Simple Asset Manager

About

Simple Asset Manager for Blender 2.8. Works with objects, materials, hdr and particle systems. Did this one due to dealys for internal asset manager for Blender.

This product is a kind of a motiviation to donate the development of SAM.

SAM will remain open, but most recent version will be sold here. After a while (or if the purchases will be high)I will share the most recent version on gitlab and blenderartists, as I did before. :)

Made for simplicity of usage.

• Opens `blend`, `obj`, `fbx`, `hdr`, `exr` from the same place;
• Dynamic search bar !!!;
• Master and Local (per project/working file) Libraries !!!
• Dynamic, and custom directories/categories: Except of `material`, `particle` and `hdr` this addon will follow your library layout, folders and subfolders;
• creates structured collections: `Assets`, `Assets/Particles`;
• With `Ctrl+scroll` over the categories it is even faster;
• Small and simple UI. Simple, and small to modify code as you like;
• option to batch render all previews or missing ones;

• works as operator too (One can search Simple Asset Manager in command search, and assign a SHORTCUT!! :) But there is no default shortcut assigned for it);

Install

Install .zip file without unpacking. Choose Library folder with your blends. And most important: do save user preferences, before rendering previews. Take a look at video. :)

Usage

After Install: In preferences render missing previews. It will render material view with eevee of your models, materials, and particle systems in one specific manner. Of course you can always render your own previews as 500x500 .png with the same name as blend file. But remember it can take awhile. Remember to save preferences before rendering previews with external instance!!

Manager tab is located in `Viewport tool panel` (shortcut key: `N`).

You will see all your folders as categories, and if any folder has additional folders you will see them as subcategory. For simplicity i didn't add any additinal ones.

For simple usage i made some hacks:

• So in folder named `materials` the addon will only import materials,
• and if the folder is called `particles`, then it will import all the particle systems.
• `hdr` will import hdr or exr image into the world light.

Master Library path is for you general library, saved in Blender preferences. Local library path is per blend file, and stored in scene.

Changelog

• 1.2.1 - fix for blender 2.9.3, hides "._" files in macOS
• 1.2.0 - totally changed "dynamic categories" on the backend, both local and global libraries works, fixed lagging, many minor fixes, previews are now 500x500px.
• 1.0.0 - fix "object already in a collection" issue with objects without a collection.
• 0.9.9 - fix macOS resource path issue (render previews with matcaps, or hdrs)
• 0.9.8 - new HDR/EXR preview with preview spheres, and Cycles render, Cycles render preview option for Materials, fixed render_previews "path" issue for Windows.
  
• 0.9.7 - dynamic search bar!!!, link works now as "Empty instance", append creates new object every time (except when the name is the same then shares the mesh), matcaps render avileable, preview images size option, layout cleanup,
• 0.9.6 - FIXED on cursor rotation placement!, master-library, and local library(per project), operators and panels renaming with blender separators,
• 0.9.5 - search bar, relative library path, fix non-english characters, fix at origin import, added rotation, API updates.
• 0.9.4 - fixed append at origin issue, particles when imported again use previous import group.
• 0.9.3 - UI popup operator (shortcut)
• 0.9.0 - fixed silent enum error, improts cllections from blend files, imports particles as groups, can choose exr for render prev, fix render prevs.
• 0.8.0 - materials can be `append`, `added` and `replaced`.
• 0.7.0 - `open` opens file in separate instance, as well as `render previews`.
• 0.6.0 - added exr format for env images, asset collection!
• 0.5.0 - fix material shpere UV.
• 0.4.0 - fix exr, fir particle render prev, updated api, fix hdr duplicate import.
• 0.3.0 - adds obj, fbx, hdr handling, hides unnecesarry buttons.
• 0.2.0 - adds at cursor placement, minor typos, fixes importing objects with materials.

Known issues

TODO

• Textures/Images