Right Click

[Rodney]

RightClick RightClick RightClick

RightClick RightClick

RightClickRightClick

RightClickRightClick

RightClick RightClick

RightClick

RightClickRightClickRightClickRightClick

 

...and don't forget to save!

 

Just thought everyone should be reminded to right click and explore their options and save from time to time.

 

This message brought to you by the Right Mouse Button Channel.

[mtpeak2]

"Save As" (to a different name, version number) when making significant changes to your model or project. That way you can always revert back to a previous version, incase something goes horribly wrong.

[Gerry]

And always "Embed All"! (this is just a reminder for myself actually)

[mtpeak2]

Gerry, embed all is not good practice. Everything should be saved externally from the project.

[frosteternal]

And always "Embed All"! (this is just a reminder for myself actually)

Embed all is what I use to encapsulate everything in a copy for sending a scene off to render - that is it.

 

Embedding everything all the time is like putting all your eggs in one basket.

 

Backup backup backup.

 

=)

[Gerry]

Well, say you bring in a model from the library, then proceed to tweak it. If it's not embedded, you will be altering the model in the library.

 

Or, say you bring in an external model and proceed to rig it. You save progressive versions of the prj, up to, say, v.17. Then something goes haywire with the rig, say, at the stage where you're setting up the constraints, and you do something out of order and the rig is damaged somehow. If you go back to an earlier version to start from an earlier stage in the rigging process, every version from v.1 through v.16 has the same damage, because the error is now contained in the external model, not just in the latest version.

 

So maybe the key is to embed just the model. Or save it externally under a new name. But simply bringing in a model and proceeding to work on it can be tricky, and beginners may not be aware of the pitfalls here.

 

Like I said, this was mainly a reminder to myself!

[mtpeak2]

Embedded models are useless in other projects. The models need to be saved externally if you want to use them for other projects.

[robcat2075]

I've found embedding models in a PRJ useful when I've been doing some experimental (for me) thing where I'm tweaking models, materials, actions, chors along the way. If I save the PRJ with embedded models then I know that in each version the items that made sense together stay together and if I want to I can easily go back to a certain state of development.

 

And I can always resave an item out of a PRJ when my R&D is done and it has reached divine perfection.

[Gerry]

largento mentioned his work process of saving out every element of a prj, including materials, models, and maybe even actions and stuff. That makes a lot of sense and I really should start revising my work habits. Ya know I'm still learning this stuff!

 

You may not realize it, but the poor soul who saved 17 versions of his first rigging project was...ME!

[Rodney]

I use to Embed All rather religiously. But that was when I was mostly doing very simple projects.

The idea was to keep everything together in one place (except images of course... as those don't get embedded in the Project file).

 

More recently I've taken to Consolidating, chosing the Option to Save the Project and the Zip file.

Not that I've got anything important enough to backup at the moment but if I ever do that'll be well worth the effort.

And it's easy to share entire projects that way too without worrying if you left parts of the project out.

 

Another handy thing A:M does with Consolidate is that A:M won't let you Save over a current Project when using the Consolidate option. It'll make you rename your Project something else. So, there is no danger of overwriting your Project files.

 

So, I'm a fan of consolidation. I really should consolidate more often.

Live smart. Save a tree.

Consolidate often.

 

 

Added: Most people will find the Consolidate option a little to over the top. But it makes sure, without a doubt, that you have saved your project. Consider for instance that you cannot even Consolidate until you've first Saved your Project. After you've saved you'll see Consolidate as an Option (its grayed out before that). Once activated you then cannot save a Consolidated Project with the same name as the Project you just saved. So, it pays to Save incrmentally, as Mark Skodecek suggested earlier in this topic. Then there are other options for you to pick with Consolidate as well. With Consolidate, the chances of you losing a project turn to the odds of your harddrive failing. Periodically copy your Consolidated projects to CD/DVD or another harddrive and you'll be set to recover just about any project.