Answer
Build the controls in a PME Popup Dialog, then add that dialog to a Panel Group. Panel Groups host Popup Dialogs and Blender panels, while direct Command items belong inside the Popup Dialog. For the N-panel, set the group to 3D Viewport → UI (Side Panel). The panel’s category and context determine where Blender lists it.
Steps
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Create a Popup Dialog and add the commands or controls you want to expose.
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Create a Panel Group, then add that Popup Dialog to the group. You can also add an existing Blender panel.
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In the placement controls, choose the editor in Space—for example, 3D Viewport.
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Choose the host region:
- UI (Side Panel) for the N-panel.
- Tools (Side Panel) for the T-panel.
- Header for a header row.
- Window for the main area.
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For a side panel, enter a Category such as
PME Tools. Blender shows that category as a tab in the chosen side panel. -
Leave Context at Any Context unless the panel should appear only for a specific Blender context. A context such as
objectmodenarrows its visibility. -
Enable the group and open the chosen region in Blender.
The Popup Dialog remains the editable container for PME commands. The Panel Group supplies Blender placement and can compose that dialog with other supported panels.
Pitfalls
- Put direct commands in a Popup Dialog, then add that dialog to the Panel Group.
- Choosing Header hides the Context and Category controls because headers use a different placement model from side-panel tabs.
- A wrong Space or Region makes a correctly configured panel appear to be missing. Check the editor first, then open the matching T/N panel.
- A context-specific panel can disappear when the mode or data context changes. Use Any Context while building, then narrow it deliberately.
- For a temporary floating editor, use Popup Area instead of a Panel Group.
These steps describe PME 2.1 with Blender 4.5–5.2. The linked 2024 discussion used PME 1.18.7 with Blender 3.6.5, so its screenshots and UI labels are historical.