Batch Processing

  • The Batch menu provides tools for scheduling multiple tasks of the same type to be performed by SEQUOIA either locally or on DEADLINE.

CONVERT MULTIPLE Point Files

  • Selecting this operation will first pop up a multi-file selection dialog.

  • Select one or more point files to convert, then press the [Open] button, or [Cancel] to abort.

  • A Convert Multiple Point Files dialog will appear, listing the selected input files in a spreadsheet view with multiple columns.

Drag & Drop Support

  • Dragging one or more non-SPRT point files and dropping them into the SEQUOIA Viewport will open the same Convert Multiple Point Files dialog and will populate it automatically.

  • SPRT files and any unsupported files will be filtered out automatically - see below for dragging & dropping SPRT files.

Selecting Items

  • You can select (highlight) with the mouse any number of these entries at once to change their settings using the available controls.

    • Hold down CTRL to add/remove entries from the selection.

    • Hold down SHIFT to select a whole region between two clicked lines.

    • Press the [Select All] button at the bottom of the dialog to select all entries.

    • Press the [Invert Selection] button at the bottom of the dialog to dselected the selected and vice-versa.

Adding And Removing Input Files

  • Pressing this [Add Input Files…] button will allow you to add more input files for conversion.

  • Pressing this [Remove Selected Files…] button will remove the highlighted entries from the list (if any).

  • Note that you can select input files from various folders and local and network locations, as long as they are all valid Point source files.

Specifying The Input Units

  • When converting binary files that contain Unit information metadata in the file (e.g. E57, PTX etc.), the “Input Units” column of the spreadsheet will contain the letter [F] (for “From File”), plus the actual file units setting (e.g. “Meters”, “Inches” etc.)

  • When the units are defined in the input file, these settings cannot be overridden by the Import Dialog - the “Input Units” drop-down list will remain grayed out.

  • When converting text files that do not contain explicit Units information, the “Input Units” column will list “Unknown” - you can set the Units to any valid entry from the “Input Units” drop-down list.

  • If an entry is left with “Unknown” units, the conversion process will show an error message.

Specifying Channel Mapping

  • When converting binary files with clearly defined channel definitions, the channel mapping will be performed automatically - the “Preset” column will show “<automatic>”

  • When converting text files without channel name definitions, a Channel Mapping Preset will be required to define how to remap the incoming data to channels supported by SEQUOIA.

  • You can select an existing preset from the drop-down list, or create a new Preset using the “Create Preset…”

Specifying The Output Path

  • By default, the Output Path of the converted files will be the same as the input path.

  • However, you can select one, more or all files and change the “Output Path” field to a sub-folder of the same path, or to a completely different Path anywhere on the local network.

  • You can either type in the new path, or use the […] button to pick an existing location using a Select Folder dialog.

  • The path will be listed in its own dedicated “Output Path” column, and will be also used in the “Full Output” column.

Specifying The Output File

  • By default, the Output File column will be populated with the token $source which will be replaced with the input file’s name on conversion.

  • You can modify the output pattern using custom strings, for example if the input file is called “theHouse_v01”, and the output pattern is “$source_test”, the output file will be called “theHouse_v01_test”.

  • You can also use the token $units in the Output File definition to be replaced with the Units settings, for example $source_$units will export the above test as “theHouse_v01_Meters” if Units were set to Meters.

Specifying the Output Format

  • By default, all conversions will target the Thinkbox SPRT file format as it is optimized to work best with SEQUOIA.

  • However, you can use the “Output Formats” drop-down list to set the output to one of the other supported formats including PRT, CSV and RealFlow BIN.

IMPORT MULTIPLE Point Files

  • Selecting this menu option will pop up a multi-fole selection dialog.

  • Select one or more SPRT files to load, then press the [Open] button, or [Cancel] to abort.

  • An Import Multiple Point Files dialog will appear.

Drag & Drop Support

  • Dragging one or more SPRT files and dropping them into the SEQUOIA Viewport will open the same Import Multiple Point Files dialog and will populate it automatically.

  • If the selection contains non-SPRT point files, the Convert Multiple Point Files dialog will open instead - see above for details.

  • If the selection contains SPRT and some unsupported files, the latter will be filtered out automatically.