It’s not directly in cycles like proxies in Corona or V-ray where the actual geometry is loaded just before render and the file is saved somewhere in a format which the render can directly read, but you can set objects to display as bounding box which behaves similar (at least it doesn’t tax the viewport that much, the geometry is still loaded I guess?).
Yes, geometry is still loaded, and sometimes it’s even as expensive as without wire display, not optimized. Only having it in a different layer helps. So neither Arnolds standins nor mental rays proxys have similar tools in blender.
That could be a great thing if we could export a BVH file for an asset for example, and then instance it in another scene, Renderman does that too with RIB files, and it is pretty powerfull 
Quick question folks - anybody knows where the background image option for views went to?
I cannot find it anymore
The new of adding background images in Blender 2.8 is to add an Empty object with Image type, you can just drag an image from your file browser to the viewport.
Just empties? Darn …
I think so, maybe I am wrong but the old way won’t come back 
well empties are good when you can to see the background also in 3D space.
but for switching to specific views and then seeing the images they suck.
Plus empty and mesh cannot be on the same plane or they visually intersect with …
Ah well
Indeed, it looks like they’re not available anymore (at least with current build). I only found a camera view background picture.
Yes I agree with that, the thing you get in exchange is that yo ucan move the images more easily
Should be keyboard modifier to import as plane too.
it is also under the object properties when a camera is selected
It is in the add menu, press SHIFT+A and you have Image form file browser, or in empty you can add an empty image, and get an image for it afterward
is there a way to load mp4 or image sequences on an empty or a plane? right now it only works with the camera’s background, i used to be able to do it in 2.79 easily but with removal of blender internal it seems impossible!!
This has nothing to do with Blender internal…
In 2.79 you can easily load an movie file with an image texture node and use the animated texture in your material.
In 2.8 the functionality is simply not completely there yet. The node accepts movie files, but doesn’t play them with Eevee or OpenGL viewport render. Cycles however works.
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ah.cool…not implemented yet, and silly me though it has to do with removal with blender internal.
I wouldn’t say it won’t come back ever. If I recall correctly, Pablo, in one of the recent Blender Today live streams, expressed a sentiment of maybe the other method needing to be there.
I think the plan was to add some options to image empties to make them able to function like the old system - to display the images in specific views. I think overall it makes sense - you get all the power of empties, such as being able to parent and scale them etc, and you lose the UI clutter. They just need to add the missing features.
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They are really got decluttereing the menus
Cudos to them.
Actually empties being visible In specific views would be good
Top bottom front back so opposite views are hard currently requires hiding and showing empties