I get this Windows message when executing the latest build blender exe files:
“Windows Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.”
And Blender says “These builds are not as stable as releases, use at your own risk.” Is the risk related to losing blender files or models, Blender crashes… etc… or to the operating system Windows?
Other than not being 100 stable, will installing these versions affect Windows negatively in any way?
Also, will 2.79 official or 2.8 from the “Download Latest Builds” page overwrite the 2.79b which I currently have installed or will it create a separate copy? I’d like to install separate versions for each one.
The daily builds are perfectly safe as far as your system is concerned. you may get a crash or two, but it shouldn’t effect anything outside of blender.
“blender-2.79.0-git.76a4042c23f-windows64” or “blender-2.80.0-git.29c2c307f6e-windows64”
will overwrite 2.79b, which I currently have installed? Do they automatically install as separate programs so I can go back and forth between all three?
[Daedalus_MDW, I was unclear. I meant installing the blender.exe files found within the zip files for the two builds. Above I listed the name of each folder the respective blender.exe files are in.
My question is when you run the blender.exe files for either of the builds, do either of them overwrite 2.79b? I would like to experiment with at least 2.8 but also have access to 2.79b at the same time.
The zipped archives always allowed you to have as many builds on your machine as needed (even those from different branches). I don’t see why it would be different between 2.79 and 2.8.
You will run into issues though if you open .blend files in 2.8 and save them. The conversion is more or less one way as you might otherwise have missing data and other problems should you reopen it in 2.79.
No, the blender.exe file isn’t an installer. It is blender itself. When you run it, you are launching blender. It will see the addons and settings you are using for 2.79b.
If you want to keep the addons and settings for the experimental build separate, you need to enter the 2.79 folder and make a folder called “config”. When you launch the experimental build, it will save all your settings in that config folder.
I didn’t quite understand this. I have addons in 2.7. Do I have to “protect” them before I run 2.8 by moving them somehow?
I downloaded blender to my downloads folder, so it’s not in the same place as my 2.7 install.
No, blender 2.8 and 2.79 will store their settings separate from each other.
Anyways: IMO everyone should stop installing Blender and just use the zipped versions. Further you should create a folder called config inside the 2.x folder which you downloaded. This will make that particular Blender version totally self contained and portable.