Resource Manager
The Resource Manager fixes broken links to files needed for your rendering, usually automatically.
The Resource Manager interface is located within Maxwell Project Settings. (Select Extensions > Maxwell Render > Project Settings...)
The Problem:
There are a several situations where file paths to Maxwell resources may become invalid, resulting in 'file not found'-type errors when attempting to render:
- When moving a form•Z formZ project between workstations
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- Attempting to use an MXM downloaded from the internet, which contains file paths referring to the original creator's hard disk
The Solution:
The Resource Manager remedies all these situations. Simply set one or more paths to folders containing the missing resources, and when they are needed, the Resource Manager will search until the missing file is found. If the search folders contain subfolders, those will be seacrhed as well.
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The Library references set up here are project-level settings. They apply to all windows, and are saved with the project.
The Search Order
Missing files are identified and searched when a render is started.
Search Order: Missing MXM, HDRI, IES, and MXS files
The locations where the Resource Manager will search for missing MXM, HDRI, IES, and MXS files, in order:
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If the missing file is found, it's path will be corrected to reflect the current location. This alleviates the need to search for it upon subsequent renderings, or when the project is reopened.
Search Order: Missing MXM dependencies
The locations where the Resource Manager will search for missing MXM dependencies (Bitmap textures, IORs, etc.), in order:
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| Info |
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The 'Resources' project-relative folder reference may not be deleted, but it may be disabled. |
When files are still not located
If the file is not found at the existing path or an any libraries, an alert is issued, indicating that the Log should be checked for missing resources. To correct:
- Check the Log and identify the file. It will be located just after the blue-highlighted ERROR lines.
- If you know what library the file resides it, simply add a new search path to that library.
- If you do not know, click on the Log entry with the filename. It will appear in copy-able form in the text box below the Log list. Select the filename here, then paste it into your preferred file-find utility and proceed to search. When found, move it to an existing library, or add a new library reference, as appropriate.
Using the Resource Manager Effectively
A Common (and Easy) Approach
- Keep one general resource library on each computer, containing all your IES, MXMs, HDRs, etc. organized in folders as you see fit. This is where resources common to many projects can be kept and shared. Unless you have thousands of resources, it is not necessary to link one search folder to MXMs only, one to HDRs only, etc. In the screenshot above, adding a single path to a general assets folder called 'Modeling Resources' will suffice to fix everything.
- Keep any project-specific resources in the project's 'Resources' folder. If you decide later that a something is best kept in the general search folder, just move it there; the path will be corrected on the next render (as long as there is a reference to that general search folder).
- (Alternately, you could set paths to search folder designated for each project.)
Transferring projects between workstations
When moving to another workstation for the first time:
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After that, you can freely move just the project (and its project-relative 'Resources' folder, if needed) back and forth between the two workstations, and all of your resources will be re-linked automatically. Do not delete paths to other machines, so these can be used to fix paths if the file is moved back in the future.
Server
Alternately, the main resource library may be set up on a server. (Just add a path to the server in the Resource Manager.)
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