Can 3ds Max automaticaly copy the images of a merged file into my project folder?

[jonasthomas]

Hello,

 

The problem I have is as follows:

 

When I merge a .max file into my scene, I always manually copy the images that go with this file into my working project folder under sceneassets/images/

 

Do any of you know a way to let 3ds Max automaticaly copy the images of a merged file into my project folder?

 

Thanks in advance!

Jonas

[nitz3D]

Hey Jonas..

 

I dont think there is anything like that with 3ds Max..

What we use is a Map Network Drive for the Maps folder..

We have a Maps folder with all the maps in it and have set that folder to M: Drive using Map Network Drive and have assigned the M; Drive in the 3DsMax Set User Paths.

 

Now whatever the project is, it has to check for Maps in that M: Drive only.

 

Thats it...

 

Hope you got it...

 

Thanks..

Whatever the project is, it ha

[Josef Wienerroither]

Not out from the box

But that would be a good idea for a script ...

[Zdravko Barisic]

^

I'm not into scripting at all, but have been thinking for this to be scripted, for a while.

 

@Josef

As far as I now you are the master of the scripting, right?

You did made some Nitrous vieport plugin?

[jonasthomas]

I'm really surprised that this isn't a standard option when you merge a file into your scene.

 

I mean, when you import a Sketchup file for example, the textures are automaticaly placed in your images folder, but if you import a .max file it doesn't do that... That doesn't make sense, does it?

[Scott Schroeder]

From an asset management in large scale production point of view, it makes perfect sense as to why max doesn't include texture files. I want one copy of that one wood texture in one location. It gets really messy when you have 10,000 copies of the same texture all floating around somewhere. Joe Bob uses one Swiss Coffee color swatch, Billy Bob uses another Swiss Coffee color swatch, Billy Joe-Bob uses yet another Swiss Coffee color swatch and all 3 users render 3 different scenes with 3 different looking color swatches of the exact same color. On the flip side, all three users render 3 different scenes with the exact same color swatch from a network location and get near exact same (removing various lighting conditions) results.

 

Not to mention bloated file sizes. Max files can get big with just geometry, image them with 4k resolution textures (at a minimum diffuse + glossy + bump for every material in your scene) included. Sure SketchUp files are relatively small with textures included, but those 128x128 postage stamp textures aren't going to take a lot of memory either.

 

If you need to pass a file to someone off your network, use the save as -> archive feature. Short of that, create a network texture folder to store everything. That way if you need that cool looking wood texture you don't have to wrack your brain to try to figure out if that texture was in a project in 2013 or 2012 and which project did I use that for. The only images that should be stored within a project's directory should be the extreme 1 time use only textures for that particular project. Everything else should be stored in a nearly organized network folder.

[Josef Wienerroither]

^

I'm not into scripting at all, but have been thinking for this to be scripted, for a while.

 

@Josef

As far as I now you are the master of the scripting, right?

You did made some Nitrous vieport plugin?

 

Thanks for the compliments, but the master of scripting keeps being Bobo (Borislav Petrov) forever

It just happened that i did a lot of scripting of the last few years, so i'm a somewhat routined scripter now

But sorry - my work load & queue currently does'nt allow much sideprojects ( on top of the already existing side projects ;-) )

[jonasthomas]

That makes sense Scott. But I don't understand why 3ds Max doesn't give you the choice.. It is my preferred way of working right now.

[Scott Schroeder]

I'm sure it involves re-writing some serious source code with how the .max file operates and what it consists of.

 

There are quite a few asset collector scripts out there if you want to put everything in one folder such as

http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/asset-collector

or Neil Blevins' bitmap collector (http://www.neilblevins.com/cg_tools/soulburnscripts/soulburnscripts.htm)

[nitz3D]

There is a Script Named as MergeTwo in BlurScripts.... Its just a simple File Merging tool.. But if we can call an Asset Collector script from there, i think it can do the job... Just a Wild guess...

 

M surely going to try that.. If it works or not...

[Vendetta]

Maybe I'm confused but is this the workflow you're looking for?..

 

Merge>Customize>Configure User Paths>External Files(Tab)> Add

--You add the path where the images are for those textures.

--Now max knows where to look.

 

Script: http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/turn-viewport-maps-onoff (Turns on textures to be visible in viewport)

Script: http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/zoa-path-editor (Material/proxy/ies re-linker, copier, etc etc. Does a bunch of cool things)

 

This is the way I go about it, if it's what you're looking for.

[jonasthomas]

Thanks for the tips Scott and Nitesh!

[notamondayfan]

Google MB Resource Collector. It's another script that collects files, and unlike Max's Archive, it doesn't keep the folder structure, which is my preference.

 

Saying that, I never copy textures into project specific folders (unless it's really something purely for that 1 project), instead I have a drive for assets, the main advantage being that your assets are centralised, and you don't have multiple copies everywhere. If I did that say with my stainless steel texture, it would be duplicated 100s of times for no reason.

 

The only time I copy assets to a project folder is when I'm archiving a finished project, and just keep it all together as a backup.

 

Dean