Currently, if you import a model to the workshop editor with the same filename as one you already have imported, the metadata is reset as the new file (example.plymodel) overwrites the old. This helps keep your import list clean when working with multiple versions of the same model, such as small updates and fixes to textures or playermodel rigging.
While the metadata copy/paste function sometimes works, all metadata is lost from the old model when doing this, and cannot be reliably transferred this way. This means you have to reposition, rotate and scale all wearables as well as reset height, shoulder placement and all material properties when updating models. This takes a lot of time, especially with the new material options.
I suggest having the import process first take metadata from the old import file if it already exists, then apply it to the new import before overwriting it. Basically, keep the old metadata.
Okay, there are workarounds- you can rename the file in the editor before importing, or name your export differently before importing, then copy/paste the metadata across until it works. If you want to keep your list clean, delete the old file. It works like that.
Call me lazy, but I think this is a more complex process than it needs to be.
TL;DR
Pros:
- Much faster and easier to update existing imports
- Cleaner list of “My Imports” with less manual file management
- Impossible to accidentally lose metadata if importing the wrong file by mistake
Cons:
- If you wanted to import a model with the same filename and reset all metadata, you’d have to click a whole two more times to delete the original file beforehand.