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Softimage User Guide: The Browser

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The Browser

The Softimage file browser is a type of window specifically used to: Search (browse) through scene databases, project directories, preset libraries, and other repositories whose files are required to build a project. Import scene files from databases as well as load scene and project files. Perform file management tasks such as moving, copying, renaming, and deleting files.

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Browser toolbar Path controls Tree view Contents view

To open the browser Do one of the following: Press 5 (at the top of the keyboard, not on the numeric keypad) or choose View open in a floating window. or Choose Browser from a viewport's Views menu to open it docked in that viewport. General Browser from the main menu to

When opened in either of these ways, you can drag and drop various files types (scenes, presets, etc.) from the Content pane on the right directly into Softimage. A similar browser is also opened by certain commands when you need to specify a file, for example, File you cannot drag and drop into Softimage. Instead, double-click a file, or select it and click OK. Open. When opened in this way,

Note On Linux, you may need to refresh the browser display to see recently created files and folders. To refresh, press F5 or click the

Refresh button.

The Tree View The browser's tree view is a hierarchy of folders and subfolders that contain files belonging to the scenes, objects, properties, or presets that you use to build a project. When you select an item from the tree, its contents (if any) are displayed in the list view of the browser. You can view items in the tree view by expanding or collapsing folders.
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To move up a level in the browser tree view Do one of the following: Click the Up button in the browser toolbar. or Press the Backspace key. To create a new folder 1. Click on the New Folder icon in the browser toolbar.

2. Type a name in the text box that appears and click OK. Viewing Folder Contents The browser's contents view displays the files of a folder selected in the tree view. You can display these files either as thumbnails or in detail mode, which includes file name, size, and comments.
Note

You may need to press F5 to refresh the browser display in order to see recently saved presets. Image sequences are displayed as if they are folders. This simplifies the view, especially when there are many files in a sequence. To view the image files individually, double-click on the folder icon. Click Up to return to the "parent" directory. To view folder files in thumbnail mode Click the Thumbnail icon to view folder files as thumbnails.

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To view folder files in detail mode Click the Details icon to view folder contents in detail mode.

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To modify the Contents view

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Click this arrow to show or hide the Tree view. Drag the splitter bar right or left to resize the browser's right and left panes. In detail mode, right-click in a blank area of the Contents view to add, move and rearrange columns in the Add/Remove Columns dialog box.

Setting Favorites Favorites give you quick access to a folder without having to remember where the file is located. The Favorites icon lets you mark a direct path to a folder of interest on any local, network, or external disk to which your workstation is connected. To add a favorite to the list 1. In the browser tree, navigate to the folder that you want to add as a favorite.
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2. Click the Favorites icon 3. Choose Add to Favorites.

in the browser toolbar.

The new favorite is added to the Favorites list at the bottom of the menu. To select a favorite Click the Favorites icon and select a favorite from the list that appears at the bottom of the menu. Your selection is displayed in the browser. To delete a favorite Click the Favorites icon, choose the Remove Favorite command, and select a favorite from the submenu that you want to delete. The favorite path is deleted from the list. The folders or files are not affected. Accessing Files from the Browser Path Controls The browser's Paths controls let you access files by entering their folder directory path in a text box or by selecting a preset path from a popup menu. To access files from the browser path controls

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Go up one level. Type a directory path in the Path text box. Click Paths and choose a preset path from the pop-up menu.

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Once you have made your selection, the browser's tree updates and displays the path's folders. Using the Paths Menu The Paths menu lets you choose from a list of directory paths, including paths that point to available projects. The paths are divided into the following categories: Choose... Application Data Paths Project Data Paths Add-ons Paths Projects To... Access application files from the Factory path where Autodesk Softimage was installed, from the workgroup path, or from the user path where your personal files and settings are stored.

Access files from the sample projects that were installed with Autodesk Softimage or from the current project.

Directly access the directory where factory add-ons that were installed by Autodesk Softimage are stored, or the directory where add-ons that you installed are stored. Access the files associated with the selected project. The list of available projects is maintained in the Project Manager dialog box. (For information on how to add and delete projects from project lists, see Maintaining Project Lists [Data Exchange].)

Accessing Computers on a Network When you want to find a file on a network, but don't have the path to it set directly, use the Network Neighborhood to navigate directly to the computer where it's stored. To locate a computer on the network

1. Click the Network Neighborhood icon

in the browser toolbar.

2. In the Browse for Computer dialog box that is displayed, select the computer that you want and click OK. The path to the computer you selected is entered in the Path text box, and its files and folders are listed in the browser.

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Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

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