It can also list the asset references like materials and objects, and select them in the scene or material editor.
Asset Explorer can be opened from
1) Render setup / Tools / Octane Preferences : 'Open Asset Explorer'
2) Preferences / Tools menu / 'Open Asset Explorer'
3) Octane main menu, after being added manually with the 3dsMax Customize menu: add from group Octane : 'Asset Explorer'
---------- 'Scene Assets' rollup: ---------
THe main table has the following columns:
Name is the base filename, without any path.
Stored Path is the path and name as stored in the scene data. This is the same as the 'Full Path' listed in 3dsMax Asset Tracking window.
Status shows 'found' or MISSING'
Resolved Path is the path where the file was actually found by 3dsMax.
It can be different from the Stored Path if the file was not found in the stored path, but found in an alternate directory, as set in 3dsMax 'Configure Project Paths / External files' of Asset Tracking
Type is one of the 3dsMax asset type.
Search info displays the result of the last search, for missing assets
Refs is the number of references of this asset. Those will be listed in the 'Asset references' rollup
ID is the internal unique ID of this asset.
Controls:
Refresh button: parse the scene to list all assets.
Parse mode:
-Full: Parse all nodes of the scene, and other known asset items, like Material editors
-All scene nodes: Parse all nodes of the scene
-Selected nodes: Parse only the currently selected nodes
-Global: Same as 3dsMax Asset Tracking, but no reference list available
Search mode:
-Search and List. (When finding a missing asset, display the new location in the result window)
-Search and Rename (When finding a missing asset, change the asset name in the scene to use the new directory)
-Search and Copy (When finding a missing asset, copy the asset from the found directory to the currently missing location, not changing the scene asset filename)
Asset copy destination:
When using Search and Copy mode, select the destination folder for found assets. Note that Stored path may not be valid (eg: unavailable drive letter), so the User Path may be used instead.
Asset User Path:
Select User path used by 'Search and Copy' and 'Create Dummy assets' when selected from 'Asset copy destination'.
If User path is an absolute path, it should also be added in 3dsMax 'Configure Project Paths / External files'
If it's a relative path, it will be created as a sub folder(s) of the current scene.
------ 'Asset references' rollup -----
When selecting one or more assets in the Scene Asset rollup, all references will be listed there, with the full tree of materials and textures leading from a base node to a particular asset.
Note that no references can be listed when the Parse mode is 'Global'.
The top of the tree (root object) of a reference shows the Asset Name, and the other sub items will show an empty Asset Name.
Use the right click on this root object to open a context menu that allows to select this of those objects in the scene, or a slot in the select the matching slot in the Compact material editor.
Use the context menu to add or remove directories.
There are also options to save and load those directory lists.
- AssetExplorer_03_SearchDirectories_ContextMenu.png (10.02 KiB) Viewed 1019 times
Will display the first location where assets have been found by the last search.
- AssetExplorer_04_SearchResult_ContextMenu.png (6.9 KiB) Viewed 1019 times
-Add one or more directories in Asset Search directories.
-In the Scene Assets rollup, select some of the missing assets, and right click to open the context menu
The first option will show the search to perform, as selected in Search mode, and the number of missing asset to search for.
The result will be displayed in the 'Asset Search Result', and in the 'Search info' column of the Scene Assets
You then change to the 'Search and Rename' or 'Search and Copy' mode to actually fix the missing asset issue.
Note that 'Search and Rename' will change the scene data, and the scene will need to be resaved.
'Search and Copy' can copy the assets to a location that will be found by 3dsMax.
--- Special option - Creating dummy asset ----
The Scene Asset context menu has an option 'Special / Creating dummy asset' to create dummy textures as place holders for missing assets.
This can be used when no asset can be found, but you want to see the geometry with some colors instead of black.
Those dummy textures are generated with some random colors and red green blue borders, so they are easy to recognize.
To keep those files separate from any real asset, you might want to set Asset User Path to a folder like C:\myMissingAssets,
and also set this folder is 3dsMax Asset Tracking / Paths / Configure Project Paths : External Files tab, "Add...' button
