NovaStrikes / Blender Addon
SMART
AUTOSAVE
+ PRO
A professional Blender addon that automatically saves your work as numbered, named checkpoints — with edit-based detection, a full session timeline, and optional Google Drive cloud backup. Built so artists never lose their work.
WHAT THIS
APP DOES
Core Mission
Smart AutoSave+ Pro is a Blender addon that solves the biggest flaw in Blender's built-in autosave: it overwrites the same temp file every time with no version history. This addon creates organized, named, numbered backups of every version of your Blender work — automatically, silently, in the background.
Google Drive Integration
Version 8.7 adds optional Google Drive cloud backup. When enabled, the addon uploads your Blender checkpoint files to your personal Google Drive after each save — so your work is safe off-site. This uses a single, narrow OAuth permission: the ability to upload files only. It cannot access, read, or modify any existing files in your Drive.
Edit-Based Detection
Unlike timer-based autosave, this addon computes a scene hash every 5 seconds and only saves when your scene has actually changed. Sit idle for an hour — nothing saves. Work for 10 minutes — exactly one backup, automatically. Zero duplicate files.
Session Timeline
Every backup gets a viewport thumbnail, timestamp and reason. The Timeline panel lets you browse, filter, search and restore any version of your work with one click — or open it in a new Blender window without touching your current file.
GOOGLE DRIVE
CLOUD BACKUP
Your Blender checkpoints, automatically in the cloud. Authenticate once and your checkpoint saves upload silently to your personal Google Drive in a background thread after every save. Optionally enable Delete Local After Upload to keep your SSD clean while your work stays safe off-site.
Enable & Connect
Preferences → Cloud Backup → Enable → Connect Google Drive → your browser opens Google's auth page.
Approve Once
Sign in with your Google account and click Allow. Token saved locally on your machine — you never sign in again.
Works Automatically
Create a checkpoint or force save — file uploads in the background. Live status shown in Blender's N-Panel.
PERMISSIONS &
TRANSPARENCY
Smart AutoSave Pro uses Google's OAuth 2.0 to request permission to upload Blender files to the user's personal Google Drive. This is the only external service the addon connects to. All credentials are stored locally on the user's machine and are never transmitted to any server other than Google.
Can Do
Upload new .blend checkpoint files to the user's Google Drive. Only files created by this addon are uploaded.
Cannot Do
Read, view, modify, or delete any existing files in your Google Drive. The scope explicitly prevents this.
Local Storage
OAuth tokens are stored locally on the user's machine only. They are never sent to any NovaStrikes server.
No Data Collection
The addon collects no telemetry, usage data, or personal information of any kind.
drive.file scope — the most restricted Drive permission available.
ONE SCOPE.
NOTHING MORE.
| Scope | What It Allows | What It Prevents | Why It's Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| drive.file | Upload and manage files created by this app in the user's Google Drive. | Cannot access, view, read, modify or delete any files the user already has in Drive. | To silently upload Blender .blend checkpoint files after each save in the background. |
BUILT FOR
PRODUCTION.
Edit-Based Autosave Flagship
Computes a scene hash every tick. Only saves when something actually changed. Zero duplicate files when idle.
Google Drive Backup New
Authenticate once. Checkpoints upload silently to your personal Drive in a background thread. Optional delete-local-after-upload.
Named Checkpoints
Save milestones with custom names like MyProject_Before_Rigging.blend. Protected from auto-pruning forever.
Session Timeline
Browse every save with thumbnails, timestamps and reasons. Filter, search, restore or open in a new window.
4 Dedicated Folders
Auto, Edit, Manual and Checkpoints each get their own subfolder. Checkpoints never crowd out auto saves and are never pruned.
Compositing Freeze Fix
All background processing pauses during renders and compositing — fixing freezes with large EXR sequences.
Save Before Undo
Saves on the first undo after real work. Protects against the most common Blender crash scenario.
Render Start/End Saves
Auto-backup before and after every render. Engine name and frame range included in the filename.
Session Summary New
One-click styled HTML export of your session — duration, saves, checkpoints, backup sizes, full history.
WHO IS
THIS FOR?
Freelance 3D Artists
Version history without managing it manually. Named checkpoints let you save milestones like "Client_Submission_v1" that never get overwritten or pruned — update in one click when the client requests changes.
VFX & Heavy Scene Artists
Working with large EXR sequences, high-poly meshes or complex simulations? Cloud backup uploads to Drive and deletes local copies automatically — keeping your SSD clean while your work stays safe.
Studio Teams
User tags and team tags in filenames make every backup attributable. Export the full save history as HTML or CSV for project audits. Custom folder names keep different projects cleanly separated.
ABOUT
NOVASTRIKES
Smart AutoSave+ Pro is developed and maintained by Hamayl Shahbaz, founder of NovaStrikes — an independent software studio building professional tools for Blender artists worldwide.
This addon is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPL). Source code is available on GitHub. All updates are included for Studio license holders.
Contact & Support
NEVER LOSE
WORK AGAIN.
Available on Superhive Market. Free basic version on GitHub.