V-Ray for SketchUp – Add “Search subfolders” (recursive scan) to File Path Editor Repath tool

V-Ray V-Ray for SketchUp Requests
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Currently the File Path Editor in V-Ray for SketchUp (including the latest 7.20.00, October 2025) can only perform simple string replacement on selected paths. It does not recursively search subfolders when the user selects a folder during Repath. This makes bulk-relinking large texture libraries (Polligon, Poly Haven, etc.) on external drives impossible without manually relinking every single bitmap layer (diffuse, glossiness, normal, displacement, etc.) one by one – a process that can take many hours for 300–500+ materials.

Why this is critical for SketchUp users:

  • SketchUp scenes routinely use thousands of textures stored in deeply nested subfolders (e.g., …/Materials/MaterialName/_COL, _NRM, _GLS, _DISP).
  • Unlike 3ds Max, Maya, Rhino, etc., SketchUp does not have a native asset-relinking system, so we rely 100 % on V-Ray’s tools.
  • External drives are extremely common on Mac (macOS sandboxing + large libraries), yet the current Repath tool fails silently when the old paths no longer share an exact common parent folder.
  • The newer “Fix Missing Assets…” banner in the Asset Editor (added in 7.10+) is still not recursive enough for Polligon-style folder structures and is missing entirely in 7.20.00 for many Mac users.

Requested improvement: Add a “Search subfolders” checkbox (or make it default) to the Repath dialog, identical to what already exists in V-Ray for 3ds Max/Rhino/Maya. When enabled and a folder is selected, V-Ray should:

  1. Recursively scan the chosen folder and all subfolders.
  2. Match filenames (case-insensitive) to the missing bitmaps.
  3. Automatically update every bitmap layer across all selected materials in one operation.

Expected workflow (one click, < 1 minute):

  • Select all missing assets in File Path Editor → Repath → choose root textures folder → “Search subfolders” ON → Apply → Done.

Benefits:

  • Saves hours of manual work for every SketchUp + V-Ray user with large libraries.
  • Brings SketchUp in line with every other V-Ray host.
  • Eliminates the 1 texture-relinking complaint on the Chaos forums for Mac users.

Submitted on AHA Ideas (VSRR-I-33).

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AHA Ideas status: Pending.
Set during AHA Ideas to Discourse migration.