Procedural Compositing with Batch > Batch Processing >

# Saving Sources and Setups

When saving setups, you can also save the sources used by the setup. You do this by taking a snapshot of the sources. When you take a snapshot, all source clips, including all BFX clips used by the current setup, are saved to a working library. Sources contained in BFX clips, however, do not appear. They are part of the BFX clip.

Although sources are saved separately from setups when a snapshot is taken, they are saved concurrently. As well, the corresponding Batch setup is updated such that it points to the newly saved sources in the working library.

With the Snapshot feature, you do not have to worry about Smoke not being able to find source clips associated with a setup.

To prevent Smoke setups from being accidently overwritten from a Flare system, extensions in setup names are determined as follows:

- A Smoke setup never gets an extension added to its name.
- A Flare setup always gets a .flare extension added to its name. If you try to save a setup loaded from Flare, the .flare extension will be automatically removed from the name.

Smoke setups are saved in a Smoke subdirectory as follows:

~/batch/smoke/<my_setup_name>

Flare setups are saved to a Flare subdirectory as follows:

~/batch/flare_<hostname>/<my_setup_name>.flare

You specify the working Snapshot library to which you want sources saved. Sources are saved to a predefined reel structure named according to the setup name. If you save setups loaded from a Flare system, you will need to select a read-write library in which to save the associated sources.

To specify the library for saved sources:

1. From Batch, click Setup.
2. From the Snapshot Library box, select the library to which you want to save sources or select <new> and create a library.

   This Snapshot library will be saved as a preference with the Batch setup. If you subsequently delete or rename the library, the name in the Snapshot Library box will have (Non-Existent) beside its name. You will be prompted to have the missing library created the next time you take a snapshot.

   NoteThe Snapshot Library box also appears in the Save Setup As & Snapshot browser when using the Save Setup As & Snapshot option.

To save sources and/or setups:

1. In Batch, select one of the following options from the Save dropdown list.
   Save Setup
     Saves a setup. The first time you save a setup, you are prompted to name it in the keyboard that appears.

   It is impossible to overwrite a setup loaded from Flare with this option since Smoke setups are never given an extension when saved. If you try to overwrite the setup with the same name, a message appears offering to rename the setup by removing the .flare extension.

   Each subsequent time you save the Smoke setup with this option, you are overwriting the previous saved setup. You are prompted to confirm the overwrite. To bypass the confirm, press Alt as you select Save Setup.

   Save Setup As
     Saves the setup with a new name, which you enter in the keyboard that appears. Each time you save a setup with this option, you are creating a new saved setup.
   Save Setup & Snapshot
     Saves the setup and takes a snapshot of the sources used by the setup.

   The first time you save a setup and sources, you are prompted to name the setup in the keyboard that appears. The snapshot of the sources is saved to the Snapshot library you specify.

   It is impossible to overwrite a setup loaded from Flare with this option since Smoke setups are never given an extension when saved. If you try to overwrite the setup with the same name, a message appears offering to rename the setup by removing the .flare extension.

   Each subsequent time you save the Smoke setup and sources with this option, you are overwriting the previous saved setup as well as the sources in the library. You are prompted to confirm the overwrite. To bypass the confirm, press Alt as you select Save Setup & Snapshot.

   Save Setup As & Snapshot
     Saves the setup with a new name, which you enter in the keyboard that appears, and takes a snapshot of the sources used with the setup. The snapshot of the sources is saved to the Snapshot library you specify.

   Each time you save a setup and sources with this option, you are creating a new saved setup. A new snapshot of the sources is saved to the library with the new setup name.

   With this option, you can change or create a new Snapshot library directly from the Save & Snapshot browser without having to go back to the Setup menu.

   In Batch, the name of the setup appears in the Filename field. If you saved the setup under a new name, the field is automatically updated with the new name. Note that the setup has no extension in its name.

   (a) Batch setup name

   In the following example, the setup was with the Save Setup As & Snapshot option. In the working library, sources are saved in a predefined reel entry named according to the Batch setup name with _snapshot appended to the name. The setup points to this reel. When the setup is loaded in a Batch session, all clips in the reel are loaded as well.

   (a) Snapshot library specified in Batch Setup menu(b) Reel entry named according to Batch setup name(c) Source clips saved with Save Setup & Snapshot operation

   In the following example, the same setup is saved again with the Save Setup As & Snapshot option. A new snapshot of the sources associated with the renamed setup is taken. Another reel is created in the library with the new setup name (space_part_2_snapshot). The previous snapshot (and setup) is not overwritten.

   NoteTo overwrite the previous snapshot (and not create a new reel), select Save Setup & Snapshot.

   (a) Reel entry named according to the new Batch setup name (specified with the Save Setup As & Snapshot option)

   Each saved Batch setup points to its corresponding reel in the Snapshot library. When either setup is loaded in a Batch session, all clips in the corresponding reel are loaded as well.

   In the Batch schematic, the clip names change to blue indicating they are library clips.

   (a) Clips become library clips when a snapshot is taken