Update References After Source Changes

References in Foxel do not update automatically.

If the source asset changes, existing Reference objects continue to use their previous generated result until you refresh them manually.

Why This Matters

A common point of confusion is this:

You edit the source asset, go back to the scene, and the Reference object still looks the same.

In Foxel, that is normal.

The Reference is not broken. It is still using its previous generated data.

References Are Not Updated Automatically

If the source asset changes, existing Reference objects continue using their previous generated data until they are updated.

This applies even when the source asset itself has already changed successfully.

Manual updating gives you control over when source changes are pulled into the scene.

How To Update References

Foxel provides two commands for refreshing references.

To update the selected references, use:

Object > References > Update

To update all references in the current scene, use:

Object > References > Update All

When To Use Each One

Use Update when:

• You only want to refresh specific references.
• You want more control over what changes in the scene.
• You are checking one change at a time.
• You do not want unrelated references to regenerate yet.

Use Update All when:

• Several references depend on changed source assets.
• You want the whole scene to refresh.
• You want all references brought up to date in one step.
• You are preparing the scene for review, export, or conversion.

Why This Behavior Makes Sense

References use generated voxel data.

Keeping updates manual gives you control over when those generated results are refreshed.

That helps avoid unexpected scene changes while you are working.

For example, you may want to keep editing the source asset until it is ready, then update the scene references only when the source result is stable.

Related Follow-Up Actions

Updating is the right action when the goal is simply to reflect source changes.

Other reference actions are useful for different situations.

Convert To Voxel Layer

If you want the generated result to become directly editable as voxels, convert the Reference into a Voxel Layer.

Use this when the Reference should become normal editable voxel content.

Break Reference

If you want to remove the link to the source asset and insert converted content into the hierarchy, break the Reference.

Use this when the result should stop depending on the original source asset.

What To Remember

• References do not update automatically.
• Source changes do not immediately refresh existing references.
• A Reference that still looks unchanged after a source edit is usually expected, not broken.
• Use Object > References > Update for selected references.
• Use Object > References > Update All for all references in the scene.
• Manual updates give you control over when generated voxel data changes.
• Use conversion or breaking only when you want to change the reference workflow itself.