Strata Design 3D can take a while to load, particularly in computers with slower hard drives. This simple housekeeping tip will make Strata Design 3D load much faster.
I recently had to temporarily “downgrade” my computer to a slower machine. One of the things I noticed was the long startup time Strata 3D requires (Myst edition).
Most of the startup time of Strata Design 3D CX is spent loading external resources: textures, shapes, FX and backgrounds. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which we use all our resources, and these can easily be imported into an existing project, so it pays off to have them in a folder that doesn’t load automatically at Strata 3D startup, and just have the resources we really use on a day to day basis load with the program.
The folder that loads automatically at startup is called Resource Libraries, and it contains the following subfolders:
- Backgrounds
- FX
- Gels
- Shapes
- Textures
If you rename the Resource Libraries folder to something else and create a new, empty folder with the name Resource Libraries, and then move the library items you use most into this folder (respecting the naming structure), you will have a much quicker software startup time.
Adding resources to a project
To import a library resource into your project simply use the File>Import command (Cmd+I /Ctrl+I), navigate to the desired resource and import it. It will show up in the corresponding tab in the resource panel.
Saving resources
To save a resource so that it will be loaded at startup, just save it in the appropriate folder, for example, the My Textures folder, which is the default location.
With these tips, you will enjoy a faster program startup time and you will be able to better control your resource library items. I hope you find them useful.
