Proper Blend file browser/asset panel

Even with the additions of collections it still feels like a proper asset panel is missing. So I've made the following mockup of how such a panel could look:

Motive: Visual feedback on assets is important for a quick workflow. Especially when working with larger libraries of assets.

Description:

Left side panel:

• The left side panel shows all the blend files you've added to your asset library
• Add to collection opens the file browser to add any blend file to your library
• Add new asset group allows you to group specific blend files together
• Show all shows the content of all blend files in the right side panel

Right side panel:

The content of the selected blend file ( in this case Primitives.blend ) are shown in each respective catagory. If show all is clicked instead the content of all blend files in your asset library are shown. At the top there is a search function to quickly filter your display.

When you find the specific item you need you simply drag and drop them into their contextual view. The items should be linked and automatically "proxied" where applicable.

Items are displayed in 64x64 sized images, zooming should perhaps be a possibility.

Context options:

• Right clicking an asset file in the left panel should give the option to open/edit it in a new blender instance.
• Asset items in the left panel can be dragged in and out of groups
• Right clicking a group ( i.e. City ) gives the option to rename or delete.

Problems:

• In this current idea asset libraries are bound to one blend file and need to be repeated in other blend files. A possible solution is to append the data block for assets in other blend files where same assets are needed.
• The current setup is exclusive to blend files. Items such as textures outside of blend files wouldn't work. However this could be solved by having another section in the left side panels that allows you to add directories containing textures which are then displayed along side other textures if show all is clicked.

icons:
The icons are rendered by blender, perhaps a thread running in the background? Then cached in a file along side the project blend file. Only changed items are redrawn and replaced.

The directory option might also extend itself to other 3d formats which are parsed by their designated importers, rendered and then displayed. But that might be a whole different ball game.