How do you organize your files.
ngon master
I was about to start organizing all the files on my computer and I just realized out scattered out all my crap is, I have 4 projects in one place, 3 in another, 2 basically on my desktop, and I'm having issues figuring out how I should sort out all the crap.
I was thinking of breaking it off into just a big CG folder sitting on my desktop.
add a picture folder to that with Inspiration and references sub folders that hold everything.
Then CG/XSI/ for my main projects, plus a few things like CG/Random reusable OBJ's.
But then again I'd probably clutter up my desktop and never reorganize everything... anyone else have this issue?
I was thinking of breaking it off into just a big CG folder sitting on my desktop.
add a picture folder to that with Inspiration and references sub folders that hold everything.
Then CG/XSI/ for my main projects, plus a few things like CG/Random reusable OBJ's.
But then again I'd probably clutter up my desktop and never reorganize everything... anyone else have this issue?
Replies
* For each "project" there is a folder eg. "car", this is where my main file is located "car.max"
*within that folder are 3 more folders, "psd" (obvious what goes in there), "textures" (again, pretty obvious) and working (for anything relating to the project, that I don't intend on using as final)
This is my way of organising mainly because it's kind of how we do things at work. Any suggestions to improve are always welcome, however I find that this simple structure works well for me.
-Adam
-CG Folder(root):
---NextGen assets:
Project Name:
GFX (modellers scenes):
Clips (In case of clip usage in Maya for instance)
TEX (Textures):
PSD-Sources (As stated in the name)
RES (Game resources, specific to the game format)
OBJ (High/low poly obj files and ztl's sources)
IMG (Inspiration and resources)
MEL (Specific maya scripts)
--OldGen assets:
Project Name (Same structure)
--Game specific:
Project Name (Same structure)
Having worked on big mods in the past taught me this way of organizing things.
Mesh -> High, Low, Working
Texture -> PSD, Working
So I have a car folder. Inside this is carMesh and carTexture. Inside carMesh is a high, low and working folder. High res source stuff (sub-d, mudbox) is in high, low is the game mesh, and working is exactly the same as Bad Spleen's working folder. CarTexture has a PSD folder for the master PSDs, and a working folder for stuff like AO bakes, normal bakes; anything thats important to the final textures. When the textures themselves are done I just stick them in the base Texture folder so its quicker to navigate to.
Since I have "work" and "personal" stuff, I have two folders inside a master "3D" folder. Ive got shortcuts to this all over the place. Stuff like source textures and references sit in an equally organized tree inside a "CGResource" folder.
Finally, this is all on its own physical drive, so I can take all of it with me at any time. It may be the best, but its clean and concise enough to where it doesn't cause headaches.
Oh, if you are using XSI it can create and manage project directories for you. JIC.
On that drive there are folders for 3D, 2D, Leveldesign and some other stuff. In 3D and 2D there are WIP, Finished, Unstarted, Inspiration as wel as a Junk and "Not Mine" folder for other people's stuff (like SDK's or friends stuff they wanted me to look at). Stuff gets moved between Unstarted, WIP and Finished over time, obviously.
I find this most logical and oragnized, do I win a prize now ?
- Current
-- A folder for each "project" or "team" I'm working in
--- Inside each project theres further folders for each task, such as "lamp posts" or "truck".
---- Inside each task lies the source max/psd files and theres 3 more folders;
bak (backups)
ref (reference images for this specific task)
exp (various exports/imports to do with this project)
- Reference
-- Bunch of separate folders for each category
- Portfolio
-- My portfolio website files
- Archive
-- Old work organized in a similar way to current, but most likely will not be visited again.
Project: Contains all folders and files for that project (duh)
_Build: Intermediate files. Export files waiting to be compiled, files to be fed into whatever engine.
_Deliver: Final delivered assets. Compiled and delivered assets, more or less a back up for when something goes missing from the server.
PD: A simple code for each object in this case this is a Placeholder Door. There will be hundreds of these folders for a project. In here I keep the latest 3ds file, all older iterations get moved into _Backup. This is aided by two custom scripts that move old files into backup and also archives. I'm lazy like that...
_Backup: I think this was covered already...
_Ref: for some reason at home, porn always ends up in there...
_Textures: 2 guesses...
_backup: This is where old texture files go to die, err I mean be archived.
I hope to have a more systematic approach after a reinstall.
Inside those program files are some classifications - so in "Maya" there's "Freelance", "Weapons", "Environments", "Stickfigure".
Inside "Weapons" there are the project folders - "Glaive" and "solarFencingSword"
And then inside those would be the respective Maya default project folders like "scenes", etc.
I'm working on a new portfolio design and all now - so in that folder I have folders for jpegs, media (swfs), things to be imported into flash, fla's, and photoshop. Then the html files are in the main folder along with the jpegs of the images I'm using for the html page.
My desktop is very clean, only 5 folders, one shortcut, and the recycle bin on the left - and a Rainlender calender on the right. I use RocketDock as well, and SlickRun.
- [model files in here]
- \Textures\[textures in here]
- \Ref\[reference imagery in here]
- \Renders\[WIP shots in here]
At work there's specific directories we have to use so everyone's got the files in the same place.
And somehow I always know where to find what!
D Drive - APPS, Brushes, Software Updates, Textures, Locations, Fonts, Movies, Plugins
E Drive (Work Files) Clients, Personal (then goes Maya, Paintings, Lightwave, Video), Photography.
This
- Project title
-- Sub-project title
--- Object name (meshes in here)
---- Ref
---- Textures
So texture path example would be:
Projects/GameMod01/Level01/Tree01/Textures
C: o/s and programs only, desktop empty.
F: External hd - mirror image copy of
File structure on
Gotta love organising things!
--- workdir
max
blender
mudbox
textures
bake
ref
alt:
--- bin
--- src
--- doc
--- art
Don't you ever question my porn folder again :poly140:
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Poorly.
I just use my desktop for whatever i'm doing currently, and have a folder called "random crap" that i toss stuff into, a folder called "art" i toss art stuff into once i'm done. If i need to find something like a project, i just do a search for the name, sort the files in the containing folder by date modified and i can find all the files associated with that file that way.
Ctrl + A , Delete
Then within each project file I list shit like this:
How do you get colored folders?
My F3 button is pretty worn.
I usually do something like the following.
Project Name
-Asset Name
--Meshes
---Xnormal Meshes
--Textures
---PSD
-Ref
-Screenies
there are 3 virtual drives.1,2,3
1- "software": windows, installed stuff and lots of free space...
2- "work":I don't distribute my work in to CG or 3D or 2D or Cool shit or etc, that's vague. Here are 3 main folders on this drive
.
>++Design (some print web and design related work that I do at times)
>++Personal (my websites back up, my sorted portfolio, my sketches, doodles, modeling work, many sub folders. I am not worried about this folder, it has lots of sub folders I dont mind giving Loooonger names for example there is a folder named "I did it when I was not working on my thesis" and another one "dont show this to anyone" :P)
>++Pro (here comes alive the beast within me :P)
-"3D files" here on the main with last 10 history versions
- Refs (sometimes I put my sorted refs into my "Image library" folder in 3rd drive by the end of project)
-Textures (has further subs of PSD, DDS etc)
-Temp (Bakes, Exports, unwanted history versions of max files, everything in this folder will be deleted by the completion of the project straight away no 2nd thought)
-ZB ( tools, some special alpha or brush or exports from ZB etc)
-Shots (Renders, progress shots, screen captures, review notes with those funny yellow circles around those open edges etc )
>movies (you know better)
>Texture Database (My holy grail)
>Image Library (further sub folders based on my interest like Blue prints, Space etc)
>Music
>Trainings (lots of sub folders most of training DVDs that I have never seen and never will, tutorials & some links to resources)
>Uninstalled Applications (key to success [:-{)
-2D
-Accessories (anything else)
-Games (mostly demos that I still have to explore and majority is small casual PC games some old famous ones that you still love to play)
-Drivers (essentials, codecs, etc)
-My Font archive (Million dollar folder)
cheerz
It's an organic mess. Over the years I've had folders such as red, sve, daes and veca. They don't really mean anything other than the vague associations grown over the life of a folder in my head. Occasionally I will be lazy and just throw shit into a new folder, but usually my desktop is very sparse. I also like to arrange the icons in a pleasing manner, forming tight shapes and swooping columns, like a web. Also, I have the flu right now, and it sucks. So get your vaccinations, everybody.