Dev:2.5/Source/Python/API/Numpy Bundle

Proposal is to include numpy with official blender builds.

Why

Blender has its own mathutils module, but this is focused on math for access to object rotations, vertex positions, color. But misses large matricies and more advanced math functionality that numpy has, which would take considerable effort to include in mathutils.

Since blender is already very math focused (being a 3D app), including numpy makes sense for us.

Benefits

Addon authors can take advantage of numpys optimized matrix functions.
Users can use these addons without having to manually install numpy.

Tradeoffs

Less flexibility to use updated python if numpy has not been updated too.
Less flexibility to use another python implimentation (pypy for example), though they are working on their own numpy.
Greater download size (approx 1.1mb compressed)

Where Numpy Fits in

Default setup won't load numpy at all (no slower startup times).
Numpy should not be depended on for core scripts (for the purpose of the discussion, scripts that load on startup). OR...
Import numpy when it's used but not on startup.
Numpy C API won't be used and linked against blender.
Initially numpy should only be used for addons which need such advanced functionality, bundled scripts which don't take advantage of numpy should keep using mathutils since it integrates better with blender.

Stripping Out Cruft

Heres the CMake install command that is used to get rid of extra files, reducing numpy's compressed size to around 1.1mb

install(
	DIRECTORY ${PYTHON_LIBPATH}/python${PYTHON_VERSION}/site-packages/numpy
	DESTINATION ${TARGETDIR_VER}/python/${_target_LIB}/python${PYTHON_VERSION}/site-packages
	PATTERN ".svn" EXCLUDE
	PATTERN "__pycache__" EXCLUDE           # * any cache *
	PATTERN "*.pyc" EXCLUDE                 # * any cache *
	PATTERN "*.pyo" EXCLUDE                 # * any cache *
	PATTERN "distutils" EXCLUDE             # ./distutils
	PATTERN "oldnumeric" EXCLUDE            # ./oldnumeric
	PATTERN "doc" EXCLUDE                   # ./doc
	PATTERN "tests" EXCLUDE                 # ./tests
	PATTERN "f2py" EXCLUDE                  # ./f2py - fortran/python interface code, not fun for blender devs.
	PATTERN "include" EXCLUDE               # include dirs all over, we wont use NumPy/CAPI
	PATTERN "*.h" EXCLUDE                   # some includes are not in include dirs
	PATTERN "*.a" EXCLUDE                   # ./core/lib/libnpymath.a - for linking, we dont need.
)

Steps to Include Numpy in Releases

Linux

On linux numpy is to be copied from site-packages when installing python. if its not found it will warn numpy is missing. DONE

Windows and OSX

Numpy will need to be build as a dependancy and included in the lib/ dir as other pre-built libraries are.

Steps to Include Numpy in Distro Packages

no need, they will just have numpy as a dependency for blender.