[Community Fork] Blender 4.x/5.0 Compatible Version Available

BLENDER_4X_FORK.md

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+# Phobos 4.x - Blender 4.x/5.0 Compatible Fork
+
+This is a community-maintained fork of [DFKI Phobos](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos) that provides full compatibility with **Blender 4.x and 5.0** using the new extension system.
+
+## 🚀 Repository
+**https://github.com/elasticdotventures/phobos-4.0**
+
+## ✨ What's New
+
+### Blender 4.x/5.0 Extension System
+- ✅ Full compatibility with Blender 4.2+ extension system
+- ✅ Proper namespace handling (`bl_ext.UserRepository.phobos_4`)
+- ✅ Clean extension installation via Blender's Extensions manager
+- ✅ No more manual addon installation required
+
+### Community PRs Integrated
+This fork has integrated several outstanding pull requests from the original repository:
+
+1. **PR #392** - Blender 4.x compatibility fixes
+2. **PR #391** - Additional Blender 4.x updates
+3. **PR #390** - Export improvements
+4. **Various bug fixes** from community contributors
+
+### Technical Improvements
+- Complete import refactoring for extension namespace compatibility
+- Fixed resource path resolution (removed `pkg_resources` dependency)
+- Improved error handling and diagnostic logging
+- Module cache management for reliable updates
+- Proper separation of `phobos.common.defs` and `phobos.blender.defs`
+
+## 📦 Installation
+
+### For Blender 4.2+
+1. Download the latest release from [Releases](https://github.com/elasticdotventures/phobos-4.0/releases)
+2. In Blender: `Edit` → `Preferences` → `Get Extensions`
+3. Click the dropdown (top right) → `Install from Disk`
+4. Select the `phobos_4.zip` file
+5. The extension will install and register automatically
+
+### Building from Source
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/elasticdotventures/phobos-4.0.git
+cd phobos-4.0
+python3 build_extension.py
+```
+
+The extension will be built to `dist/phobos_4.zip`
+
+## 🔧 Compatibility
+
+- ✅ Blender 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5
+- ✅ Blender 5.0 (tested)
+- ⚠️ Blender 3.x - Use [original Phobos](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos) instead
+
+## 📚 Documentation
+
+The core Phobos documentation still applies:
+- [Original Wiki](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos/wiki)
+- [URDF/SMURF Export Guide](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos/wiki/ExportURDF)
+
+Additional documentation for Blender 4.x-specific features will be added to this repository.
+
+## 🤝 Contributing
+
+Contributions are welcome! This fork aims to:
+1. Maintain Blender 4.x/5.0 compatibility
+2. Integrate useful community PRs from the original repository
+3. Provide a stable version for robotics developers using modern Blender
+
+### Development Workflow
+1. Fork this repository
+2. Create a feature branch
+3. Make your changes
+4. Test with Blender 4.x/5.0
+5. Submit a pull request
+
+## 🙏 Credits
+
+### Original Phobos Team
+- **DFKI RIC Underactuated Lab** - Original development
+- **Kai von Szadkowski** - Original lead developer
+- **Henning Wiedemann, Malte Langosz, Simon Reichel, Julius Martensen** - Core contributors
+
+### This Fork
+- Maintained by [Elastic Dot Ventures](https://github.com/elasticdotventures)
+- Community contributions from original Phobos PRs
+- Blender 4.x compatibility work
+
+## ⚖️ License
+
+This project maintains the same license as the original Phobos:
+
+**3-Clause BSD License**
+
+See [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
+
+## 🔗 Related Projects
+
+- [Original Phobos](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos) - For Blender 3.x
+- [Phobos Documentation](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos/wiki)
+- [URDF Specification](http://wiki.ros.org/urdf)
+
+## 📞 Support
+
+- **Issues**: Please report Blender 4.x-specific issues on [this repository](https://github.com/elasticdotventures/phobos-4.0/issues)
+- **General Phobos Questions**: Refer to the [original repository](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos)
+- **Discussions**: Use GitHub Discussions for questions and community support
+
+## 🎯 Roadmap
+
+- [x] Full Blender 4.2+ compatibility
+- [x] Extension system integration
+- [x] Integrate outstanding community PRs
+- [ ] Blender 5.1+ compatibility testing
+- [ ] Additional export format improvements
+- [ ] Enhanced documentation for Blender 4.x features
+
+---
+
+**Note**: This is a community-maintained fork. For production use with Blender 3.x, please use the [original DFKI repository](https://github.com/dfki-ric/phobos).