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Managing assetsâ external files is a common problem for everyone, and the Integration offers comprehensive workflows for solving it. The âManage External Filesâ is a functional module the Integration uses in various cases to automatically resolve external file issues or execute related tasks (e.g., copying external files, stripping paths, etc.). This moduleâs functionality is available on-demand as the âManage External Filesâ tool.
Manage External Files workflows
The Integration offers external files management in the context of these three main workflows:
- Managing external files on merging assets from Connecter: Helping you resolve missing external files issues when adding assets to your scene.
- Managing external files on adding assets to Connecter: Helping you organize external files when adding assets from 3ds Max to your library in Connecter.
- Manage external files in the current 3D scene: Offering various functionality for managing the external files of the entire scene or selection of objects.
Refer to the following sections for more details.
Managing external files on merging assets from Connecter
When you add assets from Connecter to your Max scene, the Integration checks if any external files are linking to this asset and validate if they are present or missing. Depending on your preferences, the Integration may warn you about any missing external files or automatically search for missing files and set their new paths if found elsewhere. Refer to the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ section below for more details.
NOTE: The automatic search and relink functionality is not available for the standard âOpenâ and âMerge with Max Dialogueâ operations, as they are handled by 3ds Max directly and not aided by the Integration.
Managing external files on adding assets to Connecter
When you add assets from your Max scene to Connecter, the Integration checks if any external files link to all objects and materials youâre adding to validate whether they are present or missing. Depending on your preferences, the Integration may warn you about any missing external files or automatically search for missing files and set their new paths if found elsewhere. Refer to the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ section below for more details.
IMPORTANT: Ensure you carefully review and master this part of Integration's functionality, as itâs crucial for successfully building an asset library that works for you and doesnât require you to resolve issues related to external files and other inter-dependencies manually.
Manage external files in the current 3D scene
In addition to the asset merging and adding workflows, the Manage External Files functionality is also available for managing the external files of the 3D scene (similar to Max's own Asset Tracker). Itâs accessible via the viewport context menu > Manage External Files.
Although the functionality is almost the same compared to the merging and adding workflows, the interface is slightly different. Thereâs no âAuto-find Settingsâ button (since they are only relevant to the merging/adding workflows), and the information text is related to the whole scene or the current selection.
Auto-Find External Files Settings
You control how the Integration handles the external files of the merged assets from the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ. To open the âAutomatic search and relinkâ settings, select the âConnecter Preferencesâ in the viewportâs right-click contextual menu and then click the âAuto-find External Files Settingsâ button.
IMPORTANT: Remember that there are two separate settings tabs - one (Merging Assets) dedicated to the asset merging workflows and the other (Saving Assets) to adding assets to Connecter workflows.
Under the âMerging Assetsâ tab are all settings related to the merging of assets workflows.
IMPORTANT: All settings and available functionality only relate to any missing external files of the assets you merge into 3ds Max. This means that the Integration doesnât search for external files that are present (not missing). For example, you can use the âCollectâ functionality to copy only the discovered external files in a folder and not all of the assetâs external files. Refer to the âWorking with the âConnecter | Manage External Files toolâ section for general external file management details.
Preferences
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Auto find missing files on asset merge: Use this option (selected by default) to turn on the automatic discovery of any missing external files. When the option is selected, the Integration will look in the folders specified in the âSearch Locationsâ section and manage any discovered missing files by applying the settings in the âManage discovered filesâ section.
If you deselect the option, you turn off the functionality, and the Integration will add all assets with missing external files directly to your scene without resolving the issues. - Show result in âManage External Filesâ: Use this option (selected by default) to see the âManage External Filesâ toolâs interface every time you add an asset to the scene to see the status of its external files. Besides the informative aspect, the âManage External Filesâ tool will allow you to manage the assetâs external files on the fly before adding them to the scene.
NOTE: The âManage External Filesâ toolâs interface wonât appear if the merged asset has no external files.
- Show only if there are undiscovered files: Use this option (selected by default) to see the âManage External Filesâ toolâs interface only when the merged asset has any missing external files. Assets having external files with no issues wonât trigger the âManage External Filesâ tool to appear.
Search Locations
By default, the Integration will look for missing files in the merged assetâs folder and subfolders (âSearch and asset foldedâ and âSearch in subfoldersâ options). You can also add a specific folder by selecting the âSearch in locationâ option and browsing a folder.
For even more advanced workflows, you can use the âSearch in favorite locationsâ option to add and manage multiple folders. The Integration will look for missing files every time you add an asset to your scene using the merge or place workflows.
IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that searching for missing files takes time, and while it will be almost unnoticeable when the Integration searches only in the assetâs folder, adding more search locations, and especially large folder structures, will substantially increase the search time and worsen your experience when you add assets to your scene.
IMPORTANT: The âSearch in subfoldersâ option combines with the other three options, which specify the search locations. Use caution, as it can dramatically increase the search time.
Manage Discovered Files
When discovered elsewhere, these options tell the Integration what to do with the missing external files of the assets you add to the scene:
- Do nothing (selected by default): The Integration wonât update the missing external filesâ paths. Use the âShow result in the âManage External Filesâ option selected to have the âManage External Filesâ tool open when there are missing external files for the assets you merge.
- Set new paths: The Integration will relink the missing external filesâ paths to the folder where they were discovered (found-in paths).
- Add new paths to User paths > External Files: Adds the found-in paths (where missing external files were discovered) to the 3ds Maxâs User paths > External Files
NOTE: This workflow doesnât update the merged assetâs external file paths but only adds the found-in paths as an alternative place where 3ds Max can find the files.
- Strip original paths: When selecting this option, the Integration will strip (remove) the missing external file paths.
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Collect: When selecting this option, the Integration will copy all discovered missing external files to the specified destination folder.
NOTE: This option works in combination with the other three options above:- Choose the âDo nothingâ or âAdd new paths to User paths > External Filesâ options if you want to only collect the missing external files to a folder but donât want to update the assetâs paths;
- Choose âSet new pathsâ if you want to relink the missing external filesâ paths to the folder where the discovered files are collected. This will update the external filesâ paths to point to that folder.
Working with the âConnecter | Manage External Filesâ tool
The âConnecter | Manage External Filesâ tool gathers in one place all functionality and workflows the Integration offers related to the management of external files.
You can use the tool in the following workflows:
- Merging assets from Connecter: The âConnecter | Manage External Filesâ tool will open when you drop an asset from Connecter into your scene if the Show result in âManage External Filesâ option in the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ is selected.
- Adding / updating assets to Connecter: If the assets youâre adding to Connecter have any external file references, you can open the âConnecter | Manage External Filesâ tool by clicking the Manage External Files button in the âConnecter | Add asset(s)â interface.
NOTE: The Manage External Files button is disabled if there are no external files referring to the asset.
- Managing current sceneâs external files: You can use the âConnecter | Manage External Filesâ tool to manage current sceneâs external files. To open the tool choose the Manage External Files option in the viewport contextual menu.
Statuses
External files and the paths on the file system related to them have different statuses as follows:
- OK: The external file is present.
- Unknown: The external file path is stripped.
- Found: The external file is missing, but the Integration has found it in another (found-in) location.
- Missing: The external file is missing in the folder, or the folder is missing or not accessible.
External path statuses:
- Present: The path to the external file is present and accessible.
- Missing: The path to the external file is missing or not accessible.
- Stripped: The external file path is stripped (e.g., thereâs no file path related to the external file.
Contextual menu
IMPORTANT: Thereâs no undo available for all commands in this contextual menu.
- Set path: If the Integration discovers a missing external file, the file status changes to âfound-inâ, and the respective folder path is shown in the âFOUND INâ column on the right. Use the âSet pathâ command to update the missing file with the found-in path.
- Set new path: Update the selected external fileâs path with a new path by selecting a folder in the Files Explorer.
- Strip path: Strips (removes) the selected external fileâs path. Works on single.
- Replace: Use this option to replace the selected external file with another one selected in the File Browser.
- Copy: Executes the standard Windows Copy command. Subsequently, you can use the Paste command to copy the files to a desired folder in Files Explorer.
- Copy to âŚ: Copies the selected external files into a destination folder selected in the File Browser.
- View Image: Opens the external file in 3ds Maxâs image viewer. Alternatively, double-click the file to open it.
- Open in Explorer: Opens the selected external file in Windows File Explorer. When multiple fields are selected, the files that open in File Explorer is the one you hover over when opening the contextual menu.
- Select all: Selects all external files in the list.
- Select none: Deselects any selected external files in the list. Alternatively, just click on the empty area below the list.
- Select missing: Selects all external files in the list with the status âmissingâ or âunknownâ.
Search
When external files are missing, the Integration provides workflows for searching and managing of discovered files. To access this functionality, click the Search button on the top right. It opens the âSearch & Relinkâ tool interface.
In the âSearch & Relinkâ tool, you specify folders where the Integration will search for the missing external files and choose how any discovered files get handled. To search for missing external files:
- Specify a search location by selecting at least one of the options under the âSearch directoriesâ section.
- Select an option under the âManage discovered filesâ section.
- Click the Search button.
- If any missing files get discovered, the file statuses in the main âManage External Filesâ interface get updated from missing to OK.
You can run as many search operations as needed until you get the desired result.
âSearch & Relinkâ tool functionality
The âSearch directoriesâ and âManage discovered filesâ sections of the âSearch & Relinkâ tool have the same functionality as the respective sections in the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ.
The difference between the two modules is that you use the âSearch & Relinkâ tool to dynamically search and resolve missing external files issues when merging assets, adding assets to Connecter, or managing the current scene in 3ds Max, while the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ sets the rules that apply automatically on merging and adding assets.
- Search button: Clicking the button initiates a search for the missing external files in the folders specified in the âSearch directoriesâ section. The button is disabled if none of the options is selected.
- Save these settings for the next asset merge: Saves the currently selected options and shows them the next time you open the tool.
Auto-Find Settings
The Auto-Find Settings button is available in the âConnecter | Manage External Filesâ tool when you merge assets into the scene or add/update assets to Connecter. It opens the âAuto-Find External Files Settingsâ dialog in âConnecter | Preferencesâ. This allows you to review and update the settings.
NOTE: Any update on the settings will apply on the next merge or add to Connecter interaction. Changing the settings wonât have any effect on the current asset.