[purCAB]

In the Output Settings tab of the Scene Manager, there are two path variables -- Scene Path and Image Path; in the Plug-in Options tab there are three path variables -- Default Scenes, Renders, and MXI. However when one tries to enter a path, the path is not sufficient, the plugin is looking for an actual file name. It would seem to me that it would be better to be able to specify just the path name and then have the plugin append the appropriate file name/type. In this manner, one can create a separate directory for the .mxs, .mxi, etc. files (in my case MX_TEMP) and not have to worry about using a specific name, etc. I usually only want to keep the final render in the part/assembly directory, everything else I treat as temp.

Certainly, I would expect the Default Paths section to allow the entry of just the path and this could then be overridden by the Output Tab

Thanks,

Ken

[JDHill]

Hi Ken,

I'm not sure I follow you. As it is, the plugin will write to:

1. the paths specified in Output Settings
2. the Default Paths, if none are specified in Output Settings
3. the current SW document location if none are specified in the Default Paths

Regarding your MX_TEMP, is there a problem with doing as you say, and specifying file paths in this directory? Maybe that's where I'm missing it - you say you don't want to specify the actual filename - do you just mean that you prefer the plugin to name the files default.mxs, default.png, etc., rather than you being able to specify what you want them called?

Thanks,

JD

[purCAB]

JD, sorry for not being clear. Perhaps part of the problem is definitional. I usually consider a path-name (as opposed to a file-name) to refer to the directory structure itself (e.g. C:\Documents and Settings\USER\MYDIR); The "paths" as implemented/defined in Maxwell, don't allow one to just specify the path, but also require a file name (C:\Documents and Settings\USER\MYDIR\name.mxs).

I would have expected (especially for the default paths) that one can specify the path name (directory structure) for the file type specified and that the plugin would append the part/assembly name. For example, if the default Scene path is specified as "C:\Temp" and the SW part name is "block.sldprt", then the mxs file would be written as "C:\Temp\block.mxs". This would allow one to create a general directory for files created by the plugin but without having to re-specify them. A "." specified for the path would tell the plugin to use the part's directory. Essentially, this would make it easier to place these files where the user wants without having to set it on a part by part basis.

[JDHill]

That's clearer...in my world, 'path' is general, 'directory' and 'file' are specific. But I understand now what you're looking for. I'll think about what it would take to make this happen - it's actually a bit more complicated than it might seem, given that there are lots of things that currently assume it will work the way it does.

Thanks for the input,

JD