Unfindable Objects #115514

New Issue

Steve Gaskell · 2023-11-28T12:34:36+01:00

Steve Gaskell commented

2023-11-28 12:34:36 +01:00

System Information
Operating system:
Graphics card:

Blender Version
Broken: (example: 2.80, edbf15d3c0, master, 2018-11-28, as found on the splash screen)
Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected)

Using the "exclude from view layer" tick box on collections, hides objects so well that you can never (or hardly ever) find them again.

Create any object and put it in a collection. Note the object's name e.g. Cube.001
In the outliner, untick the "Exclude from View Layer" checkbox on the collection
Search for the object (e.g. Cube.001) in the search box at the top of the outliner.

Result: no results.

The exclude from view layer checkbox is great and is a convenient shortcut to (shift) clicking the hide in viewports and hide in renders options. But when there are hundreds of objects and dozens of collections, it's a massive time drain trying to find a rogue object.

E.g. I put a boolean cutter into a collection that I later unticked. I can see on another object that has the boolean modifier that I am using this (obscured) cutter and I need to adjust it, but I cannot locate the cutter. I CAN find it in the Blender File view of the outliner but there is no way I can select it there or find out where it is. I have to systematically go through every collection, tick the box (and the boxes of collections within) to find it. In large files this takes an age and can screw up the visibility of everything that should not be visible. It is then wise to revert the file, armed with the knowledge of where the object now is.

As I say, this may not be a bug. It may be by design. But it nevertheless would help to have some sort of indication where such a "hidden" object sits so that it can be found and accessed.

(And please don't tell me "Steve, just do this..." and point out a stupidly easy way to do this that I didn't know about, haha.)

**System Information** Operating system: Graphics card: **Blender Version** Broken: (example: 2.80, edbf15d3c044, master, 2018-11-28, as found on the splash screen) Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected) Using the "exclude from view layer" tick box on collections, hides objects so well that you can never (or hardly ever) find them again. 1. Create any object and put it in a collection. Note the object's name e.g. Cube.001 2. In the outliner, untick the "Exclude from View Layer" checkbox on the collection 3. Search for the object (e.g. Cube.001) in the search box at the top of the outliner. Result: no results. The exclude from view layer checkbox is great and is a convenient shortcut to (shift) clicking the hide in viewports and hide in renders options. But when there are hundreds of objects and dozens of collections, it's a massive time drain trying to find a rogue object. E.g. I put a boolean cutter into a collection that I later unticked. I can see on another object that has the boolean modifier that I am using this (obscured) cutter and I need to adjust it, but I cannot locate the cutter. I CAN find it in the Blender File view of the outliner but there is no way I can select it there or find out where it is. I have to systematically go through every collection, tick the box (and the boxes of collections within) to find it. In large files this takes an age and can screw up the visibility of everything that should not be visible. It is then wise to revert the file, armed with the knowledge of where the object now is. As I say, this may not be a bug. It may be by design. But it nevertheless would help to have some sort of indication where such a "hidden" object sits so that it can be found and accessed. (And please don't tell me "Steve, just do this..." and point out a stupidly easy way to do this that I didn't know about, haha.)

Steve Gaskell added the

labels 2023-11-28 12:34:37 +01:00

Germano Cavalcante commented

2023-11-28 15:12:01 +01:00

Hi @squawk,

Thank you for your detailed feature request regarding the challenge of locating objects hidden using the "Exclude from View Layer" feature, especially in complex scenes with numerous objects and collections.

However, unless you have contacted Blender developers or artists, we cannot accept feature requests on this bug tracker.
So please use other channels for this: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Communication/Contact#User_Feedback_and_Requests

Closing for now (this report can be reopened if the developers approve).

For more information on why this isn't considered a bug, visit: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug

Hi @squawk, Thank you for your detailed feature request regarding the challenge of locating objects hidden using the "Exclude from View Layer" feature, especially in complex scenes with numerous objects and collections. However, unless you have contacted Blender developers or artists, we cannot accept feature requests on this bug tracker. So please use other channels for this: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Communication/Contact#User_Feedback_and_Requests Closing for now (this report can be reopened if the developers approve). For more information on why this isn't considered a bug, visit: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug

Germano Cavalcante closed this issue

2023-11-28 15:12:06 +01:00

Blender Bot added

and removed

labels 2023-11-28 15:12:07 +01:00

Steve Gaskell commented

2023-11-28 16:36:21 +01:00

Hi Germano,

OK understood. I just wasn't sure whether the search bar of the outliner SHOULD locate the item when it is within a collection excluded with the checkbox. If it should, then it's a bug. If it should not then it's a feature request.

I assume from the fact that you are closing this, that it is the latter.

Thanks
Steve

Hi Germano, OK understood. I just wasn't sure whether the search bar of the outliner SHOULD locate the item when it is within a collection excluded with the checkbox. If it should, then it's a bug. If it should not then it's a feature request. I assume from the fact that you are closing this, that it is the latter. Thanks Steve

Sign in to join this conversation.

No Label

Download

What's New

Blender Studio

Manual

Developers Blog

Documentation

Benchmark

Blender Conference

Development Fund

One-time Donations

Unfindable Objects #115514