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Using custom thumbnails for blend files (2025-06-26 05:09Z)
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Yes, you can use the thumbnails (thumbs) you've generated for your .blend files, even if Blender itself doesn't generate or update them as you want. Here’s how it works and what you can do:
Why Blender Thumbnails Sometimes Don’t Work
- Blender only generates thumbnails for
.blendfiles under certain conditions (like saving with a camera view, or with the right settings). - Sometimes, Windows Explorer or other file managers don’t update or show these thumbnails correctly.
Using Your Own Thumbnails
If you have your own PNG or JPG images that you want to use as thumbnails for your .blend files, you can manually set them in Windows. However, Windows does not natively support custom thumbnails for arbitrary file types like .blend. But you have a few options:
1. Thumbnail Overlay Tools
There are third-party tools (like SageThumbs, Icaros, or CustomExplorerThumbnail) that let you assign custom thumbnails to files, including .blend files.
2. Folder Thumbnails
If you want to visually organize your folders, you can set a folder’s thumbnail to one of your images:
- Right-click the folder → Properties → Customize → Choose File (under Folder pictures).
3. Preview Images in File Explorer
If you want to see a preview of your .blend file, you can:
- Keep a PNG/JPG with the same name as the
.blendfile in the same folder for easy reference. - Use a file manager that supports side-by-side preview (like Directory Opus or XYplorer).
4. Custom Scripts (Advanced)
You can write a script to generate a Windows shortcut (.lnk) for each .blend file, and set the shortcut’s icon to your custom image. This is a workaround, but not a true thumbnail.
Summary:
You can’t natively set custom thumbnails for .blend files in Windows Explorer, but you can use third-party tools or keep your generated thumbs alongside your .blend files for easy reference. If you want a script to automate any of these processes, let me know!