blender users, enabling them to work together on the same data, on different computers. (archived)
Mixer
Asset Bank
Manage asset banks and import or link 3D objects into Blender scenes. (archived)
Asset Bank on GitHub
Source code on GitHub
The source code of the whole add-on as well as some development notes are avalable here:
Stamp Info on GitHub