Library saving to wrong category

Started by Erwin0265, January 19, 2016, 04:06:25 PM

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Erwin0265

Hi all,
I'm sure that this has been asked before but I have had no luck finding any posts that are relevant, so here goes.............
Although the library is quite rigid in it functionality (something that I hope will change over time); I was under the impression that the category, "Np Category" was where all the tgd files were saved (buggered if I can work out why it's not called "scene" or something more relevant) and when saving clipfiles, you needed to be in the category where you wanted the clip to be saved.
I am currently trying to use the library for locating my files (although my own system seems to be working a lot better for me currently) and am trying to save cloud clipfiles into the "Atmosphere" category.
After trying a few methods, I am baffled as to why a tgc file ends up being saved in the "No Category" category, where all the tgd files are located..
To save the file, I first open the library in TG3 > open the "Atmosphere" category > click on the small gear icon > Add Files to Library > navigate to my clipfile > highlight and click on the "open" icon.
After that, I look for the clipfile in the "Atmosphere" category, but it's not there; it's in the "No Category" category along with all of the tgd files!
Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug?
OK, who farted?

Oshyan

As far as I am aware you are working under an incorrect assumption about how the Library functions. Categories need to be assigned manually to each imported item. You do this by selecting the item and going to the Metadata tab on the lower-left and choosing a category for it in the dropdown list. Using the currently-selected category as the default for items imported in that view is not a bad idea, possibly a future enhancement we could make. But we'd want to make sure that is the most intuitive behavior for everyone.

For now what I would suggest is to import one type of clip at a time, say all of your Atmosphere clips. Then select them all (you can hold down Shift to select multiple) and you can assign a category to all of them at once. It's not quite as quick and easy as assigning the category based on the view you're importing from, but it should be reasonably fast.

I hope that helps.

- Oshyan

Erwin0265

#2
I want to be able to keep my clips and scenes in their respective folders which contain all of the relevant information, so selecting all files of a certain type is no go for me and seems (to me) counter-productive as I'm trying to add to my current organisation.....

And it doesn't work (your suggestion).
1. Took me a while to find the metadata section as that section is collapsed by default and only an info icon indicates that there may be more there (I assumed that it would contain information of a file already within the library, so I had no idea that it contained category selection).
2. I clicked on the metadata tab and chose water as the category.
3. I then clicked on the little gear along the top and chose, "Add files to library".
4. An Explorer window opened and I navigated to my file of choice and double-clicked it to open it within the library.
5. The file can now be found in the "No Category" category and in the "Clips" type but nowhere else..............
6. I tried this with several files; tgc's all go to Clips & tgd's all go to Projects; which is fine for the "Type" section, but the only category ALL of my files are going to is "No Category".
7. And I thought scene creation in Terragen was difficult.................... ???

I worked it out!
It appears that you can only assign the category once it has been imported, not when it is imported, into the library.
All I had to do was go to the "No Category" category (Yes, I do realise how silly that reads...) > highlight my desired tgc/tgd > then go to the metadata tab and choose my desired category.
Note (for any other lost soul) that nothing will appear to have changed as the desired file remains within the "No Category" (You guys really need to come up with a better name; perhaps, "Uncategorised").
However, when you go to the category where you "sent" your desired file; there it is (and if you go back to the "No Category"; the file is no longer there).

As I now move my files into their respective categories, may I suggest the ability to add more categories yourself (I'd really like to add "Planets" and "Scene" as other categories, but I can't....unless I'm missing something - again.....).
OK, who farted?

Oshyan

Yes, I'm sorry if I was unclear: you can only assign categories *after* your files have been imported. There is currently no way to auto-assign category during the import process.

We did intend to eventually have other options like user-created categories. Hopefully we can still add that in the future.

- Oshyan

Erwin0265

Yeah, that would make it far more useful as, I imagine, most TG users would already have a library system of one type or another (TG is hard enough to learn when you're organised; I can't imagine being disorganised making the task any easier) so the more flexibility in the library system, the better and more likely that users will pick it up rather than ignore as I know many currently still are............(Sorry)...
BTW; when TG3 was first released, there was mention of a growing library of presets becoming available as further releases have been... er, released ( :o).........
I have yet to see any development in this area; or have I misunderstood the library release notes?
OK, who farted?