Exporting and Importing Textures

You can export and import both channels and layers in your project, both in ’flat’ formats, such as .png, and in layered formats, such as .psd or .psb. This is especially useful when exporting multiple layers or channels that you don’t want to take up a lot of space, or when you want to use the final output of a channel in another application.

Importing is how you can pick up an existing set of textures to work on. Similarly, exporting is how your work moves on into the next step in the pipeline:

• Importing loads images into the current channel or layer, or as new channels and layers on your model.

• Exporting saves out the paint on your model as a set of image files (one file per UV patch).

Exporting and importing can be done for both a single channel or layer, as well as multiple channels, layers, even objects in a project. In essence, you can:

• export or import the entire channel (including all layers),

• export or import selected layers, and

• export all channels or objects in a project, or all layers in a layer stack.

Mari supports standard image formats for export and import (such as .tif, .exr, .psd, .png, .jpg, .tga, and .dds). You can find a full list of supported file formats in the import and export dialogs.

Note:  When exporting .dds files, they should be encoded as 8.8.8.8 ARGB files to avoid any complications when bringing them into Mari.

When you create a set of new channels, either when creating your project or when using the Channel Presets button, you can import a set of existing textures. See Channels for more information.

Note:  As Mari supports .ptx files, it is also possible to import and export Ptex files in Mari. This can only be done for a Ptex project. However, unlike the steps described in this section, importing and exporting Ptex files behaves a little differently. For more information on how to import and export Ptex files, see Exporting a Ptex Channel or Layer or Import a Ptex Channel or Layer in this guide.