diff --git a/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py b/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py
index cc50c1b..fcb7e33 100644
--- a/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py
+++ b/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py
@@ -326,6 +326,7 @@ class BlendFileBlock:
         Points to the data after the block header.
         """
         self.endian = bfile.header.endian
+        self._id_name = ...  # see the id_name property
 
         header_struct = bfile.block_header_struct
         data = bfile.fileobj.read(header_struct.size)
@@ -382,6 +383,20 @@ class BlendFileBlock:
     def dna_type_name(self) -> str:
         return self.dna_type.dna_type_id.decode('ascii')
 
+    @property
+    def id_name(self) -> typing.Optional[bytes]:
+        """Same as block[b'id', b'name']; None if there is no such field.
+
+        Evaluated only once, so safe to call multiple times without producing
+        excessive disk I/O.
+        """
+        if self._id_name is ...:
+            try:
+                self._id_name = self[b'id', b'name']
+            except KeyError:
+                self._id_name = None
+        return self._id_name
+
     def refine_type_from_index(self, sdna_index: int):
         """Change the DNA Struct associated with this block.
 
@@ -543,7 +558,8 @@ class BlendFileBlock:
             -> typing.Iterator['BlendFileBlock']:
         """Dereference pointers from an array-of-pointers field.
 
-        Use this function when you have a field like materials: `Mat **mat`
+        Use this function when you have a field like Mesh materials:
+        `Mat **mat`
 
         :param path: The array-of-pointers field.
         :param array_size: Number of items in the array. If None, the
@@ -571,7 +587,8 @@ class BlendFileBlock:
             -> typing.Iterator['BlendFileBlock']:
         """Yield blocks from a fixed-size array field.
 
-        Use this function when you have a field like lamp textures: `MTex *mtex[18]`
+        Use this function when you have a field like lamp textures:
+        `MTex *mtex[18]`
 
         The size of the array is determined automatically by the size in bytes
         of the field divided by the pointer size of the blend file.
diff --git a/blender_asset_tracer/tracer/blocks2assets.py b/blender_asset_tracer/tracer/blocks2assets.py
index fc58ddf..06c2c18 100644
--- a/blender_asset_tracer/tracer/blocks2assets.py
+++ b/blender_asset_tracer/tracer/blocks2assets.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ From a Blend file data block, iter_assts() yields all the referred-to assets.
 
 import functools
 import logging
-import sys
 import typing
 
 from blender_asset_tracer import blendfile, bpathlib
@@ -117,10 +116,9 @@ def movie_clip(block: blendfile.BlendFileBlock) -> typing.Iterator[result.BlockU
 def object_block(block: blendfile.BlendFileBlock) -> typing.Iterator[result.BlockUsage]:
     """Object data blocks."""
     # 'ob->modifiers[...].filepath'
-    ob_idname = block[b'id', b'name']
     mods = block.get_pointer((b'modifiers', b'first'))
     for mod_idx, block_mod in enumerate(iterators.listbase(mods, next_path=(b'modifier', b'next'))):
-        block_name = b'%s.modifiers[%d]' % (ob_idname, mod_idx)
+        block_name = b'%s.modifiers[%d]' % (block.id_name, mod_idx)
         mod_type = block_mod[b'modifier', b'type']
         log.debug('Tracing modifier %s, type=%d', block_name.decode(), mod_type)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_blendfile_loading.py b/tests/test_blendfile_loading.py
index 444ff6b..8ab2f4c 100644
--- a/tests/test_blendfile_loading.py
+++ b/tests/test_blendfile_loading.py
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ class BlendFileBlockTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
 
         ob = self.bf.code_index[b'OB'][0]
         assert isinstance(ob, blendfile.BlendFileBlock)
-        self.assertEqual('OBümlaut', ob[b'id', b'name'].decode())
+        self.assertEqual('OBümlaut', ob.id_name.decode())
 
 
 class PointerTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ class PointerTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
         scenes = self.bf.code_index[b'SC']
         self.assertEqual(1, len(scenes), 'expecting 1 scene')
         scene = scenes[0]
-        self.assertEqual(b'SCScene', scene[b'id', b'name'])
+        self.assertEqual(b'SCScene', scene.id_name)
 
         ed_ptr = scene[b'ed']
         self.assertEqual(140051431100936, ed_ptr)
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ class ArrayTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
                 name = b'MAMaterial.001'
             else:
                 name = b'MAMaterial.002'
-            self.assertEqual(name, material[b'id', b'name'])
+            self.assertEqual(name, material.id_name)
 
     def test_array_of_lamp_textures(self):
         self.bf = blendfile.BlendFile(self.blendfiles / 'lamp_textures.blend')
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ class ArrayTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
         mtex0 = lamp.get_pointer(b'mtex')
         tex = mtex0.get_pointer(b'tex')
         self.assertEqual(b'TE', tex.code)
-        self.assertEqual(b'TEClouds', tex[b'id', b'name'])
+        self.assertEqual(b'TEClouds', tex.id_name)
 
         for i, mtex in enumerate(lamp.iter_fixed_array_of_pointers(b'mtex')):
             if i == 0:
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ class ArrayTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
 
             tex = mtex.get_pointer(b'tex')
             self.assertEqual(b'TE', tex.code)
-            self.assertEqual(name, tex[b'id', b'name'])
+            self.assertEqual(name, tex.id_name)
 
 
 class LoadCompressedTest(AbstractBlendFileTest):
diff --git a/tests/test_tracer.py b/tests/test_tracer.py
index 746f900..421ad73 100644
--- a/tests/test_tracer.py
+++ b/tests/test_tracer.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class AssetHoldingBlocksTest(AbstractTracerTest):
             # Do some arbitrary tests that convince us stuff is read well.
             if block.code == b'SC':
                 seen_scene = True
-                self.assertEqual(b'SCScene', block[b'id', b'name'])
+                self.assertEqual(b'SCScene', block.id_name)
                 continue
 
             if block.code == b'OB':