Blender will support online asset libraries
Blender will support online asset libraries, the Blender Foundation has announced.
Future versions of the open-source 3D software will ship with Online Essentials, a remote library of CC0 assets, including base meshes, materials and brushes.
How will online asset libraries be implemented in Blender?
The news was announced in a blog post summarizing the results of an initial workshop on the Online Assets project, which is still early in development.
The work will see the introduction of a new Remote Asset Library type alongside Blender’s existing system of local asset libraries.
Assets stored in remote libraries will be accessible on-demand on the internet, and cached locally for reusability.
They will share the same internet access policy as extensions, and will be available from the new Blender Extensions platform introduced with Blender 4.2.
Other proposed changes include support for multiple variants and representations – for example, different LODs and resolutions – within a single asset.
Why does the Blender Foundation plan to support online asset libraries?
As well as making it easier for large studios to share standard assets between facilities, the changes are intended to extend Blender’s “out-of-the-box experience”.
Future releases will come pre-configured with Online Essentials, a remote asset library of copyright-free CC0 resources including base meshes, materials and brushes.
Specialized asset libraries, such as content from Blender’s open movies, may also be made availble on the extensions platform.
When will online asset libraries be supported in Blender?
The project is still early in development, and no schedule has been announced.
Work is scheduled to follow the Brush Assets project – currently due in Blender 4.3 – which will replace Blender’s existing brush-based tools with a single unified Brush tool, and make it possible to store brush presets in shareable libraries.
Release date and system requirements
The Blender Foundation hasn’t yet announced in which version of Blender support for online asset libraries will be introduced.
Brush libraries are due in Blender 4.3, currently in alpha, and due for a stable release in November 2024.
Blender is compatible with Windows 8.1+, macOS 11.2+ and glibc 2.28+ Linux. It’s free.
Read the blog post announcing support for online asset libraries in Blender
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