Asset import and reimport — documentation

Understand .import metadata and the cache, apply changes and load processed resources.

What to preserve during import

Import converts a source asset into a resource consumed by the engine. Copy source files into the project with their dependencies: a separate glTF needs its .gltf, .bin and images at the referenced relative paths.

File	Purpose	Version control
source asset	original model, image, sound or other source	retain it
asset_name.import	importer, parameters, UID and result path	retain it beside the asset
.reckfell/imported/	generated processed-resource cache	normally exclude it; import reconstructs it
external material or another extracted resource	your independent settings	retain it with its metadata and dependencies

Do not edit only the cache: reimport can recreate it. An .import file is neither a texture nor a substitute for the source file. Losing it also loses per-asset import settings.

Normal workflow

Place the source file inside the project. Select it in the Content Browser.
Open Import and configure this asset’s parameters.
Click Reimport, wait for processing and inspect the result.
Modify and save the source in its authoring application, then return to the editor. Reprocessing should preserve the selected parameters.

Import-dock changes are not applied until Reimport is pressed. Selecting another resource can discard pending changes; the button’s tooltip explicitly states this. When editing several assets, select only the parameters you intend to replace: the same importer supports selective changes, while changing the importer replaces its parameter set.

Native Reckfell resources such as .rscene, .rprefab and .rdata follow another path: they are already serialized engine data, rather than source inputs to the glTF or texture importer. Do not expect the same conversion parameters on them.

Load resources through their source path

Use ResourceLoader and the source path, for example asset://Models/model.glb, for a processed resource. The engine reads .import and resolves the result inside .reckfell/imported/. Do not hardcode the generated .rbin filename in gameplay code: it is a cache implementation detail.

FileAccess reads bytes and your own data files. It does not replace an importer or guarantee that a source image or model remains an ordinary file after game export. Parsing an external glTF with GltfDocument during play is a different loading path.

Import without an editor window

On Windows, invoke the installed editor from PowerShell for automated project processing. Substitute existing paths to your runtime and project:

PowerShell
& "C:\Reckfell\Runtime\1.0.0\Reckfell Engine.console.exe" --headless --path "C:\Projects\MyGame" --editor --import

The command starts the editor, waits for resource processing and quits. Check its exit code and import messages afterward. An .import file alone does not establish success: load the resource and check its contents next. This is the path exercised by the guide’s acceptance; mouse interactions and the visible editor window were not separately accepted.

Locate the failure

Symptom	Action
changing a parameter has no effect	apply Reimport and confirm you changed the intended source asset
a teammate loses settings	check that the corresponding .import was transferred with the source
resource references missing files	restore the complete dependency set without changing relative paths
material reverts to the source version	inspect extraction mode and external references: preserving materials
file exists in editor, but not in the build	distinguish a processed resource from source bytes; inspect export inclusion rules
another machine shows an old result	check source and .import, then import locally; do not substitute another machine’s cache for source data

Actual GLB import/reimport, .import metadata, the .rbin cache and PackedEntity loading through the source path are accepted. Application export and recovery of arbitrary damaged caches are outside this acceptance.