# Ep.9 — Batch Tool (Bulk Reload and Automated FBX Exporter)

https://youtu.be/oDxD8zUEIPc?si=E30cg7eIX9IKt2X6

> **Summary**: A productivity booster optimised for overnight runs that automates the gruelling repetitive chore of opening dozens of animation max files one by one, applying updated rigs, and re-exporting per-character FBXs — all with a single batch setup.

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## 1. Grasping the Real-World Value of Batch Tool

Consider this scenario:
> **"A scene has 3 characters performing running animations. There are 3 such scenes (3 cinematic cuts) in total."**

When the rig file updates to v2, the artist must manually update and export for these 3 scenes a total of **9 times (3 characters x 3 files).**
If there are 20 files and 5 characters, that forces over 100 manual operations.
Fast-Ref's **Batch Tool** lets artists configure this entire 100-step overnight workload for the computer to handle autonomously before they leave for the day — with a single button click.

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## 2. Entering and Configuring Batch Tool

Clicking **Tool -> Batch Tool** in the main Fast-Ref window opens a large independent batch control dialog.
(Built into the main Fast-Ref system and provided free of charge under a single licence.)

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## 3. Core Automation Features (Two Pillars)

The batch processor automates the following two steps sequentially, or each independently.

### 🔄 1. Reload (Bulk Reference Update)
- Quietly opens each max file in the registered list in sequence.
- Activates the Fast-Ref analysis engine to detect which character rigs inside each scene are on an older version than the latest on disk (yellow notification, etc.).
- Automatically reloads to the latest rig, reflecting the updated connection structure, new skeleton, and skin.

### 📤 2. Export FBX (Bulk Engine Distribution Export)
- Reads the skeleton and animation of characters that completed Reload successfully.
- Calls the global FBX preset rules configured in EP08 (Namespace removal, Skin off flag, root origin freeze, etc.).
- Bulk-outputs unique FBX files per file, or per character slot within a file, to an external folder.

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## 4. Safe Batch Execution Setup Guide

If you are concerned about corrupting original files on your first batch run, check the following safety settings.

- **Reload scene save path options**:
  - **Overwrite**: Overwrites the updated latest rig state directly onto the original working file. (Use when the pipeline is fully stable)
  - **Custom Path**: Never touches the originals; instead duplicates the reload-completed new `.max` files into a designated separate backup directory (e.g. `D:/FR_Backup/`). (Strongly recommended for initial verification)
- **FBX output path**: Setting the target path of the final game engine resource folder (Content/Character, etc.) means updated data is pushed to the engine side immediately upon batch success.

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## 5. Reviewing Results and Detailed Debug Logs

This feature checks for any files that errored during the overnight background batch run.
- When the batch fully completes, finished slots are visually guided with a cheerful **🟢 green box**.
- If there are files that errored or were Skipped, press the **Open Folder** button at the bottom of the batch window to open the log directory.
- Opening the automatically generated detailed log text in Notepad lets you track — via intuitive plain text — which scene, which frame the error occurred on, and which data was missing, making corrections very fast.

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## 💡 A Practitioner's Perspective: "Why We Don't Build Our Own Tool"

Large studios typically spend enormous effort having in-house TA teams build proprietary bulk batch tools. But these tools are hard to maintain and routinely throw errors with every new Max version.
Fast-Ref's batch tool is a production-proven engine — its Unreal/Unity integration stability and zero-failure background reload architecture have already been validated across countless productions processing tens of thousands of files. The moment it is deployed in a studio, the lead time for the entire development team's file distribution shrinks dramatically.

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## 📞 Support and Feedback Channel
If during operation you encounter a file that gets skipped or behaves unexpectedly due to a special custom controller setup, promptly send the original scene and symptom description to **OtakuSolutions' official Technical Support email**. A practising TA will carefully analyse it and provide a hotfix swiftly.