From BlenderWiki

[edit] Übersicht über verlinkte Bibliotheken

Blender kann auf andere .blend files zugreifen und dort viele Arten von Daten holen. Damit unterstützt Blender die Wiederbenutzung Ihrer Modelle. Wenn Sie zum Beispiel eine .blend Datei haben die ein sehr gutes Material beinhaltet, können sie dieses von ihrer derzeitigen .blend Datei aus nutzbar machen. Das bewahrt Sie davor, Einstellungen immer wieder machen zu müssen.

[edit] Genereller Ablauf

Das Hauptmenü von Blender befindet sich im User Preferences Fenster (by default the header located at the top of your screen). Von diesem Menü aus klicken Sie auf File -> Append or Link oder drücken Shift F1 in Ihrem aktiven Fenster. Dieses aktive fenster wird dann zu einem File Browser (Das Window type Icon sieht wie ein Manilla-Ordner aus) Fenster. Benutzen Sie dieses Fenster um auf Ihrer Festplatte oder sonstigen Datenquellen nach der .blend Datei zu suchen, die die benötigten Daten enthält. Wenn Sie auf eine .blend Datei klicken (in einer quadratischen Box neben dem Namen), erscheint eine Liste mit Datablock types: Scenes, Objects, Materials, Textures, Meshes, etc. Klicken Sie auf den gewünschen Datentyp und es erscheinen die verfügbaren Instanzen.

[edit] Ordner und Dateien organisieren

Wir empfehlen einen Ordner mit dem Namen /lib oder /library zu erstellen. als Unterordner sollten Sie nun einen für jede Art von Daten wie z.B. Materialien, Texturen und Modelle erstellen, die Sie später wiederbenutzen wollen. Weitere unterordner können Ihnen helfen die Übersichtlichkeit zu behalten während Ihre Bibliothek wächst. So könnten Sie zum, Beispiel im Ordner Modelle folgende Unterordner einfügen: Personen, Raumschiffe, Gegenstände, Gebäude, etc. Wenn Sie nun eine .blend Datei haben, die einen Stuhl beinhaltet kopieren Sie sie einfach in den Ordner Gegenstände.

[edit] Archivierte Objekte dem Projekt hinzufügen

Der folgende Ablauf fügt ein Objekt mit allen Modelldaten, Materialien, Texturen etc. der aktiven .blend Datei hinzu.

• Auf File klicken -> Append or Link
• Locate and select the file that contains the object you want to append (often a 'library' file).
• Navigate to the OBJECT section of the file
• Select one object from the list using  LMB , multiple objects via  RMB , and/or a range of objects by dragging  RMB
• Repeat the above for each kind of object you wish to append or link. Parents and Armatures (all modifier objects) must be selected separately.
• Set desired options that are shown in the header (to cursor, to active layer)
•  LMB on Load Library or press Enter or  MMB directly on the data to append

Of course, you can append or link many other things besides objects: cameras, curves, groups, lamps, materials, meshes, an entire scene, etc. Note that there is a BIG difference between adding the Object and the type of object, such as Mesh. If you append a Mesh datablock, you are only bringing in the data about that particular type of Mesh, and not and actual instance of the Mesh that you can see.

Use Append (button enabled by default) if you want to make a local independent copy of the object inside your file. Select Link if you want a dynamic link made to the source file; if anyone changes the object in the source file, your current file will be updated the next time you open it. These buttons are located in the File Browser window header.

Click Load Library to append or link the object into your current blend file.

Some more loading option buttons (in the File Browser header) include:

• AutoSel:
  • When an object is loaded, it is not active or selected; it just plops into your .blend file. Often, right after loading, you will want to do something with it, like scale it or move it. Enable this button and the imported object will be selected, just as if you magically right-clicked on it. This button saves the step of finding the object and selecting it.
• Active Layer:
  • Blender has 20 layers to divide up a large scene, and each object resides on some layer. By default, an object is loaded into your file directly into the layer it resides on in the source file. To load the object to the current active layer that you are working on, enable this button.
• At Cursor:
  • By default, an object is loaded into your file at the location it is at in the source file. To reposition the object to your cursor when it loads, enable this button.

	Finding What was Loaded:
	If the loaded object is not visible, consider using At Cursor or AutoSel. If you use AutoSel, remember there are Snap tools to put your cursor on the object (Shift S4 (Cursor to Selection)), and Center your view on it (C (Center View to Cursor)). Note that these tools do not work if the object is on an unselected layer, since objects on unselected Layers are invisible.

[edit] Reusing Objects (Meshes, Curves, Cameras, Lights, etc)

Let's suppose you created a wheel in one .blend file and want to reuse it for your current project. The physical model of the wheel would be a mesh, and probably comprised of a tire and rim. Hopefully you named this mesh something reasonable, like, oh, I don't know, "Wheel". The wheel may be colored and thus have some Materials assigned to it (like rubber and chrome).

Once you navigate to the file, select the "Wheel" and it will be imported into your current file. You can import a copy of it, or merely link to it.

Linking: If you link to it, and later modify it in the source file, it will be shown "as-is" (modified) in your current file the next time you open it up.

Other artists have released their models to the public domain, and friends may share models simply by posting or emailing their .blend files to each other. Keeping these files, as well as your past projects, in a Download directory on your PC/server will save you from ever having to reinvent the wheel.

When selected, linked objects are outlined in Cyan. Normal selected objects are outlined in pink.

Notice that you cannot move a linked object! It resides at the same position it has in the source file. To move/scale/rotate the object, turn it into a Proxy.

Using Appended/Linked Mesh Data:

When Appending or Linking certain resources such as mesh data, it may not be instantly visible in the 3D Viewport. This is because the data has been loaded into Blender but has not been assigned to an Object, which would allow it to be seen. You can verify this by looking in the Outliner View and switching it to OOPS Schematic view (you may need to have the Displays Scene datablock button selected in the OOPS Schematic Header menu). In the OOPS Schematic picture you can see that Wheel is not linked to an Object. To allow the newly loaded Wheel mesh to be assigned to an Object, either select a currently visible object or create a new object (such as a cube), then goto the Link and Materials panel and select the Wheel mesh from the mesh drop down panel, at that point you should see the Wheel mesh, because it's been assigned to an object. If instead of Appending/Linking to a mesh you instead load the object into Blender, it should be instantly displayed in the 3D Viewport without having to associate an object with the mesh using the Link and Materials panel.

[edit] Reusing Material/Texture Settings

Some materials, like glass or chrome, can be very tricky to get "just right". The Blender Foundation has released, for example, a Materials CD, which is available for free to download from their site. Using the .blend files on that CD, you can import common materials, like glass, chrome, wood and bananas. This feature saves you a lot of time, as it often means you don't have to be fiddling with all the little buttons and sliders just to re-create a material. I call out the Banana material because it is a great example of using simple procedural materials with a ColorRamp, and a procedural texture, to give a very realistic look. When you navigate to the file, and select Materials, the browser will show you a sphere sample of that material to help you visualize the texture that goes with the name. For more information on using the image browser, see the release notes.

Blender Extension: Library There is also a fantasic Python script called Blender Library that overarches all of your files and allows you to construct a master library. This script displays a preview and helps you organize your Blender work. Highly recommended; search www.blendernation.com for "Blender Library", it is also stored on the Blender Wiki Scripts section here.

[edit] Reusing Node Layouts

To reuse noodles (node layouts), open the original (source) file and create a Group for the set of nodes that you think you want to reuse. When you want to import that node group into your current file, select File->Append from the User Preferences window header, and navigate to the file. When you dive into the file, there will be a NodeTree option. Click it and the list of node groups in that file will be listed.  LMB Click the one you want and then Load Library.

[Verse] Verse is an amazing OpenSource collaboration tool that integrates with Blender. Verse enables multiple people to work on, link, and share objects and modifications in Blender files in real time.

[edit] Proxy Objects

A proxy is a legal stand-in or substitute for the real thing. In Blender, when you make a linked copy (described above), you cannot edit the object; all you have is a link to it. You cannot add to it or change it, because its source is in another file that is not open.

When working in a team environment, you may want more flexibility. For example, if modeling a car, you may have one person working on the shape of the car (its Mesh), but another working on available color schemes (its Materials). In this case, you want to grant the Painter a Proxy of the object and allow him/her to modify the material settings. More commonly, you will have a character being animated by a team of animators; they can define poses, but cannot change the character's colors or armature, only use what is defined by the master rigger.

The important aspect of a Proxy Object is that it allows you to edit data locally, but also allows specific data to be kept protected. Data that's defined as protected will always be restored from the Library (typically on file reading or undo/redo steps). This protection is defined in the referenced Library itself, which means that only the Library files can define what's allowed to change locally.

For Poses, you can control this by indicating Bone layers as being protected. A protected layer is shown with a black dot in it. Use CTRL+click on a button to protect or unprotect that layer. To make a Proxy object for yourself, establish a Link to the source object as described above. With that linked copy selected ( RMB and in view (you can see it in the 3D View), press Ctrl Alt P and confirm the Make Proxy dialog. The object will be named with the original name plus a "_proxy" suffix. You may now move and modify the proxy. When selected, it will look like a local object (outlined in pink).

You can then edit unprotected data. For most objects, this includes the location and rotation. You can also animate the object's location and animation using Ipo Curves. For mesh objects, the shape of the mesh is protected, so you cannot define shape keys. When you reload your file, Blender will refresh your file with any changes made to the original protected data, but will not reset your changes (unless the owner has).

Redirects to fix

• Manual/Effects and Physical Simulation → Doc:Manual/Physics
• Manual/Modelling → Doc:Manual/Modelling
• Manual/The Outliner → Doc:Manual/Data System/The Outliner
• Manual/Using Linked Libraries → Doc:Manual/Data System/Linked Libraries
• Release Notes/Notes246/Image Browser → Dev:Ref/Release Notes/2.46/Image Browser
• Scripts/Manual/System/blend library → Extensions:Py/Scripts/Manual/System/blend library