How to *not* create .import files next to image?

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:bust_in_silhouette: Asked By Rafiz

I want godot to either : not create .import file, and “import” image with default settings every time, OR to create it in config-defined folder.

I’ve looked on some forums for answer for this question and I found none real answer.
It seems hard to believe, that this game engine would not provide such possibility, in project configuration, or anywhere else I looked.

I would expect to see it in project->project settings->filesystem->import

I have shared asset directory and I don’t only use Godot, I try out different engines and languages with libraries… I just don’t want each of them to create it’s own import files near my assets. Just move it somewhere else…

For now - as a workaround I createted symlink for each end every resource from my assets directory, but it is very bad solution.

I would much more prefer to use godot “normally” that is, to just create symlink for my assets folder.

Rafiz | 2021-07-16 19:46

:bust_in_silhouette: Reply From: CharlesMerriam

You have probably seen this duplicate question and this documentation.

The short answer is no, you cannot. It may seem odd, but the settings at the time of the import are an artifact representing programmer choice, and cannot be destroyed. What you are running afoul of is part of the Zen of Godot:

   First, make a game.

In a “production” game, you would probably have an annoying build system populating your “project/assets” directory with only the currently used assets in the currently used resolution, stripping fonts of unneeded characters, and preprocessing sounds. That is for after you make a game.

Either just live with the .import files, or make a ‘micro build’ thing that just deletes and recreates your godot asset directory by copying from some other directory. Don’t do the second one.

So, I just cannot… Quite inflexible.
I’ve seen both this question and documentation, but I didn’t saw it say explicitly you can’t do it (tho tbh I didn’t read it very carefully, as I was just scanning for concrete information).

I will not “just live with .import files”, because they are in wrong place.

I might just write script to symlink these images for me, so more like second option.

Copying only images that I use would also work, but it is exactly same effort as symlink-ing only images that I use, which is what I did till this time.

Rafiz | 2021-07-16 21:01