Initial project directory

On 15/04/2014 at 03:27, xxxxxxxx wrote:

User Information:
Cinema 4D Version:   R15 Stud 
Platform:      Mac OSX  ; 
Language(s) :     C++  ;

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When you create a new project it has no name or location. This is only set up when you first save the project, I believe.

If you create a material and use a bitmap as a texture, c4d will ask you if you want to copy the bitmap file to the default location. In other words whether to copy the bitmap to the ex folder.

If you create a material before you first save the project, where does c4d consider the project location to be and thus where does it think the ex folder is?

Also when you first save a project, any material textures which you've created (and said yes to copy into the ex folder) do not appear to correctly move to the new project location.

This means that if my plugin creates a material and uses a bitmap texture, I cannot put the copied bitmap file into the correct location unless the project has been saved (and thus has a project location).

Any suggestions or observations?

On 15/04/2014 at 03:32, xxxxxxxx wrote:

The user-folder has a tex/ subfolder. That's where it will be copied to.

-Niklas

On 15/04/2014 at 03:38, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Does c4d then copy files from the user's tex\ folder (for previous unsaved projects) to the project folder when it is saved for the first time and thus acquires a project ex location?

On 15/04/2014 at 06:57, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Would have to try that myself to be sure, just try it and see what Cinema does.

On 15/04/2014 at 07:40, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Thanks Niklas. I'll try that myself later and will post back here to advise how it goes...

On 15/04/2014 at 10:51, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Ok, so I tried it with R15 studio and here are the results...

open c4d (no project loaded)

create a material and assign a bitmap texture to it

c4d asks whether to make a local copy?    say yes

c4d creates a copy of the file in /Users/MyName/Library/Preferences/MAXON/CINEMA 4D R15_XXXXXXX/filename.jpg

texture manager shows material texture in the above (hidden) location ... library folder is hidden on OSX

save new c4d project (selecting some location and supplying new name)

c4d saves project in new location but leaving the texture in the hidden location - confirmed with finder and also in texture manager

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observation: I understand what c4d is doing and why, but wonder if leaving a local copy of the texture file in a hidden location is really the most sensible option by default.

Yes I know that having saved the project I can always go and re-attach the texture again. This again prompts whether or not to make a local copy. Saying Yes this time puts a copy under the correct (newly named project's) tex folder.

This just seems like a bit of a hole through which textures on new scenes could get lost more easily than you might hope.

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For now I can work around this by ensuring that I prompt users to save the project first thus meaning that c4d will have a location for the tex folder.