Asset Library/Manager
The asset library/manager is good. But it could definitely be better. I have added a basic/small section screen shot of the asset library menu to illustrate the "Current File" option I reference:
Let's take purchased packs or models as an example as this is probably more of a situation that is relevant to the masses.
If a developer of an asset/asset pack has no idea or control of how that asset should be stored / marked as they mark it how they see fit.
But instead of marking it and a user having to come in and change it to their own. Why can we not simply have mark as asset in the file while not having the restrictions of "current file" and having the ability to globally move the assets to relevant libraries. Open the location of said blend file by right click. be able to drag and drop assets into library folders and have them auto categorise in that library as long as they are marked as an asset.
Instead, what I propose is this. You set up a directory. You mark that directory in blender as an asset library. You see all marked assets and have subfolders that can be created /managed or used based. You have a separate file in that directory or in a subfolder of that asset library that controls where and how those assets are placed, but not restricted to how they are set up in the file its self. Instead, it's controlled globally. No single blend file controls its location or category. All assets can be moved around and managed without having to open individual files.
a "databaseless" database perhaps in Json so its externally modifiable and controllable externally and could be managed by scripting.
Json makes the most sense, and having a folder or designated location that manages all libraries will increase its usability and its friendliness to both individuals and studios. Individual management of assets is great until you have to manage them over 10's or even hundreds at a time. It becomes cumbersome and painful. and most of all time consuming.
By removing the individual file control and giving the user global control you effectively reduce the time it takes to manage large asset libraries by miles.
5 Comments
For me, the greatest hinderance to using assets is the inability to quickly create a globally-available asset on the fly. If I'm working on a project and I've fine-tuned a material, I might want to make an asset for use in other projects. Ideally this would be a matter of clicking a "Save to Asset Library" button and giving it a name, and optionally putting it in a category. Done.
Instead I have to launch another instance of Blender, open an existing file that contains assets, append my material, mark it as an asset (I think?), save, quit my other instance of Blender.... or maybe I'm wrong, and that's all not necessary, but a simple, clear UI would save me from even considering a convoluted workflow like that.
agreed
Yep 100% thats exactly what im getting at. that needs to happen. its very much a pain in the backside and i work in a team where hundreds if files are often made in a week, and managing them from the asset manager has been hard, we use scenes as well to help with it. but having global control over the asset library independent of the scene files themselves is 100% exactly what i was getting at. The scene file should really only be marking the asset. not managing where that asset goes. Blender should be handling that, and it should not matter what file is open. if i want to move that to a different category, i should not need to go into that file wait for blender (and addons) to load, go into Current file, and change it there. We should be defining project folders / asset managed folders that are included in the scan, and having freely accessible movement of the library.
I get that to mark an asset you would still want to be able to do it in blender its self. but what about marking an entire file. Or being able to mark an asset or collection from with in a new mark assets window that we can access files from with in the browser and mark them as we go through them or the ways as i said in the post .
it definitely needs some work. but it would be worth it.
When you automatically save an object from your current file over to the global asset file, do you want it to be moved to the world origin or maintain it's location as set in the file it came from?
if your refering to when you drag an asset in, thats not really what this is about. this is about having organisational abilities that dont depend on individual files. the manager should not be having to open up every single file simply to move an asset from one category to the next, or be restricted from creating categories with dependencies on that particular file. that makes any kind of asset management long painful and not conducive of a good pipeline tool.
it has absolutely nothing to do with placement or arrangement of the asset in a particular file. only that files that are scanned in contained library folders should be modifiable freely. the library should not be stored in each individual file, but rather as part of blender its self. when it scans the libraries it looks inside the file sees marked assets and puts them where it has been told. Custom libraries and categories made should be managed on their own. but preferably the search is done and uses a "search like the software called: everything" to maintain its speed.
everything regarding assets origin in scene is completely irrelevant and should depend on what ever settings they have in the files them selves set by the artist.