DigitalClay3D

Chapter 6 — Library

The Library is your local collection of saved projects. Each entry is a real .t3d file on disk paired with a .png thumbnail, so backups are trivial (zip the folder), portability across machines is just-copy, and the entries can be inspected by any other tool that reads JSON.

Where the library lives on disk

The default folder is ~/Documents/DigitalClay Projects/ (Windows Documents, macOS ~/Documents, iOS the app's Documents container, Android the app's external Documents). You can change it in Settings → Library Folder — pick Browse… to open a native folder picker, or paste a path directly.

The reset button (⟳) next to the path field returns the location to the default if you ever need to.

The Library tab

Library tab — saved projects with thumbnails

Each card shows:

A small ★ marker appears next to the name of whichever entry your current model was loaded from — a hint that your next "Save to Library" will offer to overwrite that one.

The folder path displays as a small caption above the list so you always know where the files actually live.

Saving the current design

Click + Save Current to Library at the top of the panel. The behaviour depends on whether your current model is linked to a library entry (loaded from one) or fresh:

Save to Library — Overwrite / Save as new / Cancel

If the model came from a library entry, the tri-state dialog asks:

If the model is unlinked but its name conflicts with an existing entry, the same dialog asks: Overwrite / Rename… / Cancel.

If there's no conflict — the save runs immediately under the current model name.

In all cases, the thumbnail is captured from the live viewport (256 px on the longest edge), so the saved entry visually matches what you were just looking at.

Loading from the Library

Click any card to load the project. Because loading replaces the in-memory model, you'll get a confirmation prompt: "Open "name" from the library? This will replace your current design — save it first if you want to keep it." Click Open to load.

After loading, the ★ marker moves to that card so future saves know to target it.

If the loaded project uses experimental features (Multi-Object Lofting, Pottery Marks, etc.), those features are auto-enabled in your settings and a notice modal explains what was activated. You can manage experimental features afterward via Settings → Experimental.

Removing entries

Click the ✕ on any card. A confirmation dialog asks:

"Remove "name" from the library? This will delete the project file from disk and can't be undone."

On confirm, both the .t3d and its .png thumbnail are deleted from the library folder. If you removed the entry your current model was linked to, the link is cleared automatically — your in-memory work is unaffected.

Library vs File menu — when to use which

Workflow Use
Quick "save this for later" with a thumbnail Library
Cross-machine backup / send to a friend File → Save As (export the .t3d to a known location)
Loading someone else's .t3d File → Open (severs any library link cleanly)
Re-iterating on a saved project Library → click card then Save → Overwrite

The two flows are independent — File-menu saves go through the OS Save dialog and don't touch the library, library saves go straight to the library folder without a picker.

Tips