Compact File Structure

The Compact File Structure optimizes the file structure of your scene by reducing the number of files stored on the disk. When you opt to compact your Storyboard Pro scene, assets that support the Compact File Structure in the Elements folder, palette files and temporary files will be combined into a single vdb (virtual database) file. This single vdb file will act as a container for all compacted files and will reduce the overall file count for the scene. A single compacted vdb file will help in reducing file access time and will reduce network traffic when using the scene.

NOTE By default, the compact file structure is disabled.

A large benefit of the compact file structure is the increased speed at which you will be able to open larger scenes and perform imports and exports from the Control Center. When your scene has all the data compiled into a single file, Storyboard Pro will react quicker when transferring data as the software will not need to search the disk for all the necessary files to operate. As a result, the software will also react quicker to reflect changes applied in real time.

For more information about the Control Center, see About Control Center.

When the Compact Scene option is enabled, some of the files normally stored in the Elements folder will now be stored within a single compacted file. Assets that are not supported by the Compact File Structure will still remain on disk at the expected path.

NOTE The vdb cannot support PNGs, EXRs or 3D files.

IMPORTANT Storyboard Pro scenes that are saved using this Compact File Structure will not be compatible with previous versions of the software that do not support this format.

Compact

A compacted scene will contain fewer overall files and will improve the overall performance and efficiency when using the scene. The content in the scene that is supported by the Compact File Format will be moved into a single file. Having all the files in one place will help in efficiently accessing the content in the application and it will make the scene easier to access, transfer and share.

You can compact your Storyboard Pro scene one of the following ways:

Enabling the Compact File Structure on the Welcome Screen when creating a project.
Compacting your scene from the Compact File Structure dialog in the Scene Settings.
Compacting your scene from the Control Center.

For more information about creating a scene in Storyboard Pro, see Creating a Scene.

NOTE By default, the Use Compact File Structure is disabled.

NOTE By creating a preference set with the Create new scenes in the compact file structure format selected, all new scenes will be created with the Compact File Structure enabled.

NOTE By default the Create new scenes in the compact file structure format is disabled.

NOTE The preference option will determine whether or not the Use Compact File Structure will be enabled or disabled in the Welcome Screen when creating future projects.

TIP If you work in an uncompacted scene, you can compact your files later by selecting the Compact option from the Scene Settings dialog.

TIP In order for the scene to be compatible with older versions of Storyboard Pro that do not support the Compact File Structure format, the scene will need to be uncompacted.

Uncompact

By default your Storyboard Pro project will not be compacted. In this state, the files referenced by the scene will be located in various locations on the disk and will be individually accessed. In some cases, when the referenced files need to be individually accessed or for backwards compatibility, the scene may need to be uncompacted. Older versions of Storyboard Pro that do not support the Compact File Structure format will need to have the scene uncompacted before loading or modifying the scene.