---
title: "Optional Files"
url: "https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/FALEMBICEXPORT-ABCEXPORT_STR_OPTIONS.html"
section_path: "Configuration > Preferences > Import/Export > Alembic > Alembic Export Settings > Optional Files"
element_id: "FALEMBICEXPORT"
group_id: "ABCEXPORT_GROUP"
description: "If enabled, the respective objects that are hidden for rendering will also be exported in a hidden state. Alembic only recognizes visible and hidden …"
---

## Optional Files

### Visibility

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_VISIBILITY`

If enabled, the respective objects that are hidden for rendering will also be exported in a hidden state. Alembic only recognizes visible and hidden states for the Viewport and rendering simultaneously. Therefore, both hidden settings will be set to red in the Attribute Manager upon import.

### Particles (Geometry)

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_PARTICLE_GEOMETRY`

Enable this option if you want to export the particles together with any related polygonal objects (only these will be rendered). When using Thinking Particles, make sure that you assign geometry using [TP Geometry](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TP_PARTICLEGEOMETRY.html.md). This will ensure that subsequent Alembic imports will work better.

### Hair (Curves)

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_HAIR`

If enabled, a Hair object's Guides will be exported as Splines (curves). If the Hair object's [Type](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OHAIR-HAIRSTYLE_GROUP_RENDER.html.md) is set to Spline, the hairs can also be exported as curves.

### XRefs

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_XREFS`

Enable this option if you also want to export XRefs. If this option is disabled, the entire XRef hierarchy will be excluded (incl. all non-XRef objects in the hierarchy).

### Normals

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_NORMALS`

Use this option to define whether or not vertex Normals should be exported (even if no Normal tags exists, these will be created internally upon export).

### UVs

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_UVS`

Enable this option if UV coordinates should also be exported.

### Vertex Colors

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_VERTEX_COLORS`

Enable this option if [Vertex Colors](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TVERTEXCOLOR.html.md) should be exported. For multiple Vertex Color tags, make sure that they have unique names (Alembic cannot handle identical names).

### Display Colors to Vertex Colors

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_DISPLAY_COLORS`

This option can be used in conjunction with the [Display Color](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/OPOLYGON-OBASELIST.html.md) to export colored objects as vertex colors, for example, to export colored MoGraph objects.

Enable this option if [Vertex Colors](https://help.maxon.net/c4d/en-us/Content/html/TVERTEXCOLOR.html.md) should be exported.

### Vertex Maps

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_VERTEX_MAPS`

If this option is enabled, Vertex Maps can be exported as vertex colors (Maya can, for example, import these files vis the -rcs option). Multiple Vertex Map tags can be used, which should however each have a unique name. Otherwise only the last tag will end up in the Alembic file.

### Points Only (Geometry)

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_POINTS_ONLY`

Enabling this option will export a mesh as a vertex cloud (without polygons).

Vertex colors will also be exported (as long as the Vertex Color tag's **Vertex Color** setting is set to Only Points).

### Merge Generated

Parameter ID: `ABCEXPORT_MERGE_CACHE`

Cache objects that are, for example, created using Generators (e.g., Cloner or Symmetry objects) can be merged into a single mesh upon import (like a Cloner object that duplicates an object 10,000 times), which can be loaded into Cinema 4D much faster and be displayed more fluidly.

Careful: Parametric primitives are also Generators and can be merged as well.

Note that if this function is used with the same Generator on various types of objects (e.g., splines and geometry), only one type can be exported.

If this option is enabled, multiple UV sets (tags) will not be supported.