Add-on troubleshooting

If you're seeing this SSL error, it means your connection to our server might not be direct or entirely private. SSL errors can arise when there's an intermediary—a middleman—between your computer and our server. Add-on then cannot verify the encrypted communication as comming from BlenderKit server because on its journey it was decrypted, potentially tampered or logged and encrypted by the certificate of intermediary actor. The error is expected because it would be unsafe to continue in communication with potential attacker or spy.

There are however also valid cases when intermediary is not an evil actor:

1. Corporate Monitoring Tools and Proxies: Many companies and institutions use tools to monitor and control their internet traffic. These tools can inspect and sometimes modify encrypted communications.
2. Firewalls and IPS (Intrusion Prevention Systems): Advanced network security solutions might intercept SSL traffic to inspect or filter its content. When they do, they can replace the original SSL certificate with their own, leading to potential mismatches.
3. VPN Services: If you're using a VPN for privacy or to bypass regional restrictions, it might interfere with SSL traffic in some cases, especially if the VPN has its own security inspections.
4. Local Security Software and Antivirus Programs: Some security software, antivirus programs, or parental control systems on your computer might intercept SSL traffic for inspection. Antivirus software, in particular, might do this to scan encrypted web traffic for threats, which can interfere with the original certificates.

There are also few less legitimate but legal cases:

1. Internet Service Providers: In certain regions, ISPs might tamper with encrypted traffic, potentially due to government mandates or other reasons.
2. National Internet Controls: Some countries have strict controls over internet access and might inspect or even alter encrypted traffic.

Solution if interception is expected and trusted:

If you recognize the interception as a known and legitimate part of your network setup (e.g. in corporate or academic environment) or used software, you may need to configure our add-on to trust additional certificates to ensure a smooth connection:

1. Contact IT department of your institution to get public certificates they use for interception, or read documentation for your VPN, Proxy or other software you use for information about used certificates and their location on your system,
2. download and store the trusted public certificates in .pem file on your computer,
3. open BlenderKit add-on preferences and navigate to section Networking settings,
4. set field Proxy to value CUSTOM, which will enable field Custom CA Certificates Path,
5. in field Custom CA Certificates Path set path to .pem file containing one or more trusted public certificates and/or trusted certificate authority,
6. when set the BlenderKit daemon will restart and then connection to BlenderKit should be established without SSL errors.

For those in a corporate environment it's a good idea to contact your IT department or technical support. They can provide insights into the specifics of your network and potential solutions. However, always be cautious when adding certificates, as it can pose security risks if their source isn't trusted.

Quick fix if interception is expected and trusted:

If you are in hurry you can also disable the SSL checks. In BlenderKit add-on preferences navigate to networking settings and set option SSL Context to value DISABLED. Daemon will then no longer check for validity of SSL certificates.

However once the deadline is over, please revert this option back to DEFAULT and set the Custom CA Certificates Path properly as described in steps above. Be aware that disabled SSL checks pose huge security risk as there is nothing to verify if the add-on is communicating with BlenderKit server or with hacker, spy or any other malicious actor.

Solution if interception is not expected:

Your connection is not secure, there might be an ongoing attack on your internet connection. Do not add the certificates and do not disable SSL checks in add-on preferences. Immediately contact your IT department, network administrator or Internet service provider.

Solution if interception is not trusted:

If you suspect an intercepting element on your internet connection (due to national internet control, ISP, or other factors) but do not trust it, consider it illegitimate, or simply dislike it, you might consider changing your ISP. Alternatively, you can use anti-censorship software (like VPNs, Tor, or Proxies) and configure them appropriately within the add-on — by setting the Proxy address and/or the Custom CA Certificates Path.

Cause: Antivirus, Windows defender, or other OS security features are preventing the add-on from creating the Global Directory in which asset data are stored.

Resolution: Open the add-on preferences and set Global Directory to location which is accessible and writeable by your normal user. Check the antivirus or Windows defender for security warnings, give permissions to BlenderKit add-on.

Details: Windows Defender blocks writing to user directory

Cause: This error is triggered when the add-on fails to copy library files into the specified Global Directory. This failure is due to the system's file permissions not permitting the operation. The exact path of the Global Directory is displayed at the end of the error message.

Resolution: To fix this issue, please follow these steps:

1. Open the File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (MacOS) and navigate to the Global Directory, as indicated in the error message.
2. If the Global Directory exists, delete it.
3. Recreate the Global Directory in the same location.
4. Attempt to restart the add-on.

If the issue continues to occur, please adjust the Global Directory setting in the Preferences menu. Choose a different location where you are certain to have write access. Good options are usually your Documents or Desktop directories. After changing the directory, attempt to restart the add-on once more.

Remember, the chosen directory must allow for the copying of library files, so it is essential that you have the necessary permissions in this location.

If you encounter the error message "Invalid token. (401)", please be aware that this indicates an authentication problem with your API key token. To resolve this issue, simply log out in the add-on and log back in. This should refresh your authentication API key token and allow you to proceed without any further interruptions.

Cause: The daemon is operational but is unable to establish a connection with the BlenderKit server. The underlying cause may be due to an offline state, a need for DNS cache refresh, or potential firewall/antivirus restrictions hindering the connection.

Solution: Begin by confirming that your computer has a functional internet connection. If you are online and still encountering issues, proceed to refresh your system's DNS cache.

• Windows: Launch PowerShell and execute these commands: ipconfig /flushdns; ipconfig /release; ipconfig /renew.
• MacOS: Open Terminal and run: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder; sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP. Please note that 'en0' in the second command needs to be replaced with the network interface you're currently using. Commonly, en0 refers to wired connections, and en1 refers to wireless connections. You can identify your active network interface by running the ifconfig command in the Terminal.
• Linux: DNS cache flushing relies on whether a DNS caching service like nscd or dnsmasq is installed. If you're using systemd-resolved, use the command: sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches. For renewing the IP address, use: sudo dhclient -r; sudo dhclient. Note that the last command first releases the current IP lease (dhclient -r) and then obtains a new lease (dhclient). You might need to specify your network interface (e.g., eth0 or wlan0) at the end of these commands. Run the ifconfig command to identify your network interface.

If these measures do not resolve the issue, proceed to adjust your system's firewall settings. On Windows this involves pressing the “Windows logo” key and the “i” key simultaneously on your keyboard, then navigating to “Privacy and Security” -> “Windows Security Center” -> “Firewall & Network Protection”. From here, choose “Allow an app through firewall”, hit the “Tab” key seven times, and press “Enter”. In the checkbox list that appears, locate and select "Blender" to ensure the application and its associated scripts are not being blocked by the firewall.

As a final attempt, consider resetting your network settings. Using the same initial keyboard shortcut, select “Network & Internet” -> “Advanced network settings” -> “Network reset”. Follow the on-screen instructions to reset your network settings (refrain from launching any VPN during this process). Users have reported the successful resolution of this issue following these steps. Remember, consistently monitoring your system logs is crucial for identifying recurring or new errors.

Issue: The error you're experiencing is typically caused by a change in the name of BlenderKit's installation directory. This alteration from scripts/addons/blenderkit to other names like blenderkit-2, blenderkit-backup, or blenderkit-previousversion prevents Blender from importing the blenderkit module, because it only recognizes the renamed module such as blenderkit-2 or similar.

Solution: BlenderKit add-on must be installed specifically in a directory named blenderkit for it to function correctly. To resolve this issue, verify the directories in the addon directory:

- For MacOS, check: /Users/$USER/Library/Application Support/Blender/3.5/scripts/addons

- For Windows, check: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Blender_Foundation\Blender\3.5\scripts\addons

- For Linux, check: $HOME/.config/blender/3.5/scripts/addons

Ensure that the BlenderKit add-on is installed in the blenderkit directory. If the directory name is incorrect, rename it to blenderkit to ensure the add-on works as expected.

In most common cases the add-on should be installed in:

• on MacOS at:
  /Users/$USER/Library/Application Support/Blender/3.5/scripts/addons/blenderkit
• on Windows at:
  %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Blender_Foundation\Blender\3.5\scripts\addons\blenderkit
• on Linux at:
  $HOME/.config/blender/3.5/scripts/addons/blenderkit

For further details please check the Blender documentation.

If you have another problem, please report the error to us. We try to resolve all bugs as quickly as we can.