"Library" Override for Collection Instances

Since 2.81 Blender has a new override system, which allows for instancing and locally changing values of objects from different files. It also has a system of instancing collections. However, the overrides can only be applied to linked collections from other blender files and not to local collection instances.

Scenario:
file1.blend
– Door (Collection)
---- Door (Object)

file2.blend
– Window (Collection)
---- Window (Object)

Now you would be able to create a collection instance of Door in file2 and activate Library Override for this instance. You are not able to create a collection instance of Door in file1 - which could be quite helpful.

In summary I think, Library Overrides should be something like general “data overrides” and allow for overriding instance data from the same file too.

What do you guys think?

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Totally agree. local overrides would be very handy for character building and rig testing.

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I only recently found out this isn’t possible, and it seems so odd to me. I definitely see value in overriding local collection instances!

Bump! I’ve been building a hallway with several doors. The natural workflow is to make each door a collection including an armature. How do you then open just one door? I know there are workarounds but seems a bit lame.
It’s part of a general issue. Blender still seems to be very old fashioned at heart with a single application trying to do all tasks using it’s own .blend data format rather than a linker/launcher using standard (i.e. long term stable) formats and a toolset. Things have improved a bit but I’ve really struggled with collections and overrides, I find them very difficult to follow and crashy (2.93.6). A lot more work needed by the core team.

I think collections would be incomplete without this. I really need it for all my product projects.

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