City Designer: Saving and Exporting City Simulations

Saving a New or Existing Simulation

To save a new or existing simulation, click the File tab:

You have two options when saving a simulation:

• Save the simulation as a .gcf file (a simple save)
• Export the simulation as a Collada .dae file (an export)

Saving the Simulation as a .gcf File

To save the simulation as a .gcf file, click save simulation. This will open the path to the export folder created when you first created your city project (path /city_project/export/cities):

Name the file and click save. This will save the simulation as a .gcf file.

Exporting the Simulation as a Collada File

Exporting the simulation as a Collada file allows you to import the resulting .dae file into another program (such as Maya, 3DSMax, or a game engine).

To export a simulation as a .dae file, click Collada Export in the File tab. This will open the path to the collada folder created when you first created your city project (path /city_project/export/collada). Name the file.

You will be asked to choose between export modes (total/simple) and whether or not you want to pack the export into one folder (false/true):

Mode: Simple or Total Export

You may choose to perform a simple or total export of your city model:

• Simple: one principal file with references to other discrete Collada files, as well as discrete references to model textures. 1 fichier principal qui a des liens vers d’autre fichier collada. ( 1 par model) et des liens vers les textures utilisees
• Total: a single large file containing references to model textures (but not to other Collada models)

It is simpler to use the simple option, which allows you to work with the different Collada files separately. However, this simple option is not supported by existing rendering engines, Maya, or 3DSMax.

You will therefore need to use a total export, unless you are not importing into an engine, Maya, or 3DSMax.

Pack Into One Folder - False/True

References to the other Collada files and textures are in relative pathways. If you move the file from its original location, or transmit it to someone else, the export will not load correctly.

The pack into one folder option manages this issue.

You can determine how you want the file to behave after the simple or total export has been completed:

• False: The file will not be affected. No further action is taken.
• True: Once the file has been created (in simple or total mode), all the files that are used (the principal and secondary files, plus textures, in the case of a simple export, and the principal file plus textures in the case of a total export) are copied in a single directory.

Selecting True allows you to move the file freely. (You will need to move the entire file directory.)

The Finished Export

Once the export is completed, you will find the .dae file created (in simple or total mode) in the directory [city_project]/collada. (This file cannot be moved.)

If the file has been packed into one folder, you will find an additional directory with the name of the export, which contains:

• A .dae file with an identical name - the version of this file which can be moved
• A model directory containing the other .dae files used in the export (should be empty in the case of a total export)
• A texture directory containing textures used