Cineversity

Hi -

Wondering if it’s possible to refresh the content of the C4D catalogs in the content browser.  I’ve been adding some items in there that I use regularly but as I’m still adding and moving them around on the filesystem to categorize, the structure continues to change.  However, the catalog in C4D appears not to be able to refresh its contents.  I have to remove items and re-add them in order for changes to appear.

Seems like my better answer is to just add items to favorites as that appears to be a “live” representation of the filesystem.

Am I missing something?

Thanks!

When you create a “catalog” you are only storing a link to the file. The collection of links is saved to a separate file with a .cat4d ext.
Moving a file breaks the link.
This is generally more useful if you already have a structure and you are just looking to share or transport assets between projects.
“

So, what’s a catalog?

The Content Browser lets you create catalogs that contain links to scenes, images and other files.
This list of links is stored in userprefs/library/browser

from the help:
How do I fill a catalog?

There are different ways to fill a catalog with files or presets:

Drag and drop files or presets from any directory on your hard drive (even from another Content Browser) onto the respective catalog.
Right-click on selected objects in the Content Browser. A menu will open, at the bottom of which you will find the Add To option. Select one of these menu points and all selected items will be placed into this catalog.

Will the catalog work on a different hard drive?

Let’s say you want to pass a catalog full of interior scenes to your colleague. The problem: The scenes themselves are not contained in the catalog, so you have to pass the folder in which the scenes are located along as well (in addition to the *.cat4d catalog file). This is what the Base Folder function is for. The Base Folder should point to the scene folder’s top-most hierarchy, where all catalog items are physically located. This folder can then be easily burned to a CD-ROM and it will still function with the catalog. In the content window, right-click on the catalog folder, select Change Base Folder and enter the CD-ROM as the new Base Folder.

The catalog should carry the same name and be located at the exact location, as defined in the Home Directory setting. This will avoid confusion on the part of the Content Browser.
“

For what you are trying to do or want to do, you are right in assuming the favorite system is probably better, at least until you can lock down most of the content in your library

Thanks Patrick, that’s what I figured was the case - that it’s just a link.  However, since I was adding the folder itself - not the individual files, I wasn’t sure if the link was made at the folder, and maintained at that level dynamically, or what I think you’re saying it does - which is recursively link every file in a folder that you add to the catalog - which is more inline with what it sounds like catalogs were intended to be.  So as a “personal catalog” that changes often and isn’t shared, it’s probably not the best way to work - better to use favorites.  Create a catalog when you need to share contents amongst others, and build the catalog and lock it down early so it doesn’t change often.  The documentation was clear, but wasn’t specific on the point of how the elements are stored when you’re adding something like a folder/directory.

Thanks!

A bit off topic, but related to Content Browser woes.

Is there any way to keep texture/material paths intact (absolute links?) when dragging content from the content browser to a new project file?
Those links tend to break very easily—- and I end up with the same exact textures duplicated a in every new project folder. A version control and backup/archive nightmare.

I have large collections of models from Zygote, Dosch, TurboSquid, GreyScale Gorilla, etc. in a custom Content Browser catalogue. Some are custom catalogues that I made.
—I find that if I want to use a model from any them, I need to open the model file, do a “Save project with Assets”  to gather the tex files into new directory—and either reconnect the texture files manually in the C4D file paths dialogue boxes, OR by dragging the tex files into a master or parent Tex folder…

—Maybe my catalogues are messed up. I’m not sure anymore. Someday, I need to completely rebuild and reorganize them - they have been upgraded to R13 from R12, and R11.5.

One solution I tried was making a broader search path for texture files in C4D, but in extreme situations that slows down my workflow.

—
What missing I think, and I submitted this to the suggestions box on maxon.net, is support of relative and absolute texture file links. And link replacement, updating system much like Desktop publishing industry does now. Including the simple feature that if you link one missing file, and the rest of them are nearby, then bring up a dialogue box that allows you to reconnect all of them in one or two clicks.

Cheers,
Jamie

GiantSimon - 18 July 2012 08:16 AM

A bit off topic, but related to Content Browser woes.

—
What missing I think, and I submitted this to the suggestions box on maxon.net, is support of relative and absolute texture file links. And link replacement, updating system much like Desktop publishing industry does now. Including the simple feature that if you link one missing file, and the rest of them are nearby, then bring up a dialogue box that allows you to reconnect all of them in one or two clicks.

Seconded - especially as I’ve been using models from a single collection of plants/trees, and as I pull in a new model, the texture images that are all present in a single folder need to be relinked for each model I pull in, even after replacing one in the same location.  Music DAWs, video editing packages, and others use this same approach to “discover” other missing media assets after replacing a single one in the same location…

I think that is an excellent theme for the tutorial request page, isn’t it. Content management is certainly a key element in our industry. Thanks for bringing that up.