Create or import geometry caches

You can create single or multiple geometry caches for your objects, each of which can be comprised of a single frame, multiple frames, or a range of frames. You can also import geometry caches that you have previously created without overriding existing cache data attached to your objects.

To create a new geometry cache

1. Select the object or objects for which you want to create a geometry cache.
2. In the Animation menu set, select Geometry Cache > Create New Cache.
3. (Optional) If a geometry cache file with the same name already exists in the directory specified in the Create Geometry Cache Options window, the Create Cache Warning message appears.

   Do one of the following:

   • Click Rename to change the name of the new cache you want to create. The Create Geometry Cache Options window appears. Type a new name for the new cache in the Cache Name field and click Create.
   • Click Auto-rename to create a new geometry cache file, save the new cache file to a new folder on disk, detach the object’s current geometry cache file from its cache node, and attach the new geometry cache file to the object’s cache node.
   • Click Cancel to exit the Create New Cache operation.
   • Click Replace Existing to create a new geometry cache file, replace the object’s current geometry cache file on disk with the new cache file, and attach the new geometry cache file to the object’s cache node.

   Your objects’ deformations are cached using the Create Geometry Cache Options window’s current settings. See Geometry Cache > Create New Cache.

   Single or multiple .mc files and an .xml description file are generated and placed in the file directory you specified in the Create Geometry Cache Options window, cacheFile nodes (named objectShape#Cache# by default) are added to your objects, and all your objects’ current geometry cache nodes are disabled so that you can see only the new cache on playback.

   Note

   When a One File or One File per Geometry cache exceeds the 2GB geometry cache size limit, it is automatically split and the resulting cache segments are blended.

   If you selected a single object, the following files are created:

   File Distribution	# of Maya cache files created	# of XML description files created	# of geometry cache nodes created
   One File	1	1	1
   One File Per Frame	Multiple, 1 for each frame	1	1

   If you selected multiple objects, the following files are created:

   File Distribution	# of Maya cache files created	# of XML description files created	# of geometry cache nodes created
   One File	1	1	Multiple, one for each object
   One File Per Frame	Multiple, one for each frame	1	Multiple, one for each object
   One File and One File per Geometry	Multiple, one for each object	Multiple, one for each object	Multiple, one for each object
   One File Per Frame and One File per Geometry	Multiple, one for each frame, for each object	Multiple, one for each object	Multiple, one for each object

   If you create more than one geometry cache for an object, you can then blend its caches to create various deformation effects. See Blend and set the weighting of geometry caches.

To import a geometry cache

1. Select the object for which you want to import an existing geometry cache from disk.
2. In the Animation menu set, select Geometry Cache > Import Cache.

   The Import file browser window appears. See Geometry Cache > Import Cache.

3. Navigate to the geometry cache file(s) you want to attach to your object and do one of the following:
   • For a single geometry cache file, select either the .mc cache file or the .xml description file for the One File cache you want to import to the current object.
   • For multiple geometry cache files, select the .xml description file for the One File Per Frame cache files you want to import to the current object.
     Note

     The geometry cache you want to import must be generated from the same topology as the selected object.

4. Click Import.

   A new cacheFile node is created for the imported geometry cache and is automatically attached to the selected object’s cacheBlend node. This allows you to combine the imported cache with any of the selected object’s existing caches.

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