Saved file has lost objects when reopened

[Ann1]

Hi all
I have hit a snag again in Grant’s course. I am up to Lecture 8.9 where he creates a house from the modules he made. After watching the video I repeated his steps to the end and I was very pleased with myself and my first house result. I made a collection of it - M- new collection and named it house 1.
I did not join all of it in case I wanted to edit it in the morning. I then saved the file making sure the message that it had saved was gone before I closed Blender.
However the following morning when I opened that file again there are a lot of missing objects and also the house 1 collection is not listed in the scene collection. I have rebooted my computer, checked that the objects are not hidden and Auto keying is not checked. I moved a few items around then re-saved and when I open the file again they are not in the place I put them.
I have attached 2 images - the 1st is of Grant’s completed house which was like what I had finished and the 2nd is what is displayed when I reopen my saved file in Blender.

Any suggestions as what has gone wrong will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again
Ann

[FedPete]

I have no clue!
But I do know that you are using an older version of Blender. And ‘collections’ was a new feature in those days. It could be so, that you are experiencing a bug. I can’t find a hint on the internet.

• Are the objects missing (deleted) or just move somewhere. - Are you still using the mirror modifiers?
• Do you use EMPTIES to locate and or group objects?
• This collection, is it a linked collection (as in linked duplicate?)
• To me it looks like Blender does some cleanup, while reloading the file. Which is normal behavior for Blender. Like your materials, if you don’t mark them with a fake user when the material isn’t connected to an object (face). This unused material (because it has no user), will be deleted when you load the Blender file again. So maybe, you objects are removed (unknown why) at the moment you load the file again.

I do not think that resetting your computer will help. Blender software gets confused by students, because they will activate (for Blender) illogical combinations of actions. Resulting in strange Blender behavior. Or using the wrong hot-key, activating an unseen change in Blender.

What can help is to open a new Blender file and use FILE > APPEND to import (append) you objects (or collection) into this fresh Blender project file.

[Ann1]

Hi FedPete

Again thank you for your prompt reply. I have investigated my file further and I have found that those modules which I duplicated and moved to create the house are actually still there they are just on top of the original module which they were duplicated from, even though I had moved them to a new location. Weird I had 8 copies on top of each other. I certainly did not duplicate them that many times. When the objects had textures applied they were ticked for fake user. I haven’t learnt about empty containers only collections. At least now I have been able to create and save the house collection so that is something going right. I will try your suggestion about using append in the morning.

Thanks again.

Ann

[NP5]

Selecting things in the outliner is a good way to find ‘lost’ things. As if they are there to select it will highlight it. pressing the point/full stop on the number pad will centre the view in the selected too.

Duplicates get numbered so should be easy to see the most recent duplicates,

[Ann1]

Thank you for your reply NP5 I was aware of being able to locate files in the outliner. My problem is trying to solve why the duplicated objects once positioned and the file saved are returning to the location of the original object they were copied from when the file is reopened. It is all in the learning curve of trying to tame this monster of a program.

[Ann1]

After searching on Google I have found the solution. FedPete it seems I had in fact pressed a wrong key as I had keyframes in my file. I have used Alt -I and removed them and my file is now back to normal.

Thanks everyone for your input for this latest issue.

Ann

[NP5]

Glad you found the problem. It is a classic and you had half checked it from the start, good checking!

This is yet another example of how FULL screenshots are needed when asking for help. The outliner has an icon that could have shown there was animation on some objects. Even if ‘Auto keying is not checked’ at the time.
Cut down details images can be useful only as additions.

[FedPete]

Good Job, you have learned something new (in the hard way).
I remember now someone with the same sort of issue, having an unknown animation action.

Well done study!