Asset Browser fails to reuse data from the datablock of identical name #120137

New Issue

Ludvik Koutny · 2024-04-01T11:31:16+02:00

Ludvik Koutny commented

2024-04-01 11:31:16 +02:00

System Information
Operating system: Windows-10-10.0.22631-SP0 64 Bits
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 NVIDIA Corporation 4.6.0 NVIDIA 551.76

Blender Version
Broken: version: 4.1.0, branch: blender-v4.1-release, commit date: 2024-03-25 20:42, hash: 40a5e739e270
Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected)

Short description of error

Asset Browser fails to reuse data from the datablock of identical name. When adding GN node group from search, selecting the one from Group category will reuse existing but selecting the one from Asset Library name category will create duplicate, despite the Import Method being set to Append (Reuse Data). The datablock has identical name yet is not reused.

When adding new node groups through click-dragging a node link from an empty socket, user has no choice between the one from Group Category or Asset Library, and it always uses the one from Asset Library, endlessly duplicating the datablocks.

Exact steps for others to reproduce the error
I have no clue how to reproduce it because it is completely opaque to me when the relationship between Asset Browser datablock ID and scene datablock ID breaks. It just happens randomly, sometimes after reopening the file again, sometimes after making changes to library file. It almost always breaks eventually, but I have no idea how to make it break.

**System Information** Operating system: Windows-10-10.0.22631-SP0 64 Bits Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 NVIDIA Corporation 4.6.0 NVIDIA 551.76 **Blender Version** Broken: version: 4.1.0, branch: blender-v4.1-release, commit date: 2024-03-25 20:42, hash: `40a5e739e270` Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected) **Short description of error** <video src="/attachments/461687ba-0448-4b0d-b606-18820f0f0000" title="2024-04-01_11-25-35.mp4" controls></video> Asset Browser fails to reuse data from the datablock of identical name. When adding GN node group from search, selecting the one from Group category will reuse existing but selecting the one from Asset Library name category will create duplicate, **despite** the Import Method being set to Append (Reuse Data). The datablock has identical name yet is not reused. When adding new node groups through click-dragging a node link from an empty socket, user has no choice between the one from Group Category or Asset Library, and it always uses the one from Asset Library, endlessly duplicating the datablocks. **Exact steps for others to reproduce the error** I have no clue how to reproduce it because it is completely opaque to me when the relationship between Asset Browser datablock ID and scene datablock ID breaks. It just happens randomly, sometimes after reopening the file again, sometimes after making changes to library file. It almost always breaks eventually, but I have no idea how to make it break.

2024-04-01_11-25-35.mp4

32 MiB

Ludvik Koutny added the

labels 2024-04-01 11:31:16 +02:00

Germano Cavalcante commented

2024-04-02 20:19:58 +02:00

I've seen a similar issue before.
What happens is that assets have a reference to a directory (id->library_weak_reference->library_filepath), which can be absolute (such as from 'C:') or relative (based on the .blend file directory). This allows reusing the same data on future append, even across editing sessions.

What occurred in the reported incident that I recall is that it changed the assets directory, causing the weak reference to the original assets to be lost, and as a result, they no longer corresponded to those previously imported.

Is this what is happening in your case?
If so, unfortunately this is currently a known issue.

I've seen a similar issue before. What happens is that assets have a reference to a directory (`id->library_weak_reference->library_filepath`), which can be absolute (such as from 'C:') or relative (based on the .blend file directory). This allows reusing the same data on future append, even across editing sessions. What occurred in the reported incident that I recall is that it changed the assets directory, causing the weak reference to the original assets to be lost, and as a result, they no longer corresponded to those previously imported. Is this what is happening in your case? If so, unfortunately this is currently a known issue.

Germano Cavalcante added

Status

Needs Information from User

and removed

Status

Needs Triage

labels 2024-04-02 20:20:08 +02:00

Ludvik Koutny commented

2024-04-02 21:54:59 +02:00

I've seen a similar issue before.
What happens is that assets have a reference to a directory (id->library_weak_reference->library_filepath), which can be absolute (such as from 'C:') or relative (based on the .blend file directory). This allows reusing the same data on future append, even across editing sessions.

What occurred in the reported incident that I recall is that it changed the assets directory, causing the weak reference to the original assets to be lost, and as a result, they no longer corresponded to those previously imported.

Is this what is happening in your case?
If so, unfortunately this is currently a known issue.

Not at all. I haven not added any new library, moved library files around or renamed library files.

I use just one Asset Library, my own, in a single blend file, in a same path that hasn't changed since Asset Browser was introduced.

I honestly don't believe Asset Browser can ever work reliably if anything other than plain, user-visible datablock name is used for finding the datablock to reuse.

> I've seen a similar issue before. > What happens is that assets have a reference to a directory (`id->library_weak_reference->library_filepath`), which can be absolute (such as from 'C:') or relative (based on the .blend file directory). This allows reusing the same data on future append, even across editing sessions. > > What occurred in the reported incident that I recall is that it changed the assets directory, causing the weak reference to the original assets to be lost, and as a result, they no longer corresponded to those previously imported. > > Is this what is happening in your case? > If so, unfortunately this is currently a known issue. Not at all. I haven not added any new library, moved library files around or renamed library files. I use just one Asset Library, my own, in a single blend file, in a same path that hasn't changed since Asset Browser was introduced. I honestly don't believe Asset Browser can ever work reliably if anything other than plain, user-visible datablock name is used for finding the datablock to reuse.

Ludvik Koutny commented

2024-04-04 09:05:10 +02:00

Ok, I think the part of the problem is editing the datablock in the library file. Sometimes, when I update some of my GN group assets, I have to delete the datablock in the target library and append the new one into it.

When I make new version, it would make absolutely 0 sense to redo all those changes in the library file which I've already done outside of it, when working on the asset update, as it would waste a lot of time and introduce huge room for error. It's much easier and safer to just delete the existing datablock and append the new one under the exact same name.

But if Asset Browser fails to use names for reuse matching then this is indeed a disaster as this can't ever possibly work.

And I think #120134 is the issue with the same source of the problem, just different manifestation. Basically:
A. When I need Asset Browser to reuse existing datablock, it fails to do so.
B. When I need Asset Browser to not reuse existing datablock, it still does so, even if I try to prevent it by changing the datablock name.

Both are most likely caused by the fact some obscure library weak reference, which user can not alter, is being used for data reuse matching. It's just impossible to imagine system like this can ever work in production without eventually destroying someone's work.

The datablock name is what should always be used for matching, with maybe! a one time pop up warning that the datablock name matches but internal tracked ID doesn't.

Ok, I think the part of the problem is editing the datablock in the library file. Sometimes, when I update some of my GN group assets, I have to delete the datablock in the target library and append the new one into it. When I make new version, it would make absolutely 0 sense to redo all those changes in the library file which I've already done outside of it, when working on the asset update, as it would waste a lot of time and introduce huge room for error. It's much easier and safer to just delete the existing datablock and append the new one under the exact same name. But if Asset Browser fails to use names for reuse matching then this is indeed a disaster as this can't ever possibly work. And I think https://projects.blender.org/blender/blender/issues/120134 is the issue with the same source of the problem, just different manifestation. Basically: A. When I need Asset Browser to reuse existing datablock, it fails to do so. B. When I need Asset Browser to not reuse existing datablock, it still does so, even if I try to prevent it by changing the datablock name. Both are most likely caused by the fact some obscure library weak reference, which user can not alter, is being used for data reuse matching. It's just impossible to imagine system like this can ever work in production without eventually destroying someone's work. The datablock name is what should always be used for matching, with **maybe!** a one time pop up warning that the datablock name matches but internal tracked ID doesn't.

Iliya Katushenock added the

Download

What's New

Blender Studio

Manual

Developers Blog

Documentation

Benchmark

Blender Conference

Development Fund

One-time Donations

Asset Browser fails to reuse data from the datablock of identical name #120137