Embeding?

1. When is it useful?
2. What are the downsides to embedding, like when should I not use it?


I ask because I recently have been having trouble when bringing projects to other systems even though the project is being accessed the same way via Ethernet storage from all systems. The other systems seem to have to re link to the source files? Dont know why.

The only work around I have found is embed but aside from a large file I do not exactly know whats happening and what I should look out for.

I embed when I'm doing experimental stuff with things that depend on other things, like a material that depends on how it is positioned on a model.

Or if I've animated or lit something in a chor with a model, then decide I want to change the model some, but want to preserve this complete situation that was working before I lept off into the unknown and make it not work. I could save the chor and model separately and match them up later, but if they are embedded in a PRJ I won't have to figure it out.

It's easier to repeat experiments or backtrack from failures if all the assets are in one file for each try.


If I'm animating with assets that wont' change I only save chors. They load everything they need anyway.


It might be illuminating to get a text editor and compare the path to an asset that loads on the original system with the path you have to lead it to on the other system. There's gotta be a difference.

Different drive names? Different folder names? Different folder heirarchy Things like that.

You might consider an SVN system like we use for the A:M movies. I just downloaded the SO archive today, loaded the one scene I'm working on and it loaded every asset with no trouble.

Am I correct that this would also be useful for not altering the original source models if you were altering the ones in the project because it was embedded.?

I mean to say its a way for you to protect source models. But the converse is if you like an alteration of a model then you need to save it out as its own model?

Yes and yes

If you embed - however - and don't have separate files for everything - your project file can become quite large and you run the risk of losing everything if your project file becomes corrupted. I never embed unless I am doing a test, or I want to upload/send a project for someone else to look at

That is correct. If you embed a model in a prj, the source model is no longer linked and will remain unchanged. However, if everything is embedded in your project, then there is a greater chance of everything getting hosed. If everything is embedded and only one of your items gets corrupted (model,material,light,chor etc.) then the project will fail to load and you will have to open it up in a text editor and manually extract each item into its own file in order to salvage the items that were not corrupted, which can be tedious and time consuming. It is safer, especially with large or complex projects, to save everything as a separate file. Although, Robcat's advise is also good. I follow Robcat's method when I'm doing tests and experiments. Both methods have strengths and weaknesses.

I run into circumstances where I need to load the same choreography on a separate machine.. Even though I bring all the files over and the choreography file, IT takes the second machine forever to load everything.... IT also asks for the same files sometimes 10 times before it's over with...On large choreography files it can take half an hour or more to get the choreography up and running on a second machine...

HOW can you overcome that headache?? Anyone know?

Here's something someone should try...


Make a simple PRJ that has one simple external model that it loads. save that PRJ to your central storage place.

Then go to your other computer and load that PRJ from that central storage place and if you have to refind that one model, do that and then save the PRJ under a new name.

Then get out a text editor and compare the file path to that one model that is in the PRJ.