Organising Blender Assets with Custom Catalogs

This is a note from our game dev journey.

If you’re building a library of reusable materials, node groups, or geometry nodes setups in Blender, the new Asset Browser (introduced in Blender 3.0) is a game-changer. It lets you mark any data block (like a node group or material) as an asset and organize it into categories—making your creative workflow smoother and faster.

But how do you set up your own custom asset categories (also known as “catalogs”)? Let’s walk through the process, from catalogue definition to assigning your own geometry nodes asset to a custom folder.

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What Is an Asset Catalog?

Blender uses a text file named blender_assets.cats.txt to define asset catalogs—that is, categories or folders in which your assets will appear when you browse your asset library (or, for example when you try to locate a modifier). This file lives in the same folder as your .blend files and tells Blender how to organize the assets you mark.

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Setting Up Your Asset Catalog

1. Create a Catalog Definition File In the folder where you plan to store your asset .blend files, create a file called blender_assets.cats.txt. It should start with:
   VERSION 1
   Then, add lines for each catalog in the format:
   UUID:category/path:Catalog Name
   
   • UUID is a unique identifier (you can use any valid UUID, or let Blender generate one for you).category/path is the folder structure you want in the Asset Browser.Catalog Name is the label you’ll see in Blender.
   Example:
   VERSION 1 0806d646-be44-43a9-a22a-d475210f4097:MyAssets/Modifiers:Modifiers
2. Save Your .blend Files in the Same Folder Any .blend file containing assets you want to organize should be placed in this folder.

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Marking Your Geometry Nodes (or Other) Assets

1. Open Your Blender File. Load the .blend file with the geometry nodes modifier or group you want to turn into an asset.
2. Switch the outline to BlenderFile mode (click the 2nd icon in the toolbar).
3. Mark as Asset
   • Select the relevant datablock (e.g., a geometry nodes group) in the editor.
   • Use the menu: Asset → Mark as Asset.
4. Assign to a Catalog
   • Open the Asset Browser and view your current file’s assets.
   • In the right sidebar (“Catalog” panel), you’ll see your custom catalogs.
   • Drag your new asset into your desired catalog (e.g., “MyAssets/Modifiers”), or right-click and assign it.
5. Save the File
   • Make sure to save your .blend file after marking and categorizing your asset.

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Making Your Asset Library Available

1. Set Up Asset Libraries in Blender Preferences
   • Go to Edit → Preferences → File Paths → Asset Libraries.
   • Click Add, then select the folder containing your .blend files and the blender_assets.cats.txt file.
2. Browse Your Assets Anywhere
   • In any Blender file, open the Asset Browser.
   • Switch to your asset library. Your organized assets, in their custom categories, will be ready to drag, drop, and reuse.

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Troubleshooting Tips

• Make sure every .blend file you want to use as an asset is saved in the same folder as your catalog file.
• You can add, rename, or reorganize categories by editing the blender_assets.cats.txt file, but you’ll need to reassign assets if you move them between catalogs.
• The catalog assignment is saved in each .blend file’s asset data and references the catalog by UUID.

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Wrap-Up

Blender’s asset catalog system lets you organize your node groups, materials, and more into handy categories for future projects. Whether you’re sharing assets with a team or building your own creative library, custom catalogs make asset management easy and efficient.

Happy blending!