Allow Different World Settings Per View Layer

Found a way to do this, Based on this post.

1. Enable 'Auto Run Python Scripts' (Preferences > Save & Load > Auto Run...)

2. Add a new text document in the Text Editor , copy the following code into the document:

   def is_view_layer(depsgraph: bpy.types.Depsgraph, *layer_names: str) -> bool:
       print(f"depsgraph={depsgraph.mode} VL={depsgraph.view_layer.name}")
       return depsgraph.view_layer.name in layer_names
   
   bpy.app.driver_namespace['is_view_layer'] = is_view_layer
   
   

3. Run the script manually (only needed the first time, the next time you open Blender you'll get a popup confirming you want to allow running code at startup).

Now lets say you want a property (HDRi background, film transparency, whatever) to be different for two view layers. You add a driver to the property (Right Click > Add Driver), make sure Type is set to Scripted Expression, and write:

  is_view_layer(depsgraph, 'View Layer Name')

Click Update Dependencies and you're done, the checkbox is now checked for that and only that view layer called 'View Layer Name'.

If the property you want to change is not a boolean, like a number or a string or something, then you can use this driver:

  true_value if is_view_layer(depsgraph, 'View Layer Name') else false_value

You can type multiple layer names to check for any one of them:

is_view_layer(depsgraph, 'Layer 1', 'Layer 2', 'Layer 3')

finding need for this still. This should have become a thing ages ago

absolutely must have!

Sooo much needed!

Indeed, everything like this should "easily" be solved if someday we have a proper layer with overiding system... maybe someday, hopefully :)

In the meantime, what I do is mapping a giant sphere with the hdri I want in every layer on a different collection.

Hi, a year late to the party and I´m running into this as well.

If any one, like me has no idea on how to combine scenes, here´s a tutorial just found youtube.com/watch

FWIW, this is already possible using scenes instead of view layers.

I agree, and with additional different render settings per layer.