3D Compositing with Action > Action: Basics > 
Saving, Loading, and Importing
 
 
 

You can save, load, and import Action setups.

When loading a DVE setup from a previous version of Fire or Smoke, Action translates the elements to create a comparable scene. For example, in a saved DVE setup, if the front axis of a layer is not modified, it is not created by default in Action.

When importing a setup into Smoke that was saved in Inferno, Flame, or Flint, all non-supported objects (such as particles and deformations) are displayed as greyed out nodes in the schematic, and greyed out menus in the Object menu. These greyed out objects are read-only objects that can be viewed in Smoke (in the image window and the Object menu), but not modified or linked to or from. In Channels view, you can view the parent channel for the non-supported object, and in Tracks view, you can slide or stretch the parent channel. If you modify the setup in Smoke and resave it, you can open it in Inferno, Flame, or Flint, and modify all objects.

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Schematic of Inferno, Flame, or Flint setup

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Schematic of same setup opened in Smoke

To save an Action setup:

  1. Click Save.

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    The file browser and Save menu appear.

  2. From the Save Action box, select the format for saving the setup.
    Select: To save:
    All References to all clips in the Media list.
    Raw Selected animation channels as a user-readable ASCII file. In the file, each line corresponds to one frame, and each column consists of one frame number and the value of the animation curve at that frame. All saved information starts at frame one.

    A file with the extension .raw is saved in the .../action directory by default.

    At least one channel must be selected in the Channel Editor.

    Text The current text settings, including font, character size, kerning, italics, depth, beveling curve, and text string properties, all of which can be loaded in another Action session.

    A file with the extension .atext is saved in the .../action directory by default.

    A 3D text node must be selected in the schematic.
    Preferences The current Action settings as user preferences.

    A file with the extension .pref is saved in the /usr/discreet/user/smoke/user_name/action/pref directory.

    Defaults The current Action preferences as Action's new default settings.

    To restore Action's factory default settings, select Factory Defaults in the Load menu.

    Multitrack A multilayer setup for all Action media and save a multitrack clip in the current library.
  3. Type a name for the setup file and click Enter.

    The name appears in the Name field.

    By default, the setup is saved in the /usr/discreet/project/smoke/action directory. Using the file browser, you can save setups to the directory of your choice.

  4. Once you have saved an Action setup, you can quickly resave it by clicking Save again.
    TipClick Revert to revert to the last saved setup. All changes made since the previous Save operation are undone.

To load a setup in Action:

  1. Click Load.

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    The file browser and Load menu appear.

    NoteWhen you access the file browser through Load, you also have the option of removing existing setups.
  2. In the Load box, select the format for loading the setup.
    Select: To:
    All Load the clips in the selected setup into their corresponding media. The media in the Media list is replaced with the loaded clips. If a clip cannot be found on the EditDesk, Action searches for it in the clip library and loads it automatically to Action and to the EditDesk (if Load Missing Clips is enabled in the Preferences menu). If the clip still cannot be found, Action displays the missing clip name in red in the Media list. A surface that uses a missing clip appears as an outline in the image area and is shown in red in Schematic view.
    No Clips Load a setup without its clips. The current media in the Media list remains the same.
    Add Nodes+Media Add nodes and media from the setup file. This option appends the schematic and Media list from the setup file to the current schematic and Media list.
    Add Nodes Add only the nodes from the setup file. This option appends the schematic from the setup file to the current schematic.

    Not supported when loading a DVE setup from previous releases of Smoke or Fire.

    Multitrack Load a multitrack setup. Loads front, matte, back, and background video tracks from an entire clip. Replaces all media.
    Raw Load raw animation data to a selected channel in the Channel Editor.
    Text Load the text setup files.

    The text settings are loaded into Action's Text menu. To create a 3D text object from loaded settings, click Create in the Text menu. See Creating 3D Text.

    Preferences Load a file containing Action preferences.
    Factory Defaults Load original Action default settings.

    Selecting this option prompts you to confirm that you want to restore factory defaults and returns you to the Action menu.

  3. Click Context to filter the file types listed in the browser.

    Only the files types that correspond to the selected load option are listed in the browser.

  4. Select the setup you want to load.
    NoteSample Action setups are provided in the ~/examples/action directory.
  5. Click Load.

    The selected setup is loaded into Action.

To remove an Action setup:

  1. Click Load.

    The file browser and Load menu appear.

  2. In the file browser, select the setup you want to remove.
  3. Click Remove, and when prompted, click Confirm.

To import a file into Action:

  1. In the Setup menu, click Import.

    The file browser and Import menu appear.

  2. From the Import box, select the file format you want to import.
  3. In the file browser, select the file you want to import.

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