I don’t know how this eluded me, but I didn’t realize node groups could be marked as assets. I guess it’s kinda hidden in that I’ve only been able to do it by right clicking on the shield icon or right clicking on the node in the outliner’s Blender File mode…
For me it’s preference. I’ve been sharing blender data between .blends for over a decade so it’s what I’m most familiar with. I was very excited when the Asset Browser was introduced, thinking it would dramatically make data sharing more intuitive.
The Cubicity course was my big venture into the AB and….it didn’t leave a great impression if I’m honest. It was notably limited and quirky and I’ve been hesitant with it ever since. Perhaps it’s better now but as of a couple months ago when I tested last, it was still very quirky.
I think it just needs more time to develop. When I was recording Cubicity I reached out to Julian Kaspar at the Blender Studio who was working on Charged at that time. I asked if they used the AB in production and he said no which confirmed my hesitation.
Anyway, that’s a long story about why I hesitate with the AB but I still think a true asset interface / setup is a better method than rummaging through .blends. I’d make the comparison that rummaging through .blends is like using Linux and the AB is like windows / osx. I feel 100% in control with rummaging through .blends but it’s clumsy. The AB experience is (or should be / will be one day) a much more user-friendly method.
