Store max files

[christosviskadourakis]

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you have a nice Sunday!

I am running out of disk space and I think its time to move some projects in my second (and biggest, but slower) disk. However I am aware that this will bring some problems with missing textures. So, how you do it? How you move the max file to somewhere else and you are still able to open it and work it as it was? Are you saving it as archive?

[Justin Hunt]

typically all maps are in a "library" folder and any specifically modified maps and in a Maps folder with the project. This way you will only need to store/ backup the model file and the maps folder. Same goes for any proxies.

 

It is a good idea to archive the model with all the map and proxies used.

[Scott Schroeder]

Are you moving the textures associated with the Max file? That's all the matters for pathing purposes. If you move just your max file around, you will still be able to find the textures associated with that file as long as the texture files themselves don't move.

 

If you are moving textures too, the easiest way is to just have the drive letter change. For example if you have C:\Textures\Brick it is best if you literally copy that structure to your new drive, say X:\Textures\Brick. That way you can quickly asset manager or use the relink bitmaps script.

 

If you keep your textures all stored within the default Max project structure ..\sceneassets\images, then no matter where that whole structure moves the Max file should still be able to find them as long as names do not change. Though it is still advised to re-path things after a move.

[Jason Matthews]

I do a hybrid approach. I have a project folder for each project. Inside the project folder is the textures folder. All textures are stored here. I also have a proxies folder, where all proxies are stored. When I archive the project I move the entire project folder. If and when the time comes that I need to revisit the project, I simply open the Max file from the archive location, hit cancel when prompted about the texture maps being missing, and then click the Application Button (3D Max Icon)/References/Asset Tracking - and then re-path the textures and proxies. In your case, since your archive drive is slower you can move the entire project folder back to its original location and everything should work as usual.

[christosviskadourakis]

If and when the time comes that I need to revisit the project, I simply open the Max file from the archive location, hit cancel when prompted about the texture maps being missing, and then click the Application Button (3D Max Icon)/References/Asset Tracking - and then re-path the textures and proxies.

 

I thought that archives save you from this process. You just unzip the folder, you open the max file in it and then everything works fine. By the way I work just like you. I have folders for textures and proxies inside the main folder of the project. To backup them I just copy paste the entire main folder to my backup disk

[christosviskadourakis]

Are you moving the textures associated with the Max file? That's all the matters for pathing purposes. If you move just your max file around, you will still be able to find the textures associated with that file as long as the texture files themselves don't move.

 

If you are moving textures too, the easiest way is to just have the drive letter change. For example if you have C:\Textures\Brick it is best if you literally copy that structure to your new drive, say X:\Textures\Brick. That way you can quickly asset manager or use the relink bitmaps script.

 

If you keep your textures all stored within the default Max project structure ..\sceneassets\images, then no matter where that whole structure moves the Max file should still be able to find them as long as names do not change. Though it is still advised to re-path things after a move.

 

I want to move textures and proxies to the new location (different disk). About the path, it is a bit hard for me to do it because of the way I work. I put the project I work on the desktop (basically the folder with all of my projects are in the desktop). So I cannot replicate the path of the folder inside my second disk.

Unfortunatelly I don't use the default structure

[Jason Matthews]

I thought that archives save you from this process. You just unzip the folder, you open the max file in it and then everything works fine. By the way I work just like you. I have folders for textures and proxies inside the main folder of the project. To backup them I just copy paste the entire main folder to my backup disk

 

I have worked this way for so long (before archiving was in Max) that I just don't want to change. Meanwhile I am the first to scream that change is good.