The browser asset catalog

The editor's Assets dialog, the folder button at the lower left of the coding editors, keeps files in this browser, for every script you open here, whatever its project, signed in or not. That makes it the quick way to try a file: upload a STEP model once and load it from any project while you experiment.

It is not the place to keep a project's files. Keep them with the project instead, for three reasons:

• They belong to no project. An export of a project does not carry them, and someone who opens your script will not have them.
• They cannot move to the cloud. When a project kept in this browser moves to the cloud, its own files go with it; catalog files stay behind. To keep one, download it from the dialog and add it to the project's Files.
• They stay in this browser. Another browser or device does not see them, and clearing the site's data removes them.

Scripts load catalog files with the get local file component or block, bitbybit.asset.getLocalFile in TypeScript, by the name you gave them. The same call finds a file of the project when the catalog has none of that name, so a script can start on the catalog and keep working once the file is added to its project.

Learn Through Examples

We'll demonstrate the catalog with a few practical examples. You'll download sample asset files, upload them to the catalog, and then use specific Input/Output (IO) components within our Rete, Blockly, and Monaco (TypeScript) editors to draw these assets as visible BabylonJS meshes.

Each example will focus on a different common file type so you can see the process in action.

Tutorials in this Section:

1. Uploading Local Assets:

   • First, learn the general process of uploading an asset to your browser's local storage within Bitbybit.
   • ➡️ Uploading Local Assets Guide

2. Using a Local glTF File (Gaming Standard):

   • Learn how to work with .gltf or .glb files, a common standard in the gaming and real-time 3D industry.
   • ➡️ Local glTF Asset Tutorial

3. Using a Local STEP File (CAD Standard):

   • Learn how to work with .step or .stp files, a widely used format in the CAD (Computer-Aided Design) industry.
   • ➡️ Local STEP Asset Tutorial

By following these examples, you'll gain a solid understanding of how to manage and utilize local assets for your Bitbybit creations.