When I want to get a Model and a Rig from a another File. I append them to my current File.
Then After that.
Everytime that happens, I also the Objects that come with it. Like lets say. I make a Rig Object for my Head Rig.
So then it’ll duplicate itself, And i’ll have something like “Head Rig.001 or Head Rig.002” And I have to constantly clean and re entry everything over and over again. and that is just so annoying.
So how can I get things to Append without cloning these Objects? Because even if I don’t select them on the list of things I want. and I just want the rig. They come anyways.
What settings did you choose when appending the object? By default, if an object is appended, its parents (the whole hierarchy) and other referenced objects such as modifier targets, driver targets etc get appended too to not break anything in the object. Personally, I have always solved it by making a duplicate of the object in the original file, removing all parenting and other relations, drivers and targets from it, and naming it with an additional word ‘export’ at the end to recognise it in the appending menu. But I don’t know if changing the settings could also ignore all relations automatically.
But one solution that seems to work regularly (if not always), is to actually Append a “Mesh” category instead of an “Object” category.
Moreover, make sure to be inside the right Collection (in the Destination Blend file) before Appending, so to easily find the new content.
There is another complication to that, which is horrid Automatic Naming for the ‘main’ Data-Block of certain Object such as a Mesh/Curve/Armature Object; that makes that, if the Source Blend file is not properly maintained, it will be a struggle everytime one tries to find the Name of the correct Data-Block in the midst of chaos; one needs usually to know exactly the Name of that ‘main’ Data-Block in the Source Blend file, to not Append something else accidentally, and of course it is possible to Rename the Data-Block… Manually, and Save.
It’s good practice to revise and provide proper Names for those ‘main’ Data-Blocks…, but to be realistic, I guess less than 5% of Blender users remember or have any patience to do that freaking maintenance by default.
However, the good news, is that it seems the God(desse)s of Blender have answer our calls… and there will be a great update taking place on Blender 5.3+ if I’m not wrong, which will Automate the Naming and Re-Naming of the ‘main’ Data-Block accordinglu to the intuitive Manual Naming/Re-Naming of the Object itself. So, it’s likely sooner than later, a big portion of the difficulties involving Appending of stuff, is coming to its logical end.
