Why reference? --single workstation

[morobuse]

I'd use reference when using a single workstation because:

1. Referencing makes updating more easy in animation shots.
2. there will always be final tweaks to skinning that can be done in the main file and than propogated throuhg the reference to all shots.
3. there can be model updated like topology and uvs that u can not predict along the way.

on the other hand u need to be super clean and name savvy cause that's how maya's reference is acting. It is very hard to debug, and some errors in the referencing system are considered to be unresolved.

some big studios rely on references while others choose scripting setups per scene, and rebuilding scenes on the fly instead of referencing.

In short ;) referncing can be a bless till u get to a wall that can smash your head, and than you'll curse maya's reference, otherwise you'll feel that it's great.
well... like anything else really.

and for the implication on render times, i dont know. But u can import the references into the file before rendering and break the reference connection.

[yenvalmar]

DO NOT use referencing as part of anything to do with modelling. no no no. its only for handling finished assets that have to be integrated into scenes for animation and/or rendering.

for example in my little animation here at:

http://www.yenvalmar.com/commercial/rendered/animation/movies/bonbon_divx.avi

the character is fully rigged in one file, and the tree is fully rigged in another file, then in the third file the actual lighting of the scene and the animation was done, but i did the surfacing and checked all the lighting in my original files before referencing them in. this was really usefull to me in this project since i was using the same character and tree in 8 shots that were simultaneously in development and i needed to have changes propagate easily.

one of the biggest benefits to this is file size, i like to iterate and save version of my animations a LOT so if you have a 10 mb rig, and a 200k animation file, vs x number of 10 mb animation files, you save a lot of space. i knon people dont care so much about that these days but especially if you are at home with one computer it adds up.

you definitely do not want to be remodelling anything that is referenced in the scene that is referencing, always go back to the original file for stuff like that. also dont be trying to rig a referenced mesh... similar to trying to rig a mesh then change something in its construction history's creation parameters. of course that will cause problems.

if you are referencing something and you find you need it to be really a part of the scene in order to tweak it you can always import the referenced file, or you can save out a new version of your original reference file, and modify it.. but you can't do it the other way around as easily, so..

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.