Supported file formats

Table of Content

set.a.light 3D reads a small, fixed set of formats for the things you bring in — reference photos, HDRIs, LUTs, light profiles, 3D objects — and writes JPG, PDF, MP4 and its own .set project file. This page is the complete list, with the size limits that catch people out.

Applies to BASIC, STUDIO, CINEMA · 3D object formats need the 3D Import add-on.

What you can bring in

Every file dialog offers only the types it can use, so a file that does not appear in the dialog is not in the list below.

  • Images — .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tga, .tif, .tiff for reference photos, gobo masks, projector images and picture walls. An imported image must be between 1 and 8192 pixels on each edge.
  • HDRIs — .exr and .hdr for your own environment maps. Creating and editing your own is CINEMA only (CINEMA).
  • LUTs — .cube for camera looks, see Grade the image with LUTs and effects.
  • IES files — .ies light distribution profiles.
  • 3D objects — .fbx, .obj, .dae, .3ds, .lwo, .ply, .stl, .gltf, .glb (add-on: 3D Import), see 3D import: what the add-on reads. What actually arrives — materials, textures, a skeleton, animation — depends on the file and the program that exported it, so test a model before you plan a shoot around it.
  • Projects — .set, also used by Append .set-file and by community downloads.
  • Your configuration — .xdat, written by File → Export User Data.
  • An archive of your own 3D objects — .myassets (add-on: 3D Import). It is set.a.light 3D’s own archive format.
  • Model presets — .poselib poses, .expressionlib expressions and .stylelib styles, loaded and saved from the model inspector.
  • Content packages — .pak, offered on the start screen.
Back to Top

What each image slot does to your file

The three image libraries do not just accept a file, they convert it. This is the most common surprise in this chapter, so check the row before you prepare artwork:

Slot What happens to the image
Gobo Masks Resized to 512 × 512 pixels and converted to greyscale. White lets light through, black blocks it, so prepare a square black-and-white graphic
Projector Images Reduced to 2048 pixels on the long edge. A 2:3 image fits the projector, like a 35 mm slide
Picturewall Images Reduced to 2048 pixels on the long edge. This is the only slot that takes JPG alone in BASIC (BASIC); the other three take the full list in every edition
Logos Reduced to 2048 pixels on the long edge

So a 4000-pixel gobo graphic will look softer than the original: it is scaled down for you, not rejected. A LUT that is larger than the supported size is refused outright, with LUT is too large! Maximum supported size: ….

In BASIC you can keep at most 7 of your own images per library (BASIC) — gobo masks, projector images and picture-wall images are counted separately.

Back to Top

What the program writes

Everything the program hands out is a JPG, a PDF, an MP4 or one of its own files.

  • Renders — the final image, the picture stored with a shot and every frame of an animation are JPGs, with the exposure data written into the file, so an image browser or a raw converter shows aperture, shutter speed and ISO. There is no PNG, TIFF or EXR output and no transparent background.
  • Set plans — one PDF, or one JPG per page with the page number in the file name. See What a set plan contains.
  • Animations — MP4 with the H.264 codec. See The video file you get.
  • Your configuration — one .xdat archive holding your settings, your resources and your presets. Your own 3D objects are resources, so they travel with it while they sit in the default folder. Two things stay outside: your set templates, and a 3D-objects folder you pointed somewhere else.
Back to Top

What the program writes

What File types Notes
Animation or camera move MP4 H.264 video; the frame rate comes from the timeline (2 to 120 frames per second)
Final render and the frames of an animation JPG Highest JPG quality, with the exposure data written into the file
Project and set .set
Set plan as a PDF PDF
Set plan as images, one file per page JPG One file per page, into a folder you pick
The render stored with a snapshot JPG Highest JPG quality, with the exposure data written into the file
Your settings, resources and presets .xdat A single archive you can move to another computer
Back to Top

Project files

A project is one .set file: room, lights, light shapers, models, props, cameras and every shot in the timeline. Two rules decide whether one opens:

  1. Older files open. There is no minimum version — a set from an earlier release is migrated forward when you open it. A damaged or unconvertible file can still fail, and then you get a load error rather than a silent half-import.
  2. Newer files do not. A .set written by a newer build is refused with Project Failed to Load and the message Could not open file! The file was saved with a newer version ({Version}) of set.a.light 3D. Update the program, then open it again — see Update set.a.light 3D.

While you work, an autosave copy is written into the program’s own data folder on this computer, not next to your project. Help → Show Autosave Folder opens it; the file name carries your project’s name plus a code for its location, so two projects with the same name never overwrite each other’s recovery copy. See Recover a project after a crash.

Back to Top

Troubleshooting

  • My file does not appear in the open dialog. Its type is not in the list above. Convert it, for example a camera raw file or a layered document into a JPG.
  • A project will not open. Check the message: a newer-version notice needs an update, anything else belongs to Something looks wrong: start here.
  • My gobo looks soft. It was scaled to 512 pixels. Draw the graphic at that size and keep the edges hard — see Project a pattern or an image.
Back to Top

Related

Back to Top