Exporting Project Template

[YoKanski]

Is there a way to take a current project and export a template file from it?

[ejc]

Basically...no.

You can transfer project standards, but that won't get everything.

When creating a template for 2010 or 2009, don't transfer any material that go back to 2008 or later. You would never (i mean NEVER) beable to use 3d studio max with your project, or at least render it.

Which brings up a good question?????

When changing over to a new release, what is the best practice for creating (or recreating) a template for the latest release? anyone??

ejc

[twiceroadsfool]

You can open a Project and go File > Save As > Template, and it will save it as an RTE file.

That will make a "template" but then when you start a new project and point it to that template... That entire former projects model and views will be in there.

What i do for making templates, is start with NO template. File > New > Project > (specify template) none > Imperial units. Then i slowly migrate in all the content and settings and information systematically. Then, i will take an old project, and fuss with lineweights, Object styles, and so on. Then i will TPS those in to the template. Then i will prune out the erroneous garbage that came in from the proejct (extra useless subctagories in Object Styles, linstyles, etc). Ill go through the cycle of Modify / examine / alter / prune, then print, review, and modify again...

When it comes to version upgrades, against the "official best practice" from the Factory, we upgrade a copy of the Template from the previous version, but then we systematically make any alterations based on new features and new necessities.

We also upgrade all the content and libraries, and Reload From > the proper "versions library" or all the content still points back to the old versions libraries...

[YoKanski]

Would this be something that could be done with a Macro. We don't use any Macros at our office so I don't know much about them.

[twiceroadsfool]

Im not sure which part you mean by *this*... Or if you meant the entire thing? If you mean the entire thing, the short answer (in my humble opinion) is no. Setting up a template takes a while, and its been my experience that the more you shortchange that effort, the output from the project teams will be commensurate with that shortchange.

There are a few scripts out there that will help you get things upgraded, though... And im sure if youre adding a lot of custom parameters to every piece of content (and not doing it in the project environment), you could have some of that mitigated through some kind of Macro.

A lot of it is good hard patient work though, lol...