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I have a object that changes geometry each frame.
Now I want to cache the mesh because the framecalculations are quite slow.
My idea was to export the frames to separate Alembic files so that I can reimport them using the Mesh Sequence Cache modifier with "Is Sequence" enabled.
But when I do this only the first frame of the sequence is showing.

This tutorial on importing Realflow Simulations suggests that the import of .abc files works in Blender 2.79. So my guess is that I do something wrong while exporting the mesh.
Are there special export settings for exporting individual frames of a sequence or is it currently not possible to export Alembic sequences with Blender?

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"Is Sequence" is used when you have multiple Alembic files that are numbered in sequence. To export & import an animated mesh you don't need to use that. Just make sure your frame range for the export is set correctly.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the answer but i think that is not what i was looking for. The reason why i think that i need a numbered sequence of files is that the vertexcount changes in each frame. I tried to export some files like 001.abc - 099.abc where the mesh is different in each file but the mesh sequence cache modifier displays only the fist file of the sequence. $\endgroup$
    – icalvin102
    Commented Oct 21, 2017 at 15:35
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    $\begingroup$ You don't need to do that, Alembic supports changes in vertex count within a single file. $\endgroup$
    – dr. Sybren
    Commented Oct 21, 2017 at 17:28
  • $\begingroup$ Oh I didn't know Alembic can do this. Is it possible to use different mesh datablocks for each frame? I have written a script that feeds the results of all modifiers into the next frame as basemesh to be modified again and so on. This creates a sequence of new meshdatablock which i would like to save on disc like a cache and to play them back with the Mesh Sequence Cache modifier. $\endgroup$
    – icalvin102
    Commented Oct 21, 2017 at 18:51
  • $\begingroup$ I doubt that'll work, since the mesh datablock name is used in the Alembic file. They'll be exported as different meshes, rather than a single animated one. $\endgroup$
    – dr. Sybren
    Commented Oct 21, 2017 at 19:33
  • $\begingroup$ Thatswhy i tried exporting a sequence of Alembic files as this seems to be the only format that can be read as filesequence by modifiers and supports changing vertcount opposed to .mdd or .pc2 (Mesh Cache Modifier). Sadly this method does not work as expected with the Alembic files i made with blender. $\endgroup$
    – icalvin102
    Commented Oct 21, 2017 at 19:59
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Use name conversion like "filename_00000.abc", where "filename" is name of your cache, 00000 - frame number with 5 or 4 digits exactly. Frame number with 3 digits can't be recognized in sequence by Mesh Sequence Cache modifier.

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