Asset Reference Manager

From PanelForge 4 Documentation


This page is early work in progress draft. Information may be incorrect or incomplete.


Hopefully it will never happen for you, but now and again a project may be sent back broken, or a folder may be deleted accidentally or a model's name is changed... in such a case this is this the tab you want to use to fix it.


The Asset Reference path is the path which the project links the .obj/pfe.


File:Example.jpg

If the obj is moved or deleted the reference path source will default to absolute path due to being unable to find the initial true path of the file.


Before using the Asset Reference Manager please make sure you've added or have a fixed asset library in your project. Otherwise, Panelforge will not be able to relink the assets properly.



Using the Asset Reference Manager

Found under Project, the Asset Reference manager gives you two options, to fix 'All Panels...' or 'Selected Panels...' Generally speaking, if the asset paths are broken its best to fix all panels but to do selected panels, pick what you need from the timeline or the Panel Thumbnails palette and then chose the above tab option.


Once you access the palette the assets used within the project are listed, firstly the type of reference source. Primitive, Local or Absolute Path. Then, the path, ending with the object name for instance Stage/Decimetre/Characters/Boy.pfe. Then the number of times the asset appears in the project. These lines of assets will be back coloured, so if the link is broken they will be red, if they're working they'll be green.


File:Example.jpg


There's the option to individually change the Reference Source type of the asset, as well as the paths. To the top right corner a setting's cog which will allow you to change all the source type's at once which is more efficient. When your happy with the adjustments made within the reference editor its then possible to regenerate the stage layer through a tick box, as well as save the panels as it replaces the assets upon confirming via 'ok' the changes made.


The time taken for the reference editor to work through depends on how heavy the project is and the amount of assets it has to work through.