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Forum topic · General Scripting

URGENT - Need a way to quickly change links to images

By FausseFugue · 2008-02-04

Description

We just changed the network path to our files and now when we load a max file it takes 5 minutes to load since it's searching for the images, and we then need to go in "Bitmap/Photometric Paths" to change the link to the images, but we then have to wait 45 minutes, only to have that "Bitmap/Photometric Paths" window open. We have hundreds of projects here... it's really depressive to think we'll have to wait 45 minutes per project to update them.

We can't simply go in "Customize user paths" and put the new paths there because that doesn't change the links in the .max document, it simply searches other folders, but we need the files to link directly to the right place since we're using a renderfarm and since we don't want to have to wait 5 minutes every time we open a document.

What I would want is to have a script that would search for every image that's in \\Network1\ and change it to \\Network2\ automatically, without having max searching for it. That way I wouldn't have to wait 45 minutes per project.

Is that possible??

If anyone can help, you will make me and my partners so happy!

Comments (3)

Christopher Grant · 2008-02-05

One thing I forgot to mention. Its actually *not* 3ds Max thats causing the problem here - its Windows. If you don't want to wait the 30 minutes or 10 minutes or whatever your file is taking to open... Simply yank out your network cable - Windows won't spend 30 minutes searching the network for a path that doesn't exist if the network connection is down...

I don't think it works the same if you manually disable the net connection, but its been a long time since I had to do that, so I don't remember exactly...

Christopher Grant

FausseFugue · 2008-02-05

Thank you so much! I just tested it and it works great. It only takes 20 seconds instead of 45 minutes!

I forwarded the link to the forum to the other people I'm working with so they can all use it.

Thank you so much!

Christopher Grant · 2008-02-05

I had to do the exact same thing today. Its not the easiest script to use as I never bothered making a UI for it but its really easy to adapt to your needs. You just edit the script and replace the search string \\Network1 and the replace string with \\Network2 ... I've attached the script to this message.

So to use this go to Maxscript / Open Script and select this script from wherever you downloaded it. You'll see where I've pre set the script to look for "Network1" (quotes aren't being searched for, they tell 3ds to search for the text between the set of quotes) and replace with "Network2".

Recently I changed drives and folder structure so I put "D:\\Projects" in the searchstr and "X:\\3dsmax\\Projects" into the replacestr. Note the usage of double backslashes - they're required.

I've included a JPG showing part of the script that you'd need to edit just to be safe. Good luck.

Christopher Grant

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