We have files coming in form outsources that contain references to unneeded files.
The files have no object we can I identify which uses the missing external file.
how do I get rid of these, so that the ‘Missing External Files’ alert goes away?
I’m looking at the max MAX Scene File Properties help…but it seems like max ought to have some built in tool for this…
hmmm… poking around with fileproperties and the asset tracker , it seems like these references are very very hard to adjust.
Just to be clear: this is an unused reference to a bitmap file, not used in the scene, not found in the material editor or the bitmap /photometric path editor. it only exists as a reference in the file properties and the annoying ’ Missing External Files’ popup when the file is opened.
I have no idea where the file reference comes from or what it was used on.
It’s a path to a TIF that we do not use in anything in the file.
The outsources may have used it perhaps a lighting or camera effect for their own renders, but we do not need them.
They do not exist in sceneMaterials, only in fileProperties and the Asset Tracker.
Right clicking in the asset Tracker and choosing ‘strip Path’
will remove the path ans stop the annoying pop up, but the reference stays in the asset tracker with no way to remove it.
the asset name in question is “glare_streaks_start_camera_filter.tif” if that means anything to anyone.
well… attach a file. i will take a look.
here goes…nothing in the file but a reference to a missing tif.
before looking into the file let me conjecture…
# a missed texture cannot seat in the file without bitmap
# a bitmap in the empty file can be stored in only three places:
[ul]
[li] – material editor[/li][li] – custom attribute[/li][li] – environment map (background image)[/li][/ul] # if it’s a material but not in the material editor it’s probably in the slate material editor
# if it’s in a custom attribute there two possible places:
[ul]
[li] – max root node[/li][li] – material editor reference object[/li][li] – (there are some other places but an average developer doesn’t know about them and very unlikely can put anything there by accident)[/li][/ul] # if it’s in a background image it’s very easy to check
This file is present in render settings.
The filepath shows up using the example enumeratefiles() fucntion
as well usedMaps rootScene
but neither function seems able to retrun exactly what max wrapper object uses the file.
by itertating usedMaps with various maxwrapper values , and some educated guessing,
I isolated the file’s user: usedMaps rootScene.renderer.Camera_Output_Shader
returns the bitmap path.
I read further and discoverd that rootScene.renderer.Camera_Output_Shader
is a default value populated automatically by mentalRay.
It cannot be set to a null value, it must have a path.
Even if rootScene.renderer.Enable_Camera_Output_Shader:false ,
the bitmap is still referenced as a value and added to the Asset Tracker,
which then alerts the user if it is missing on file open.
The only one way I can find to get this value to stop poppign up an alert on file open:
change the rederer to a non-mental-ray renderer and save the file.
This will remove it from the scene and stop the pop-up without having to reset the renderer.
rootScene.renderer.Camera_Output_Shader.Streak_Image = “”
or more commonly you would write
renderers.current.Camera_Output_Shader.Streak_Image = “”
if it’s a default file for mental ray and you are not going to use it you can always create a small 64×64 black tif file at that location. It’s not pretty but will kill the message