Bulk Upload with Watch Folder
Bulk Upload with Watch Folder
The Watch Folder feature in the 3DIMLI Desktop app lets you create multiple product drafts at once by organizing files into folders on your computer. Each folder becomes a product draft — the app monitors your folder and automatically creates drafts as you add files.
Why Use Watch Folder?
- Bulk upload: Create dozens of product drafts in minutes
- Automatic detection: Drop files into folders and drafts appear instantly
- Offline editing: Drafts are stored locally until you're ready to publish
- Organized workflow: Use your file manager to prepare products before uploading
Watch Folder is available only in the 3DIMLI Desktop app and requires a seller account. Download for your platform: Windows | macOS (Intel) | macOS (Apple Silicon) | Linux
Setting Up Watch Folder
Step 1: Open the Tray Menu
Right-click the 3DIMLI icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar).
Step 2: Set the Folder Path
- Click "Watch Folder" → "Set Watch Folder..."
- Browse to an existing folder or create a new one (e.g.,
C:\Users\YourName\3DIMLI Products) - Click Select Folder
Step 3: Enable Watching
In the tray menu, click "Watch Folder" → "Enable Watch Folder". The app will now monitor that folder for new product folders.
Choose an empty folder to start with. The app processes all subfolders automatically once enabled.
Folder Structure
When you enable the watch folder, the app automatically creates product type subfolders inside it — one for each product category. Place your product folders inside the relevant type folder to keep things organised and to lock in the product type.
Watch Folder/
├── 3D Model/
│ ├── fantasy-sword-model/
│ │ ├── main.png
│ │ ├── angle-1.jpg
│ │ ├── sword.fbx
│ │ ├── description.html
│ │ └── tags.txt
│ └── crystal-dragon-3d/
│ ├── main.png
│ └── dragon.fbx
│
├── Audio/
│ └── ambient-music-loop/
│ ├── main.png
│ ├── loop.mp3
│ └── description.txt
│
├── Graphics/
│ └── pixel-art-brush-pack/
│ ├── main.jpg
│ ├── preview.png
│ └── brushes.zip
│
├── Ebook/
├── AI Model/
├── Software/
├── Video/
├── Games/
└── Link/
Product Type Folders
The following type folders are created automatically — you don't need to make them yourself:
| Folder | Product Type |
|---|---|
3D Model | 3D Model |
Graphics | Graphics |
Audio | Audio |
Ebook | Ebook |
AI Model | AI Model |
Software | Software |
Video | Video |
Games | Games |
Link | Link Product |
Common aliases also work — for example, music and sound are recognised as Audio; e-book and ebooks as Ebook; 3dmodel or 3dasset as 3D Model.
You can also place product folders directly in the watch folder root (without a type folder). In that case, the product type is detected automatically from the file extensions inside.
Files dropped directly into the watch folder root (not inside any type folder or product subfolder) are ignored.
Dropping Files Directly into a Type Folder
If you drop a file directly into a type folder (e.g., Audio/song.mp3 instead of Audio/my-product/song.mp3), the app automatically organises it for you:
- A new product subfolder is created, named after the file (e.g.,
Audio/song/) - The file is moved into that subfolder (
Audio/song/song.mp3) - A draft is created from the new subfolder as normal
- You receive a notification — "3DIMLI - File Organised" — explaining what happened. Click it to open this documentation.
This is useful when you want to quickly drop a single file and let the app handle the folder structure.
Folder Naming
Your folder name automatically becomes the product title:
| Folder Name | Generated Title |
|---|---|
fantasy-sword-model | Fantasy Sword Model |
my_awesome_product | My Awesome Product |
dragonWarrior | Dragon Warrior |
3D Chair Model | 3D Chair Model |
Hyphens, underscores, and camelCase are all converted to readable titles.
Supported Files
Images
| Format | Supported |
|---|---|
| .png, .jpg, .jpeg | Yes |
| .webp, .avif | Yes |
| .gif | Yes |
Size limit: 2 MB per image. Maximum: 1 main image + 15 gallery images (16 total).
Main Image Priority
The app picks your main image in this order:
main.png,main.jpg,main.jpeg,main.webp,main.avifthumbnail.png,thumbnail.jpg, etc.cover.png,cover.jpg, etc.- First image alphabetically
All other images become gallery images.
Download Files
These file types are recognized as downloadable product files:
| Category | Formats |
|---|---|
| 3D Models | .blend, .fbx, .obj, .glb, .gltf, .stl, .usdz, .max, .3ds, .dae |
| AI Models | .safetensors, .ckpt, .pt, .pth, .bin |
| Audio | .mp3, .ogg, .wav, .flac, .aac, .wma, .m4a |
| E-books | .pdf, .epub, .mobi |
| Graphics | .psd, .ai, .svg, .eps, .sketch, .fig, .xd, .indd |
| Software | .exe, .msi, .dmg, .deb, .rpm, .appimage, .apk |
| Video | .mp4, .webm, .mov |
| Archives | .zip, .rar, .7z |
Size limit: 1 GB per file.
Non-archive files (like .fbx, .psd) are automatically compressed into a .zip for download. Archive files (.zip, .rar, .7z) are stored as-is.
The product type is determined automatically from the download files (3D Model, Audio, Ebook, Graphics, Software, or Video).
Description File (Optional)
Create one of these files in your product folder:
description.html— HTML formatted (recommended)description.htm— HTML formatteddescription.txt— Plain text (auto-converted to HTML)
Maximum 1,500 characters. HTML descriptions should not include <script> tags (they are stripped for security).
Example description.html:
<p>A detailed fantasy sword 3D model, perfect for game development and rendering.</p>
<ul>
<li>High-poly mesh with clean topology</li>
<li>PBR textures included (4K)</li>
<li>Formats: FBX, OBJ, BLEND</li>
</ul>
Tags File (Optional)
Create one of these files:
tags.txt— One tag per line or comma-separatedtag.txt— Same format
Maximum 6 tags, each up to 50 characters.
Example tags.txt:
3D Model
Fantasy
Game Asset
Sword
PBR
Low Poly
Or comma-separated: 3D Model, Fantasy, Game Asset, Sword, PBR, Low Poly
How It Works
- You add a product folder inside a type folder (e.g.,
3D Model/my-product/) or directly in the watch folder root. You can also drop a single file into a type folder and the app will auto-create a subfolder for it - The app detects it automatically (waits ~2 seconds for files to settle)
- A draft is created with title, images, downloads, description, and tags
- You get a notification — "Draft created: Fantasy Sword Model (3D Model)"
- The draft appears in Dashboard → My Product → Draft Products
Live Updates
The app watches your folder continuously:
- Add more images → They appear in the draft gallery
- Add download files → They're added to the draft
- Rename the folder → The draft title updates
- Delete a folder → The draft is removed
- Edit description.html → The draft description updates
Duplicate Protection
- If a draft with the same title already exists, the folder is skipped
- You'll see a notification asking you to rename the folder
Reviewing and Publishing Drafts
Step 1: Open Your Drafts
Go to Dashboard → My Product → Draft Products to see all drafts created from your watch folder.
Step 2: Review Each Draft
Click a draft to open the full product editor. Here you can:
- Edit the title and description
- Add or remove images
- Configure pricing and licenses
- Set a category
- Add SEO details
You must set pricing and licensing before publishing. The watch folder creates drafts with no pricing — you need to configure this manually.
Step 3: Publish
Publishing a Single Draft
Each draft has a three-dot action menu (⋯) in the Actions column. Click it and select "Publish Draft" to publish that individual draft. You'll see upload progress for each step.
The "Publish Draft" option is disabled if required fields (like pricing) are not set. Make sure to configure pricing before publishing.
Bulk Publishing Multiple Drafts
You can publish several drafts at once:
- Use the checkbox next to each draft to select the ones you want to publish, or click the Select All checkbox in the table header to select all drafts at once
- A floating action bar appears at the bottom of the screen showing how many items are selected
- Click "Publish selected" — drafts are published one by one with a progress indicator (e.g., "Publishing 2/5...")
- After completion, you'll see a summary of how many were successfully published
You can also bulk delete selected drafts using the "Delete selected" button in the same action bar.
After publishing, the watch folder mapping for that product is removed automatically.
Quick Start Example
Want to upload 3 products? Here's how:
1. Create your folder structure:
C:\Users\YourName\3DIMLI Products\
├── 3D Model/
│ └── crystal-dragon-3d/
│ ├── main.png
│ ├── side-view.jpg
│ ├── dragon.fbx
│ ├── description.html
│ └── tags.txt
│
├── Audio/
│ └── lofi-music-pack/
│ ├── main.jpg
│ ├── tracks.zip
│ └── description.html
│
└── Graphics/
└── ui-icon-set/
├── main.png
├── preview-1.png
├── icons.zip
└── tags.txt
The type folders (3D Model, Audio, Graphics, etc.) are created automatically when you enable the watch folder — just drop your product folders inside them.
2. Set and enable watch folder from the tray menu
3. Wait a few seconds — three notifications appear confirming draft creation
4. Go to Draft Products — review each draft, set pricing
5. Publish — use the Select All checkbox to select all drafts, then click "Publish selected" to publish them in one go, or publish individually via the three-dot action menu (⋯)
Limits
| Feature | Limit |
|---|---|
| Image size | 2 MB each |
| Gallery images | 15 per product (+ 1 main) |
| Download file size | 1 GB each |
| Description length | 1,500 characters |
| Tags per product | 6 |
| Tag length | 50 characters each |
| Title length | 60 characters |
| Folder name length | 200 characters |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Draft not created | Ensure files are inside a product subfolder (e.g., Watch Folder/3D Model/my-product/), not directly in the root or type folder |
| Draft not created for folder inside type folder | The product folder must be one level inside a type folder — deeper nesting (e.g., 3D Model/sub/my-product/) is not supported |
| "Draft with title already exists" | Rename the subfolder to a unique name |
| Images not appearing | Check format (.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp, .gif, .avif) and size (< 2 MB) |
| Download file not detected | Verify it's a supported format and under 1 GB |
| Description not showing | File must be named exactly description.html, description.htm, or description.txt |
| Tags not showing | File must be named exactly tags.txt or tag.txt |
| Watch folder not working | Check the tray menu — ensure the path is set and watching is enabled |
| "Malware detected" notification | Review the folder contents and remove suspicious files |
| File dropped into type folder — no draft created | Ensure the file is a supported download format. The app creates a subfolder automatically; unsupported file types are skipped |
Start with 1-2 test products to get familiar with the folder structure before bulk uploading. Once you're comfortable, you can prepare dozens of product folders and let the watch folder process them all at once.