Relative Frame Display

A Blender addon that displays the current frame number relative to the start of the timeline playback range directly in the 3D viewport.

Author: Eaxum
Version: 1.2
Compatible with: Blender 4.0+

Features

• Real-time display of relative frame numbers in the 3D viewport
• Clean, professional styling with subtle transparency
• Easy toggle via Animation panel or View menu
• Bottom-left positioning that doesn't interfere with your work
• Shows both relative and absolute frame information

Installation

Method 1: Install from Zip Package (Recommended)

1. Download the addon as a zip file (containing __init__.py and other files)
2. Open Blender
3. Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons
4. Click Install... button
5. Navigate to and select the zip file
6. Click Install Add-on
7. Enable the addon by checking the box next to "Animation: Relative Frame Display"

Method 2: Install Single Python File

1. Download the relative_frame_display.py file
2. Open Blender
3. Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons
4. Click Install... button
5. Navigate to and select the relative_frame_display.py file
6. Click Install Add-on
7. Enable the addon by checking the box next to "Animation: Relative Frame Display"

Method 3: Manual Installation

1. Download the addon files
2. Copy them to your Blender addons folder:
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Blender Foundation\Blender\4.x\scripts\addons\relative_frame_display\
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Blender/4.x/scripts/addons/relative_frame_display/
   • Linux: ~/.config/blender/4.x/scripts/addons/relative_frame_display/
3. Restart Blender
4. Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons
5. Search for "Relative Frame Display"
6. Enable the addon by checking the box

Usage

Enabling the Display

• Via Panel: Open the Animation panel in the 3D viewport sidebar (N key) and click "Show Viewport Display"
• Via Menu: Go to View > Toggle Relative Frame Display in the 3D viewport

What You'll See

The addon displays two lines of text in the bottom-left corner of your 3D viewport:

• Main text: "Relative Frame: X" (white, larger font)
• Secondary text: "Current: Y / Start: Z" (gray, smaller font)

Example

If your timeline starts at frame 100 and you're currently on frame 105:

Relative Frame: 6
Current: 105 / Start: 100

Use Cases

Perfect for animators who want to know their position relative to animation sequences:

• Character animation cycles
• Keyframe timing relative to action start
• Scene planning and storyboarding
• Animation reviews and timing adjustments

Uninstalling

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons
2. Search for "Relative Frame Display"
3. Click the arrow to expand the addon details
4. Click Remove button
5. Restart Blender

Support

This addon is provided as-is for the Blender community. If you encounter issues, please check that you're using Blender 4.0 or newer.

License

This addon is released under the GPL v3 license, same as Blender itself.