FILE MENU
The File Menu contains file handling operations, most of which are common to almost all applications, but some are specific to Wings 3D.
Each option is described in its own section below.
File | New (Ctrl+N)
Create a new, empty model space. Default when starting the program, giving you a clear workspace to work in. If you are already working on a model, Wings 3D will ask if you want to save the state of your current model. If you answer No, Wings 3D will delete all objects in the current workspace.
File | Open (Ctrl+O)
Load a previously saved .wings file into the workspace. If necessary, Wings 3D will ask if you want to save the state of your current model. If you answer No, Wings 3D will present you with your OS File Open dialog. You can then navigate to your file and load it by typing in the name or double clicking on it from the list of available models.
If you cancel at this point, Wings 3D will keep what was in your workspace, otherwise all objects in your workspace will be deleted before the requested file is opened.
File | Merge (Ctrl+L)
Add and merge the contents of another .wings file to your current scene. When invoked, the OS File Open dialog appears. By default, it is set to add a .wings file, but the option All Files is available. The All Files option will only load a native Wings 3D file such as one with the wrong extension (or no extension). Therefore, trying to bring in anything but a .wings file returns the error message: “Read failed: no such file or directory”.
One handy use for the Merge command is to load up a previously saved set of lights. If you create a lighting environment you are particularly fond of, delete all the non-light objects from the scene and do a [File | Save As]. Call it something like “lights.wings”. Then after doing a [File | New] you can merge the lights into your current scene.
Note that [File | Import] implicitly always merges if you want to add an non-native format model to your scene.
File | Save (Ctrl+S)
Save the current workspace as a .wings file. If the model is new, an OS Save File dialog will come up allowing you to specify the path and file name to be saved. If it is a previously existing file, it will save to that file, permanently incorporating any changes you have made since loading it.
File | Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S)
Save the current workspace as a .wings file under a new file name. An OS Save File dialog will come up allowing you to specify the path and file name to be saved.
This is particularly useful, for example, when you come to a point where undoing will become a problem if further work does not pan out, or for saving a model or lighting set up as a template.
File | Save Selected
Allows you to save only the currently selected object or objects in the workspace as a .wings file under a new file name. An OS Save File dialog will come up allowing you to specify the path and file name to be saved.
File | Save Incrementally
Generate a new filename, either by adding “_01” if not present, or by incrementing the filename ending by “1”. The new file is then saved to the same location as the original, and becomes the current working file. Very useful for saving and recovering models at various stages of development.
File | Save Unused Materials
Toggles the option to include/exclude unused materials when saving a .wings file.
File | Revert
Clears all work done since last save and restores last saved. It does not clear the Undo history. The idea is that you should be able to undo a Revert if did it by mistake. Thus there is no question from Wings 3D asking for confirmation.
File | Import
Import files of selected format into the current project. Import has no limits on file size other than system resources. Import implicitly always merges therefore you can add non-native format models to your scene without loosing your current work.
The supported programs and file formats are as follows:
- Nendo® (.ndo)
- 3D Studio (.3ds)
- Adobe® Illustrator (.ai)
- Lightwave or Modo (.lwo, .lxo)
- Wavefront® (.obj)
- Adobe PostScrip (.ps, .eps)
- StereoLithography (.stl)
- .svg Path
Some import commands, for example 3DS Max® and Wavefront® have option boxes on the right of the menu item, which bring up a dialog to allow you to specify an Import Scale. This is useful since many models will be very small or absolutely huge when imported into Wings 3D. By experimentation you can find the right scaling factor and then apply it each time you import models from another program. Simply apply the inverse scale upon export if you wish to take the model back to the originating program.
Some imports work better than others, with or without issues. Historically, the Nendo® import worked much better than the others because it is a one-to-one translation. This is because both Nendo® and Wings 3D use Winged-edge data structures. Import of other formats containing triangle or polygon meshes is trickier. To import them, Wings 3D must combine the polygons into one or more closed objects that can be represented by the Winged-edge structure. Combining gets tricky if the mesh contains defects – as many meshes do – since the defects usually are not a problem in other modelers or renderers.
Acceptable file formats for textures are 24 bit BMP, TGA®, and TIFF.
File | Export
Saves all objects in the current workspace as a file of the selected format. The supported programs and file formats are as follows:
- Nendo® (.ndo)
- 3D Studio (.3ds)
- BZFlag (.bzw)
- Collada (.dae)
- Cartoon edges (.eps)
- Kerkythea (.xml)
- Lightwave or Modo (.lwo, .lxo)
- Wavefront (.obj)
- POV-Ray (.pov)
- Renderware (.rwx)
- StereoLithography (.stl)
- VRML 2.0 (.wrl)
- DirectX (.x)
- Yafray (.xml)
There are option boxes for most export formats, to tailor the output to best fit with the expected format of the target program.
When YafRay rendering software is installed this will appear as an additional option.
File | Export Selected
Saves selected elements in the current workspace as a file of the selected format. The supported programs and file formats are the same as for [File | Export]). Note that the selection can be of any type (e.g. Face Mode).
File | Import Image
{? supported formats ?}
File | Render
Renders the workspace by constructing an interface file and passing it to your chosen Render program. The rendered image is displayed in a window, and the console window will usually show a trace of the activity.
Kerkythea and POV-Ray are the normally supported Render programs which appear in the menu. YafRay (obsolete: replaced by YafaRay) is another popular render option, and if installed, will appear in this list. The option box on the right of each will bring up a sub-menu for several parameters you can set.
If the Render program is not installed correctly, or there are other errors, then this will be reported in the Console window.
Note: Before you can send the file to render in YafRay make sure you have added at least one light or you won’t see anything. The image is rendered from the point of view of the camera.
File | Install Plug-In
Load a Wings 3D plugin. The OS dialog will allow you to select the plug-in file, which may be a .tar file with the correct format and folder structure. The plugin will be added to the correct sub-folder under Wings 3D \plugins.
File | Save(Load) Preference Subset
These commands allow you to save (load) one or more subset(s) of the current Wings 3D Preference settings to (from) a .pref file. Useful when working with different types of models or programs. See Loading a Different Preference File
{…file history…}
If you have opened files previously you will see their filenames listed. Clicking one will open that file (provided it is still in the same location where you had it at the time). The history list is currently limited to 4 files.
File | Exit (Ctrl+Q)
Exits Wings 3D. If changes have been made since your last save Wings 3D will ask you if you want to save them before shutting down.