NEW IN MAXWELL 3.2
The Asset Reference extension allows you to keep synchronized your models between your modeling application and Studio, even without a connection plugin
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 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, you can perform modifications in the model at any moment, keeping 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 get updated with the new geometry.
The Asset Reference object panel
Parameters
File Name
Path to the referenced object. It imports objects in any of these formats: OBJ, FBX, DAE, BLEND, 3DS, IFC, XGL, ZGL, PLY, DXF, LWO, LWS, LXO, STL, AC, MX3D, COB, SCN, BVH, CSM, XML, IRRMESH, MDL, MD2, MD3, PK3, MDC, MD5, SMD, VTA, M3, 3D, B3D, Q3D, Q3S, NFF, OFF, RAW, TER, 3DGS, MP and NDO.
Axis System
Indicates the axis that will serve as the scene's up-axis, derived from the axis system with which the object were created. Some applications consider Z as the up-axis, while in others Y is the up-axis.
Display Type
Defines the shading mode for the referenced object in the display. You can choose between Bounding Box, Points and Meshes.