Blender projects define paths, asset libraries, and color management

Blender 5.3 can manage files in projects if you want. On November 13, 2026, the development team explained in the developer blog what the project system can do and what Blender 5.4 is meant to add. A project is a folder with a text file that defines paths, asset libraries, and color management for all files inside it.

When Blender 5.3 was released, TutKit only described the project system briefly. Here you can read how to set up a project, what to watch for with paths and colors, and which gaps remain until Blender 5.4. The program itself is free.

How does a Blender project work?

A project is a root folder containing a folder named .blender_project. Blender manages the configuration file project.toml in it. When you open a .blend file, Blender searches up the folder tree for this folder and activates the project it finds. If it finds none, the session runs without a project.

You create a project via the menu File → Project, or open an existing project there. Alternatively, you pass Blender a path inside the project at startup. According to the developer blog, project settings always take precedence over your personal settings. The configuration remains a readable text file. A script can generate the file, and in version control every change remains traceable.

What does a project define?

Output paths understand the variables {project_root} and {project_name}. The paths remain valid when the project folder moves to another drive, another computer, or another person. You don't need relative paths in every single .blend file for that.

You add custom variables, for example, for a character name, a sequence abbreviation, or a frequently used folder. You change the value in only one place, and all paths using this variable follow.

Each project can bring its own asset libraries. The libraries appear in the Asset Browser, in the Asset Shelves, and in the Add menus alongside your other libraries. For color management, you choose per project Blender's default configuration, ACES 1.3, ACES 2.0, or a custom OpenColorIO configuration. Everyone in the project then works with the same color pipeline without touching their personal settings. A custom start screen shows project artwork and the project's most recently opened files.

What is coming in Blender 5.4?

The most important goal for Blender 5.4 is a project-specific folder for add-ons. Everyone on the project should thereby use the same tools. The settings of an add-on may differ per project. Variables should also work in nearly all path fields. Built-in variables such as {project_root} should appear in the variable list.

For switching between projects, the developers plan a project selector in the File Browser and a Save As that is limited to the current project. With Save As Copy, variables should remain unresolved so that the copy's paths stay up to date. The post names no dates. You can follow the progress in the entry „Project Setup 5.4 targets“ on projects.blender.org.

What this means for you

Set up your first project on a copy of an ongoing job, not on the client project shortly before delivery. Put {project_root} into the output paths and check whether the project folder still renders after you move it to another disk.

Before the first render, check which color configuration the project specifies. Because project settings take precedence, a project may display colors differently from your previous files.

If you put project.toml under version control, you see every change to variables and libraries in the history. If your team shares add-ons, you'd better wait for Blender 5.4. Also check the copy's paths after every Save As Copy, because unresolved variables are only a target for that.

The Blender development team published the post on November 13, 2026.

Sources

• Blender Developers Blog: Project Setup: What’s In and What’s Next