File paths Mac PC, workflow using Dropbox... Tweet

[Torquee]

Hi, I am using Mac Pro’s for C4D 3D work, modelling, texturing etc and have recently bought a PC workstation dedicated for rendering to improve speed. Love working with Mac UI but did not find cutting edge rendering power solution yet for Mac in current situation with newer OS not supporting eGPU’s nor Nvidia GPU’s.

I am however having difficulties working seamlessly between PC and Mac via Dropbox. Textures are lost (Error Loading Texture) as file paths differ on the PC.

Any solutions out there how to get this working seamlessly, jumping from Mac to PC and vice versa on same scene, working live without having to do platform specific exports?

Guess I am not the only one using both PC and Mac, tried to search forum for this but without success, so pls excuse me if this has been dealt with elsewhere.

[frankmci]

I generally add the necessary alternate paths to the C4D project file so that if it can't find the resources where it expects them to be, it knows where else to look. If you look under Preferences/Files/Paths, you can add as many additional search paths as you like. It's quick and easy, and saves having to re-link or juggle files.

[Torquee]

Many thanks @frankmci. It sounds like a smooth solution. Have now tried it from PC to Mac without success, but PC C4D version is S26 and Mac version is R23 though so perhaps that is why (cannot manage to get R25 working with any Octane plugin build on Big Sur, get the "NO gpu selected" problem).

Will try the other way around soon, going from Mac C4D to PC C4D.

Thanks again.

[frankmci]

I've only done it with matching C4D versions, but basic file path info doesn't seem like it should change. Usually there's decent backwards compatibility for at least a few C4D versions, but forward compatibility is a crapshoot. I think forward has semi-worked a few times over the years and across a few C4D releases, but I wouldn't depend on it.

[Torquee]

Thanks, I have now tried the other way around also, going from Mac (R23) to PC (R26), with added file paths in Cinema - without success. It’s a bummer if one cannot work seamlessly between Mac and PC with texture paths intact over Dropbox. But again, perhaps it's a differing version problem...

[cobbettjp_1]

Are the textures in the project you’re trying to relink set to relative file paths (texture.png) ?

If the textures have an absolute file path (c:/textures/texture.png) then Cinema 4D will only look in that location and ignore the additional paths set in Preferences > Files > Paths.

[Torquee]

Are the textures in the project you’re trying to relink set to relative file paths (texture.png) ?

If the textures have an absolute file path (c:/textures/texture.png) then Cinema 4D will only look in that location and ignore the additional paths set in Preferences > Files > Paths.

Cheers, yes most have absolute paths, C4D settings set to “Always ask” and not “Absolute”, but all textures are in Dropbox locations (eg textures folder in texture collection) - that is accessible from both Mac and PC, ie same files same paths, a part from PC and Mac have different drive names:
E:\Dropbox
\Users\MacPro\Dropbox

Was hoping the trick frankmci was suggesting to add the paths under FILE ASSETS would solve it…
If there was a way to make the links relative from Dropbox onwards, ignoring all before…

Really want to avoid to do the “Copy to Project” in Link Assets, creating copies in project folder for every texture, every project.

[Torquee]

Are the textures in the project you’re trying to relink set to relative file paths (texture.png) ?

If the textures have an absolute file path (c:/textures/texture.png) then Cinema 4D will only look in that location and ignore the additional paths set in Preferences > Files > Paths.

…the whole project(s) incl textures is on Dropbox. So no differences between Mac and PC (again apart from drive name before Dropbox in path).

[cobbettjp_1]

The trick frankmci suggested should work fine, I use this method on my PC linking to a Dropbox resources folder. Its the textures in your projects being set to absolute paths thats stopping it from searching the additional paths you set in preferences.

If you add the Mac Dropbox textures location in Mac C4D Preferences > Files > Paths, and then add the PC Dropbox textures location in PC C4D Preferences > Files > Paths, both programs will be searching the same folder.

Then you need to ensure every texture in your project is using a relative path, so just the filename.jpg. You would have to manually update these for each project in the Octane Texture Manager. When the textures are changed to a relative path, Cinema 4D will automatically search for the textures in the paths you added in Preferences.

[Torquee]

The trick frankmci suggested should work fine, I use this method on my PC linking to a Dropbox resources folder. Its the textures in your projects being set to absolute paths thats stopping it from searching the additional paths you set in preferences.

If you add the Mac Dropbox textures location in Mac C4D Preferences > Files > Paths, and then add the PC Dropbox textures location in PC C4D Preferences > Files > Paths, both programs will be searching the same folder.

Then you need to ensure every texture in your project is using a relative path, so just the filename.jpg. You would have to manually update these for each project in the Octane Texture Manager. When the textures are changed to a relative path, Cinema 4D will automatically search for the textures in the paths you added in Preferences.

Many thanks cobbettjp_1! I will give it a go as you say, syncing texture locations (Files Paths) in exact same order in Mac/PC and trying to convert all paths to relative.