GPU Cache Export Options

Cache time range
Current frame: Caches the current Time Slider frame only.

Render settings: Specifies that your current Render settings determine the Cache time range.
Time Slider: Specifies that the current playback range in your Time Slider determines the Cache time range.
Start/End: Specifies that the range of frames between (and including) the specified Start and End times determines the Cache time range.

Step

Specifies how often samples are taken during file creation. By default, one sample of your object's transformations is taken every frame and saved to the Alembic file.

For example, a value of 2 caches the transformations of the current object at every other frame of the Cache Time Range.

Save every # evaluation(s)

Specifies which samples are saved during cache creation. For example, a value of 2 specifies that only every other sample specified by the Evaluate every # frame(s) option is saved to your Alembic file.

Save Multiple Files

When on, Maya creates a cache file for each selected object. This option appears when you select multiple objects in the scene.

See Base File Name and Clash Options for file naming conventions.

Base File Name

Type a base name for the cache files. Maya saves each cache file with this name and adds a suffix based on your Clash Options selection.

Clash Options

Select Increment Filenames to add incremented numbers. Select Node Name Suffix to add the node name to the file base name.

For example, the fille names appear as Base File Name_numerical increment or Base File Name_node name.

Optimize Hierarchy

When on, nodes and objects in a selected hierarchy are consolidated to maximize the performance of the cache file during playback.

Optimization Threshold

(Available only when Optimize Hierarchy is on.) Specifies the maximum number of vertices contained in a single draw primitive. The default value of 40000 may be ideal for most Maya supported graphics cards. When set to the default value, after optimization, each object in the GPU cache file(s) will have no more than 40000 vertices. This value can be set higher depending on the memory available on your system graphics card.

Optimize Animations for Motion Blur

When on, objects with animated transform nodes display with motion blur when the cache is played back in Viewport 2.0 render mode. See Viewport 2.0 options.

Maya first determines if the GPU cache includes animation data. If the GPU cache is static and does not contain animation data, Maya does not optimize the GPU cache for motion blur.

Note: Motion Blur does not support Cached Playback.

Write Materials

When on, Maya exports the Lambert and Phong materials from source geometry to the GPU Cache file. These materials display when the GPU-cached file is played back in Viewport 2.0.

GPU-cached objects support all the high-quality lighting and shading effects provide by the Viewport 2.0 rendering mode. See Viewport 2.0 options.

Note: Lambert and Phong materials do not display on GPU-cached files when they are played back in scene view's High Quality Rendering or Default Quality Rendering modes.

Tessellation

Use Smoothing Tessellation

Exports geometry with the current Smooth Mesh Preview setting applied.

See Smoothing polygons.

Use Base Tessellation

Exports geometry with base tessellation and no smoothing applied.

File Format

HDF5 - Maya 2014 Extension 1 and Legacy: Creates an Alembic cache file that conforms to the HDF5 data model. This option provides backwards compatibility with previous versions of Alembic.

Ogawa - Maya 2014 Extension 1: Creates an Ogawa Alembic file. Files created with the Ogawa format are smaller in size and provide better performance than legacy Alembic files.

Note: Ogawa Alembic files can only be read by Extension for Maya 2014 and later versions of Maya.

GPU Cache Export Options

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