Archive tab with options for creating an Arnold Scene Source file (instead of a rendering)
Archive tab with options for creating an Arnold Scene Source file (instead of a rendering) |
Arnold Scene Source (.ass) is the native scene definition format, stored in human-readable, editable ASCII files.
MAXtoA lets you export scenes to .ass and .usd (.usda and .usdc) files that can later be rendered outside of 3ds Max with kick (a multi-platform, command-line utility) or used for rendering via procedurals. It can be found under the Archive tab in the Render Setup. The window will show some Arnold related options.
If the options are grayed out, it is because you are in ActiveShade. If you change to Render Production, they should be visible. Alternatively, you can export an .ass file from the File> Export menu. |
You can also Export an Arnold Scene Source file through the normal export options - simply choose the option and define your file name. You'll then get a dialog box with export options:
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You can export your model as a procedural via this option. The archive is saved as a (.ass/.usd) file. MAXtoA lets you save scenes to .ass/.usd files that can later be rendered outside of 3ds Max with kick (a multi-platform, command-line utility) or used for rendering via Procedurals.
You can also specify which of the following types of nodes are included in the .ass export:
Specify whether binary encoding is used to compress large arrays ( bigger than 16) containing float in their components. They are encoded into a more compact ASCII representation (b85), leading to smaller files and faster load times, while still being mostly human-readable. Also, the binary encoding has exact 32-bit precision, whereas without this binary output floating-point values are truncated into at most 8 ASCII digits (e.g. 1234.5678). The encoded arrays are indicated by prefixing the array type with "b85" as in the example below. POINT2, POINT, and VECTOR arrays are encoded. 16 float
polymesh
{
name mymesh
nsides 54 1 UINT 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
vlist 47 1 b85POINT
LJ4iv4THCEE/NV4/1nPCvhpuBkEMk10/LJ4iv2uf+kDVzHI/36OGvhkc/kD9+Fs/LGenvtmU8EDqJVo/l1cGv+Ij50D1 ...
A procedural generates Arnold nodes. This option lets you save the generated nodes in the .ass instead of just saving the procedural and its parameters.
Exports a sequence of .ass files based on the number of frames set in Start/End.
Specifies the start frame of the sequence to be exported.
Specifies the end frame of the sequence to be exported.
Uses relative pathnames (default).
Uses the objects currently selected.
