Step 1 The Setup
Where do I find the asset browser? When you open blender in Layout mode for example you can grab the top left of the viewport and split the viewport which shows two 3D viewports until you reach into the top left corner and open the drop-down menu. To the far right of the drop down you see the words “asset Browser”. Clicking that opens your asset browser and its this are that allows you to choose an object, texture or colour and drag and drop it into your scene.
Step 2 Save The start up file
Now that you have the asset browser window open you can save the start up file if you like to ensure you don’t have to reopen it every time. If worried about space on the screen I usually have the asset browser open in the layout mode and switch to the modelling mode when I don’t need the asset browser options.
Step 3 Selecting the file path
The next step is important. When you go to the edit tab on the top left its edit>preference>file paths and you will see at the bottom an option for asset library. You need to choose a place on your pc where you can make the home for your assets to live. For example, create a folder in your pictures folder on the pc where you can save your blend files. Name it something like “assets” and go back to Blender File Paths and select this folder.
Step 4 Saving an Asset
To save an object to your asset library we can use the default cube as an example. Create a cube, save the blender project to the asset folder that you created earlier. Then navigate to the cube in the collections window and right click on it and it will show an option to save as an asset. When you go back to the asset browser ensure that the drop down at the top is set to ASSET BROWSER and not Current File. Here you will see a folders area but at the base you’ll see the Unassigned tab. When clicked on you will find that your cube appears to the right where you are free to drag and drop it into a folder of your choosing or creation. It will then appear here for every project you open in the future. Granted not many people will want another cube but it’s a great option to save any models you want to reuse later in a scene.
Step 5 Making use of the Browser
Create a blend file and add a lot of spheres and add colours you use frequently and have them ready to drag and drop onto an object. You can also set out the textures you use frequently and would like to have ready to just drag and drop on a plane/floor of your scene. Create a blend file for lights and add IES light textures to your lights and have them ready to go. There are a lot of possible options, you can also download models from the Free Models tab on this page and add them to your asset library for use in your own projects.
