# Install and connect

> Install or update the Superluminal Blender add-on, then connect it to the correct account and organization.

- Canonical HTML: https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect
- Markdown endpoint: https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect.md
- Structured page data: https://superlumin.al/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect.json
- Last updated: 2026-08-04
- Author: Superluminal Engineering

## Related Superluminal Research

- [The Superluminal render interface](https://superlumin.al/interface): A visual tour of Superluminal's Blender add-on, file checks, live job page, previews, and output downloads.
- [Blender render farm](https://superlumin.al/blender-render-farm): A Blender render farm assigns animation frames to many computers. Learn how nodes share work, what each node needs, and why submission starts inside Blender.

## Complete documentation

The add-on installs like any other Blender add-on and authenticates through your browser, so no credentials pass through Blender itself. This page covers installing, connecting, updating, and what to check when the connection fails.

## Install the add-on

![Blender Preferences on the Add-ons section with the Superluminal add-on installed and enabled](https://superlumin.al/docs/images/blender/addon-install.png)

*Blender's Preferences with the add-on installed: search finds it, the header menu holds Install from Disk, and the checkbox enables it.*

- [Annotation 1: Search installed add-ons](/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect#install-the-add-on)

- [Annotation 2: Install from Disk lives in this menu](/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect#install-the-add-on)

- [Annotation 3: Enable the add-on after installing](/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect#install-the-add-on)

### Download the release ZIP

Get the current release from [superlumin.al/blender-addon](https://superlumin.al/blender-addon). The page resolves the latest published GitHub release.

### Open Blender preferences

Choose **Edit → Preferences → Add-ons**. On Blender versions that show extension controls differently, use the add-on menu's **Install from Disk** action.

### Select the ZIP

Install the downloaded archive directly. Do not extract it first.

### Enable the add-on

Enable **Superluminal Render Farm** if Blender does not enable it automatically.

### Find the panel

Open **Render Properties** and expand **Superluminal Render**.

### Supported remote versions

The current add-on can target Blender 4.0 through 5.2. The farm selects its build by major and minor version, not by your exact patch number.

### The current add-on requires Blender 4.4 or newer

Local add-on compatibility and remote farm selection are different: install and run this add-on in Blender 4.4+, even though its farm-version picker can target Blender 4.0 through 5.2.

## Connect to Superluminal

The preferred flow keeps credentials out of the Blender form:

![The Superluminal Render panel before sign-in with the Connect to Superluminal button](https://superlumin.al/docs/images/blender/addon-connect.png)

*Connect through the browser first. Password sign-in remains a collapsed fallback.*

- [Annotation 1: Open the browser sign-in flow](/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect#connect-to-superluminal)

- [Annotation 2: Password sign-in fallback](/docs/blender-addon/install-and-connect#if-connection-fails)

1. Click **Connect to Superluminal**.
2. Sign in or confirm the request in the opened browser.
3. Return to Blender and wait for the connected state.
4. Select a project, or create one in the web app and refresh.

The collapsed password form is a fallback for when the browser connection cannot complete. The add-on keeps the password in memory only and does not store it.

### Use the intended organization

Projects and render credits are organization-scoped. After connecting, confirm that the expected project is visible before submitting billable work.

## Update safely

1. Let running submission or download terminals finish first.
2. Download the current release ZIP.
3. Install it over the existing add-on using **Install from Disk**.
4. Restart Blender if the UI or operators still reflect the previous release.
5. Open the panel, verify the connection, and run a one-frame test before a deadline-critical job.

## If connection fails

- Confirm the browser finished the authorization flow rather than only opening the site.
- Return to Blender and wait a moment for the result.
- Reopen **Superluminal Render** and retry the connection.
- Use password sign-in only as the fallback.
- Do not send passwords, access tokens, or a session file to support.

- [Submit a job](/docs/blender-addon/job-submission): Configure a representative still or an animation range.
- [Connection troubleshooting](/docs/blender-addon/troubleshooting#connection-and-projects): Collect safe diagnostics when authentication or projects fail to load.