Save a preset

Save, apply and delete a named set of setting values in the settings window

Save a preset

A preset is a set of setting values that you keep under a name. You can apply it later at any level, for example to a different scene or to one camera. This page shows how to save, apply and delete a preset in the settings window, and how to do the same from OPAL.

Open the settings window

Press Ctrl+, in any app. In Construct, you can also click the settings button in the toolbar.

The preset bar is above the table:

Part What it does
Preset list The presets of this app. The built-in presets come first, marked (built-in). Your saved presets follow, in alphabetical order.
Apply Writes the values of the chosen preset to the level in Write to.
Name field The name of the preset that Save writes.
Save Keeps the values that are set at the Write to level under the name. The button shows Update when a saved preset already has that name.
Delete Deletes the chosen preset.

A line under the bar tells you what each button did, or why it did nothing.

Save a preset

  1. In Write to, select the level that holds the values you want to keep. For example, select Scene in Construct.
  2. Change the settings until the result is correct.
  3. Type a name in the name field, for example Studio look.
  4. Click Save.

The preset keeps only the settings that are set at that level. A setting that shows an inherited value is not in the preset, so it does not change when you apply the preset later.

A name can contain letters, digits, spaces, _, - and .. It cannot start with a dot, and it can have at most 128 characters.

Note

A secret value, for example an API key, is never saved in a preset.

To change a saved preset, type its name, change the settings and click Update.

Apply a preset

  1. In Write to, select the level that gets the values.
  2. Select the preset in the Preset list.
  3. Click Apply.

Selecting a preset in the list does not change anything. Only Apply writes the values.

All values of the preset are one step of the history. Press Ctrl+Z once to undo the full preset.

A level cannot hold every setting. For example, a machine setting cannot be set on a camera. When a preset names such a setting, Apply writes the other values and the line under the bar names each setting that it did not apply.

Delete a preset

  1. Select the preset in the Preset list.
  2. Click Delete.

You cannot delete or overwrite a built-in preset. To keep your own version, apply the built-in preset, change it and save it under a different name.

The built-in presets of Construct

Construct has three built-in presets for path tracing. They set the number of samples per pixel and the point at which a pixel stops.

Preset Max samples Min samples before the variance stop Target variance
Draft 64 8 0.02
Standard 512 16 0.004
Final 4096 32 0.001

Apply Draft while you work on a scene, and Final for the image you export.

The preset bar of the Rendering window uses the same presets. A preset that you save there is in the settings window, and the reverse.

Where presets are kept

Each saved preset is a JSON file:

octomy-sid:/config/presets/<app>/<name>.json

This path is in the hive of the active sentient, so your presets go with your identity. When no sentient is mounted, the app keeps the presets in the same path under its data folder.

The file has the same format as a file from Export…, so you can copy a preset to another machine.

Use presets from OPAL

The config.preset.* tasks do the same operations as the preset bar. Each takes the schema of the app, for example construct.

Task Does
config.preset.list Lists the presets. With a level, each preset tells how many of its values that level can hold.
config.preset.apply Applies a preset at a level, as one step of the history.
config.preset.save Saves the values that are set at a level under a name.
config.preset.delete Deletes a saved preset.

For example, to apply Final to the open scene in Construct:

{"task": "config.preset.apply", "args": {"schema": "construct", "name": "Final", "level": "scene"}}

config.preset.apply replaces the task construct.preset.apply.

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howto settings presets construct opal