# Blender project dependencies

> Every linked library, texture, UDIM, cache, and font ships with the job. The file check names missing inputs before you pay for a node.

- Canonical HTML: https://superlumin.al/dependencies
- Markdown endpoint: https://superlumin.al/dependencies.md
- Structured page data: https://superlumin.al/dependencies.json
- Primary image: https://superlumin.al/og/superluminal-1200x630.png
- Published: 2026-07-29
- Last updated: 2026-08-06
- Author: Superluminal Engineering

## Quick answer

Before upload, Superluminal checks textures, linked Blender files, UDIMs, sequences, caches, fonts, and other external inputs.

### Key benchmark facts

| Fact | Value | Context | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| File-check timing | Before upload | Missing inputs are named before the job spends paid node time. |  |
| Supported file patterns | Linked libraries, UDIMs, sequences, fonts, caches, HDRIs | The file check follows external files referenced by Blender. |  |
| Upload modes | ZIP or PROJECT | ZIP creates one archive. PROJECT preserves a chosen project root. |  |

## Data access

- [This page as structured JSON](https://superlumin.al/dependencies.json)

- Every screenshot below is embedded with its alt text, caption, and full-resolution URL.

## Related documentation

- [Blender add-on](https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon): Submit scenes, choose remote render settings, monitor jobs, and download completed output without leaving Blender.
- [Add-ons and dependencies](https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/addons-and-dependencies): Prepare textures, linked scenes, caches, fonts, color data, and render-time Blender add-ons for remote rendering.
- [Read the submission terminal](https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/submission-terminal): Understand the terminal window that opens on submit: tracing, packing, uploading, the success screen, and how to share its diagnostics.
- [Choose an upload mode](https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/upload-settings): Choose ZIP or PROJECT packaging and configure project-root handling for reliable, repeatable submissions.
- [Sulu Market](https://superlumin.al/docs/market): Browse Blender products, use your Library, and find the current buyer and seller workflows without duplicating changing marketplace terms.
- [Browse and buy on Sulu Market](https://superlumin.al/docs/market/buying): Evaluate Blender products, choose a compatible tier or license, complete organization-scoped checkout, and find the product in your Library.
- [Library and product delivery](https://superlumin.al/docs/market/library): Use the Owned, Created, Wishlist, and Orders tabs and choose the delivery path supported by each Sulu Market product.
- [Package products for delivery](https://superlumin.al/docs/market/product-packaging): Prepare Blender extensions and asset libraries so Sulu Market can process them: manifest rules, asset marking, catalogs, previews, and packing.
- [Sell on Sulu Market](https://superlumin.al/docs/market/selling): Start seller onboarding and navigate storefront products, orders, payouts, discounts, reviews, messages, and settings.
- [Support](https://superlumin.al/docs/support): Get help through built-in chat, a founder meeting, Discord, or email and include a safe, complete diagnostic packet.
- [Projects](https://superlumin.al/docs/web-ui/projects): Create, find, rename, share, and delete the project containers that organize render jobs and reusable uploads.

## Complete report

Superluminal traces the full dependency graph of a Blender project before upload. Linked libraries, textures, UDIMs, image sequences, caches, fonts, HDRIs, and IES profiles travel with the job.

That trace gave [the most complete dependency coverage of any client we tested](/compare/blender-render-farms#upload-time) in our 2026 render farm benchmark. Every missing or unreadable file is named on screen before the job spends paid node time. Nothing is quietly dropped.

## The trace follows every supported reference

The add-on reads the project you already have open, so it sees the same paths Blender sees. It also follows references inside supported linked `.blend` files.

| Input | What Superluminal includes |
|---|---|
| Linked library | Files referenced by supported linked `.blend` files |
| UDIM set or image sequence | All discovered tiles or sequence frames |
| Video Sequence Editor strip | The referenced video or image files |
| IES or external OSL path | The referenced file |
| Cache directory | Files from supported cache folders |
| Packed data | Data stored inside the `.blend` file |

## The check names every problem path

![Superluminal submission terminal tracing Blender dependencies and naming a missing texture](https://superlumin.al/docs/images/terminal/terminal-trace.png)

*The terminal names the missing file before upload begins.*

| Status | Meaning | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Missing | The path does not resolve to a file | Restore, relink, or remove the reference. |
| Unreadable | The file check cannot read the file | Check access rights, cloud placeholders, mounts, and file health. |
| Absolute path outside the root | The file uses a fixed location beyond the selected root | Relink it under the root or use ZIP. |
| Cross-drive | The file is on another drive from the project root | Move it, choose another root, or use ZIP. |
| Packed | Blender stores the data in the `.blend` | Confirm that the packed copy is current. |

## A missing file changes the render silently

Blender renders on without the file, and the defect appears only in the finished frame.

| External input | Result when it is absent |
|---|---|
| Texture, UDIM set, or HDRI | A material turns pink, loses detail, or receives different light. |
| Linked `.blend` library | Objects, collections, materials, or overrides disappear. |
| Alembic, volume, or simulation cache | Motion freezes, geometry changes, or a simulation resets. |
| Font | Text changes shape or line breaks. |
| Image sequence or video strip | A shot freezes, skips media, or has an empty source. |
| IES profile or external OSL script | A light pattern or shader changes. |

## Blender resolves each relative path from its `.blend`

A relative Blender path starts with `//` and is relative to the `.blend` that contains it. A linked library can therefore use a different base folder from the main scene. The trace resolves each reference from its own file, the same way Blender does.

Image sequences and caches can fail late in an animation. Test frames from different parts of the range.

## Pack with ZIP or PROJECT

ZIP uploads the saved `.blend` file and all discovered files with every submission.

![Superluminal terminal packing Blender files with size, compression mode, and elapsed time](https://superlumin.al/docs/images/terminal/terminal-pack.png)

*Archive packaging lists each file and reports the final size and elapsed time.*

PROJECT uploads the full project once. Later submissions upload only new or changed files under the project root.

PROJECT requires one root folder. The panel blocks submission and names the problem when a path falls outside it.

![Superluminal Upload Settings with PROJECT selected and a missing project root warning](https://superlumin.al/docs/images/blender/addon-upload-settings.png)

*A path outside the selected root blocks submission before any upload starts.*

| Use ZIP when | Use PROJECT when |
|---|---|
| You are sending the first remote test. | Related shots share one production root. |
| Assets span folders or drives. | Later submissions reuse large assets. |
| You need a fallback after a PROJECT warning. | Project paths stay under one common root. |

If you are unsure, start with ZIP. The [upload mode guide](/docs/blender-addon/upload-settings) shows both controls.

## Files that the trace cannot see

The trace cannot see paths that scripts or add-ons create during rendering. Put those files inside the project, then inspect the frame log and [downloaded output file](/live-previews).

The [add-ons guide](/addons) covers licenses, compiled components, and online services.

## The job leaves with everything it needs

The packed job carries every traced file, so a render node opens the project exactly as your workstation does. Wrong-texture surprises stay local, where the check already named them.

Submit one short test range first and inspect the downloaded frames. The [job submission guide](/docs/blender-addon/job-submission) shows the packaging controls in place.

## Sources

| # | Source | Type | Checked | URL |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Blender Manual: Data-Blocks | Official Blender documentation | 2026-08-05 | https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/files/data_blocks.html |
| 2 | Blender Manual: Packed Data | Official Blender documentation | 2026-08-05 | https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/files/blend/packed_data.html |
| 3 | Superluminal add-ons and dependencies documentation | Product documentation | 2026-08-05 | https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/addons-and-dependencies |
| 4 | Superluminal upload settings documentation | Product documentation | 2026-08-05 | https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/upload-settings |
| 5 | Render farm benchmark dataset, July to August 2026 | First-party benchmark evidence | 2026-08-05 | https://superlumin.al/seo/evidence/render-farm-benchmarks-2026-08.json |