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When working on a modeling platform for which Maxwell doesn't have a connection plugin, you have to export your models to a geometry compatible format and import them into Studio, that embeds the geometry into a MXS file for the materials assignment and scene setup. The problem of in this approach is that if changes or adjustments are needed in the model, you would need to go back to the modeling application, adjust the geometry, export it and import the new object into Studio, loosing all the progresses you did during the scene stage.
The Asset Reference feature allows to import an object and keep it as a reference until render time in the same way Maxwell works with textures or referenced MXS files, so as the geometry is not pre-converted to MXS files but is referenced until the render step (just like texture files work), so any , you can perform modifications in the model are automatically updated in Studioat any moment, keeping both applications everything synchronized in the pipeline.
This feature has been developed to provide a better support for modeling platforms like Rhino for Mac, Blender and any other modeler without direct connection plugin.
To use it, simply export your models to any of the compatible formats listed below and import them into Studio using the Asset Reference extension object. If you change the model afterwards and re-save it, Studio and Maxwell will automatically refresh get updated with the new geometry.
The Asset Reference object panel
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