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# Assets and Asset Managers

## Dealing With Assets

Katana has been designed from the ground up to work within an asset based production environment. In fact, the philosophy behind Katana - the non-destructive recipe based approach - works to its fullest when used with assets that change and update in an iterative workflow. The decoupling of asset creation and their use in shots, allows a team to work in parallel.

Whether in a small, medium, or large studio, an asset management system helps maintain the large number of assets and revisions that artists create and use.

With its extensible Asset Management API, Katana can be made to slot into any production workflow that incorporates an asset management system. Examples of how to incorporate an asset manager using the Asset Management API are included with the Katana install. A full explanation of this process goes beyond the scope of this guide. For all examples within this guide, we assume you are using the File asset manager that ships as the default with Katana. For further details on the asset manager employed by your facility, consult your pipeline manager.

## Selecting an Asset Manager

By default, Katana uses the file system to store assets. But Katana has the ability to plug into a studio’s asset management system through its Asset Management API.

Once connected, you can change the asset manager from within the Project Settings tab. You can select which asset manager to use by doing the following:

| 1. | In the Project Settings tab, click the plugins > asset dropdown.

| 2. | Select the asset manager from the filterable list.