Sync projects and other files in Synced storage

The Asset Hub is a shared data storage service that automatically synchronizes content in between connected machines. It does so for files and folders in

• ...\Pixotope\Synced Storage

  • Projects for your project folders/files (levels, maps, .uproject)

  • Common for any other files you want to sync across machines

  • Internal for internal files - DO NOT EDIT OR DELETE!

• ...\Pixotope\[Version number]\Synced Config

  • Lens files stores the (default) lens files used in the Camera tracking panel

  • Pixotope XR Calibration stores calibrated LUTs generated in the Color matching panel

Learn more about the the synced folders in Pixotope Asset Hub

Overview

In SETUP or PRODUCTION views, you can find the Synced storage panel in the Show section. It shows

• a list of your changes which are ready to be pushed

• a list of all changes ready to be pulled

  • a list of the individual pulls

• a list of previously synced changes

These changes are listed

• per project

• per folder

  • Linked projects

  • Common files

    • This folder is automatically setup when installing Pixotope

    • Use it to share useful content during productions

  • Synced config - internal usage

    • This folder exists inside the installation folder, making it unique per installation

No changes to push or pull

If there are no local changes to push, and no pre-existing changes to pull, you will see this state:

Auto-Pull

Automatically pulls changes as they become available from the Server machine’s cache.

Refresh List

Scans all relevant folders for new local changes or available pulls.

For larger folders, this could take a while.

Your changes to push

Once you make local changes, they will appear in the Your changes to push section. They are categorised by the type of change.

The project header indicates that you are out of sync and need to push changes.

Push Changes

Sends any local changes to the Server machine’s cache. For all machines with auto-pull on, it

• closes their level

• pushes the changes

• syncs the changes

• relaunches their level

Add comment +

Add a comment to clearly track the purpose of the change. The comments will show up in the change lists.

Push change - single file

Sends this locally changed file to the Server machine’s cache. A default comment is added which includes the file’s name.

Discard changes

Discards all local changes bringing this machine back in sync with the Server machine.

Discard change - single file

Discards the change made to this file bringing it back in sync with the one on the Server machine.

All changes to pull

If another connected machine makes changes and pushes them, they will appear in the All changes to pull section, categorised by the type of change.

The project header indicates that you are out of sync and need to pull changes.

Pull Changes

Retrieves the latest changes from the Server machine’s cache.

Pull copy - single file

Pulls this file onto the local machine. It now shows up in the Changes to push section and can be pushed or discarded.

This closes the local Engine/Editor and relaunches the level after pulling to not cause any issues.

Force pull changes

While Pull changes only gets newly pushed changes, Force pull syncs your local machine to exactly match the Server machine’s cache.

Conflicting local files get a pxconflict postfix and will NOT be deleted.

Useful when changing servers.

Press Ctrl to Force pull changes

Hard reset & pull

Press Ctrl+Shift to Hard reset & pull

A destructive operation that syncs your local machine to exactly match the Server machine’s cache, deleting local data that does not match.

Conflicting local files will be deleted!

Learn more about the differences between Pull, Force pull and Hard reset & pull

Individual pulls

In this section you can see the individually pushed changes with the option to pull only up to a specific change.

Pull up to this version

Pulls only the changes up to a specific version, instead of all changes.

Previously synced

In this section shows all previously synced changes with the option to restore them.

The top entry is the last one synced and equivalent to the current state.

Restore this Version (Local Only)

Reverts the project on this machine to the state it had at that specific point in time.

To propagate this version to all machines, push changes and pull them on other machines

Restore - single file

Restores this version of the file on the local machine. It now shows up in the Changes to push section and can be pushed or discarded.

Set up a synced project

For a new show

Learn more about how to Create, open and manage shows

For an existing show

1. Go to SETUP > Show > Show Settings

2. Click on the overflow menu on the right of the Linked projects table

   

3. Choose to Move or Copy the project folder to Synced Storage and push

The folders DerivedDataCache, Intermediate, and Saved are ignored by default. Also any file with -pxconflict is also ignored by default.
Learn more about Ignored files/folders

Sync files

Example flow

1. User on machine A

   • makes changes and pushes them

2. Machine B and C which have Auto-pull on

   • automatically pull these changes

3. User on machine D

   • pulls these changes

Pushing changes	Pulling changes

Levels should be closed while syncing.

In the Launch panel each synced project has

• an Open folder location button

• a button to Push changes - this sends any local changes to the Server machine’s cache

• a button to Pull changes - this gets the latest changes from the Server machine’s cache

• a toggle to Auto-pull - this will automatically pull changes as they become available from the Server machine’s cache

Initial push of the project

1. Click the "Push changes" button in the Launch panel

   • The project is first optimized for syncing and then pushed to the server machine

Syncing (Push/Pull) is done per project.

Pull the project/changes

After the push is done and the syncing to the server has finished, connected machines can now pull the project into their Synced Storage/Projects folder. Until they do, they will be/show Out of sync.

1. Click the "Pull changes" button in the Launch panel

OR

1. Enable "Auto-pull" to automatically pull new changes

To avoid conflicts, Auto-pull is switched OFF, when launching a level in EDITOR.

Make changes to files

1. Edit your project files as needed

2. Don’t forget to save!

3. Click on "Push changes" when you're ready to share

4. A list of machines with a level running is shown

5. Clicking "Push changes and sync" will, for all machines with auto-pull on

   • close their level

   • push the changes

   • sync the changes

   • relaunch their level

   

Machines with auto-pull off can manually pull these changes.

Special cases

Changes to pull and push

If you have both local changes present and changes available to pull, you can choose the order of operations.

No overlaps between edited files

If there are no overlaps between file edits in the pull and push sections, then the order doesn’t matter.

Files ready to be pulled have been edited locally

If you have been editing a file and someone else pushed edits to the same file before you did, like in the image below, you have 2 options.

Pull first

• Your local files with overlapping changes are renamed adding a -pxconflict postfix

  • the original files are replaced by the pulled changes

• Your changes to push now only contains local files with no overlapping changes

Use this when you want to have the most up-to-date file version, and also keep your edits safe.

If you want to push/share -pxconflict files, you will have to rename them first as they are ignored by default.

Push first

• Your local files overwrite the files for all connected machines

• Available changes to pull are cleared

Use this when you want your edits to persist.

Don’t worry if you realise the previous one was better. Find all old versions in the Previously synced section from where you can Restore this version.

Editing the same file(s) simultaneously

If different machines are editing the same file and then

• Push

  • the version from the one which pushes last will persist

• Pull

  • the local file will be renamed [File name]-pxconflict_[date]_[time].[File extension]

Changing servers

The Asset Hub cache lives on the server machine. It holds

• the cache of the files

• the changelog

In case the changelog of the Asset Hub cache does not correspond to the one of the connected machines, pushing or pulling changes will result in an error due to a mismatch of their "history".

This is indicated by the status Detached and requires a force-pull.

To resolve this error:

1. Hold down Ctrl and click the "Force pull changes" button in the Launch panel

Start with a clean slate

In case one of the machines is out of sync and you want to ignore any conflicts and start with a clean slate

On the machine which has the most up-to-date version:

1. Click "Push changes"

On the machine which is out of sync:

1. Go to SETUP > Show > Show settings > Linked projects

2. Click on the overflow menu of the project you want to sync

3. Click "Hard reset and pull (Destructive)"

Learn more about the differences between Pull, Force pull and Hard reset & pull

Change Synced Storage folder location

By default, the Synced Storage folder is located in the Pixotope installation folder. In case you want to move it to a different path or drive we recommend doing this before you start pushing changes.

1. Go to START > Storage > Machine settings

2. Click on "Change folder location" in the Synced storage section

3. Select the path where the new Synced storage folder should be created

4. Select "Confirm"

   • A Synced Storage folder and its sub folders is created

5. Manually move/copy the content from your previous Synced Storage location

   OR Pull changes again

If this machine has ever been a Server, that sync history will be lost.