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File/Merge

After you start File/Merge and select a file to merge, you will be asked whether or not to rename the trackers as necessary, to make them unique. If the current scene has Camera01 with trackers Tracker01 to Tracker05, and the scene being merged also has Camera01 with trackers Tracker01 to Tracker05, then answering yes will result in Camera01 with Tracker01 to Tracker05 and Camera02 with Tracker06 to Tracker10. If you answer no, Camera01 will have Tracker01 to Tracker05 and Camera02 will also have (different) Tracker01 to Tracker05, which is more confusing to people than machines.

As that example shows indirectly, cameras, objects, meshes, and lights are always renamed to be unique. Renaming is always done by appending a number: if the incoming and current scenes both have a TrashCan, the incoming one will be renamed to TrashCan1.

Tip : Merging file A into B is different than merging File B into A. The original file that you have open (the “into” file) is the one that’s scene-related information is preserved, such as export file names, coordinate system setting, scene-level solver settings, etc. You should select which file you merge into which so as to preserve the scene settings that you want to preserve.

If you are combining a shot with a previously-tracked reference, you will probably want to keep the existing tracker names, to make it easiest to find matching ones.

Otherwise, renaming them with yes is probably the least confusing unless you have a particular knowledge of the TrackerNN assignments (in which case, giving them actual names such as Scuff1 is probably best).

You might occasionally track one portion of a shot in one scene file, and track a different portion of the same shot in a separate file. You can combine the scene files onto a single camera as follows:

1. Open the first shot

2. File/Merge the second shot.

3. Answer yes to make tracker names unique (important!)

4. Select Camera02 from the Shot menu.

5. Hit control-A to select all its trackers.

6. Go to the Coordinate System Panel image .

7. Change the trackers’ host object from Camera02 to *Camera01. (The * before the camera name indicates that you are moving the tracker to a different, but compatible, shot.)

8. Delete any moving objects, lights, or meshes attached to Camera02.

9. Select Remove Object on the Shot menu to delete Camera02.

All the trackers will now be on the single Camera01. Notice how Remove Object can be used to remove a moving object or a camera and its shot. In each case, however, any other moving objects, trackers, lights, meshes, etc, must be removed first or the Remove Object will be ignored.

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