We were discussing Asset Browser in the Links and Overrides thread: https://blenderartists.org/t/links-library-overrides-are-still-glitchy-after-4-years-of-development
I had similar problems with the Asset Browser, so I fell back to using the File | Link/Append menu command, because it’s easier to find what you are looking for - and the end result is the same anyway. Only real disadvantage is Link/Append doesn’t show you what items are flagged as Assets (Make Asset) which would be useful.
With the asset browser, even when you remember the name of your asset, it’s hard to find because AFAICT it doesn’t do keyword searching, so your substring has to match exactly. Makes it very hard to find stuff.
Actions not being specifically tied to a particular rig is occasionally useful - because it lets you transfer animation to similar rigs, but honestly, that’s not something you do often.
And that small benefit is outweighed by the negative that when you’re doing a scene with more than one character (even in the same blend file!) it’s very easy to lose track of which Actions can be applied to which rig. It gets even worse when you are in the Asset Browser and you see every Action in your library.
Now add the fact that you need separate Actions for the rig and correctively shape-key deformed meshes, and it gets very hard to keep track of.
I try and mitigate this by adding keywords to asset names (e.g. POSE FOR xyz - abc SHAPEKEY FOR pqr), but that’s hard to work because of the weak searching, and because Blender limits names to 64 characters, and can change them without your realizing, makes it very hard to keep track of. The 64 character limit generally makes it hard to maintain large libraries, especially since Blender has a flat naming system.
Also I found while I can drag single frame poses to a rig from Asset Browser, it doesn’t work for multi-frame Action - like a blink, so I have to use the NLA anyway.
Also, the changes introduced by Asset Browser broke the very useful: https://github.com/scaredyfish/blender-rhubarb-lipsync I’m not sure if it’s been fixed yet, but it was out of commission for some time and that inconvenienced many people.
Suggestions:
- Let asset map do keyword instead of exact substring searching of names and tags. Tag search doesn’t work for me.
- Provide a way to filter poses by intended rig/mesh - which would also help the shapekey problem.
- Let you drag multi-frame poses to assets instead of just single frame.
- Remove the 64 character limit for names. (A big change, but overdue).
- Do note as of 3.6 you can see the full name in mouseover. Showing the sourcefilename underneath would be even more helpful, since N-panel is usually closed due to lack of screen real-estate.
- Let us take a screenshot of the asset when we make it. The background-thread-renderer-thing often doesn’t make legible thumbnails. Negates the usefulness of thumbnails.
- Currently when assets are dragged into the viewport, it puts them at very strange locations. Not z=0, but some random number above or below. I found I always had to move them. File Link/Access using the 3D cursor is easier.
