File > Assign Offline File

References the edits from the file you select and applies them to the reference node selected in the Reference Editor. Maya applies edits by matching each nodename.attribute in the edit file to the file its being applied to.

For example, you can export a reference edit for pSphere1.translateX in the scene sphere.ma. This edit is saved in the reference file as <main>:sphere_pSphere1.translateX. You can then apply this edit to the scene ball.ma so that ball:pSphere1.translateX is edited.

File > Assign Offline File >

General Options

Apply via: Allows you to apply edits as either a referenced edit or import the edit straight into your scene. Imported edits are baked into the main scene and cannot be unloaded like referenced edits.
Assign offline edits to main scene: If turned on, the offline edits are stored in the main scene. Otherwise, the edits are stored as a file reference.
File type: Select from the drop-down list the file type you are importing. If you aren’t sure what type of file you are applying, you can select Best Guess.

Depending on the file type you select, various file type specific options may be displayed.

Namespace Options

Use namespaces: When you reference a scene with Use namespaces on, Maya creates a new namespace that contains the referenced data. Turning on Use namespaces ensures that all nodes are uniquely named.

A namespace is a grouping of objects under a given name. Each item in a namespace is identified by its own name along with the namespace it belongs to. See Namespaces.

By default, the basename of the referenced file is added to the beginning of the referenced object names, separated by colons See New Namespace (File Name) below).

For example, if you are referencing a scene named foo.ma that contains an object named ball, after it’s imported the ball is named foo:ball.

Tip
Before referencing a file, make sure that the renaming prefix contains no invalid characters.

The currently set namespace is indicated in the Namespace Options section by the icon. Namespaces that are parents of the currently set namespace are indicated by an icon. You can set the current namespace in the Namespace Editor by clicking Set Current. See Namespace Editor Overview and Edit namespaces.

Namespaces do not effect selection, the DAG, the Dependency Graph, or any other aspect of Maya.
New Namespace (File Name): When selected, the referenced file is added to the beginning of the referenced object names, separated by colons. New Namespace (File Name) is the default setting.
New Namespace String: When select, you can specify the text string that is added to the beginning of the referenced object names, separated by colons. A text field appears for your string when New Namespace String is selected.

Node Name Substitutions

Lets you perform text substation on the offline edits file as it is applied to the scene. One or more sets of replacement text can be specified and are applied to the file in the order that they appear in the list.

For example, if you wanted to replace all the edits applied to an object named sphere1 and apply them instead to an object named sphere2 , you would type sphere1 in the Search for field and sphere2 in the Replace with field, and click Add.

Search for: Type the node name you want to search for and click Add. The node name is added to the list. To remove the node name for the search list, select the name in the , then click Remove.
Replace with: Type the node name you want to use as a substitute, then click Add. The node substitution rule is added to the list. To remove the substitution from the list, select it, then click Remove.