Hey guys,
I've been part of the CG Community for about a year now, and I really appreciate the help of fellow members in helping a relatively computer-illiterate person like me figure out Blender.
(This is actually wider than Just a Blender issue)
One major stumbling block I have, however, is my inability to organize my data and my files.
In a broad sense, I'm a naturally disorganized person... and my desktop and my files are a complete jumble. I've tried various practices... But it is often hard to maintain.
As well, although I have figured out some "Jerry Rig" approaches to do things, I usually complete tasks in a very slapstick and roundabout manner... Whereas it seems some people are so organized that it takes them a few brushstrokes to accomplish something that requires me to drag-and-drop and finagle with.
Here's where my challenges manifest themselves when it comes to Blender.
I know this sounds embarrassing, but I actually don't know where the heck my files are most of the time... I usually just access the "Spotlight" on my Mac then type in .Blend and then hope that the last file I was working on (DOGthingy.blend) might magically pop up.
There are certainly some confusing aspects to Blender that I would like to hash out...( such as how it's difficult to figure out how to "Save As" and how it's super confusing what exactly the "Output" option under Render actually does. )
But in the broader picture... I fundamentally struggle with being organized, and I wonder if there are other people in the community who share my challenges?
I would like to submit two ideas/ or requests to the community.
1. Are there other organizationally-challanged people here who might like to create a sub-group so that we can help each other out? (Also, I live in Vancouver, BC so I'd be happy to touch base in real life! )
2. Is there a "Fundamentals" course in the CG community for best practices, optimized work-flows and principles of organization? (IE A fundamentals of Organizing) If not...Perhaps such a fundamentals course could be created if enough people believe it would be useful?
Sounds tough, well im not an advanced blender user in the sense that I have very large and complex scenes with an extraordinary amount of parts and textures but I do like being organized as much as the next guy.
I will say though that for me blender doesnt have the most intuitive interface when compared to the standard softwares like the Adobe collections which are more common and comfortable.
I have one folder where all my blender projects live, located in my documents folder. And within that just 3 sub folders. . Blend files, png's, and textures. After rendering When you save any image in blender, F3, you have an option to save to any location, located to the left of the save menu.
I would first find where your defualt file saving location is then change it. To your new folder, located some place easy like the desktop. Just save a screenshot crtl F3 observe the saving locations and begin there.
If you need to dig through more than 2 folders to find or save something its probably too many. :)
Hope this helps.
Project management is definitely something we should tackle more in the future, however this sounds like it affects you far beyond art related tasks. I've been pretty disorganized in the past, so don't worry - this is something you can learn! Getting things in order will be really helpful for you down the road.
Here's what I'd suggest you do:
Wiping everything clean except the backup folder should give you some breathing room, and moving only new files or files that you use regularly should make it less overwhelming so that you don't feel like you have to organize everything perfectly right this moment.
Use your desktop only as a temporary sorting area - don't save anything there unless you intend to move or delete it immediately. It should not have files on it. Some people do (which is fine if it works for them), but for me it quickly gets out of control. Same goes for the downloads folder.
Naming is also important, and something I have a hard time with as well. But don't stress about it too much just yet - get the folders in place first.
Project management and general organization is something we have discussed teaching in a course. It definitely becomes important when working with others. It becomes apparent quite quickly how various team members organize their file structure.
I consider myself a more organized person, even when I do tend to be disorganized with certain things I eventually favor having things in order. I work on the Unity side and it always amazes me when people upload projects and have everything scattered, it just makes it incredibly tough to work in that manner.
I use folders quite often, even for non-unity related tasks since I'll have a number of different file types such as animations, audio, models, scripts, projects, etc. Those folders themselves would also have sub folders for specific genres or types. So an animation folder would have "FPS Animations", or "Fighting Animations", and go from there.
Regarding having multiple copies of files, I always try to remove these unless I know I'll need the backup. Also name your files logically. Some people like to add long names to things, I prefer to keep it short. When working with models that have textures I may have the blend file in the same folder, along with one exported version and a folder for textures. If I really feel inclined I'll have a folder for "working files", which would be blend files, substance files, PSDs or anything where I can go in and make changes. Then I'd have an exports folder for completed versions of those files.
Once a week you can go into your various folders or files and find what you don't need anymore. If you absolutely don't need it, trash it. I tend to use the Desktop for very quick and temporary file saves. Things where I know I'll be using it within the hour and/or just need to be reminded of that file because of it's importance. That's also where I place files I know I can get rid of right after using them because I hate seeing things on my desktop.
That was a bit longer than expected, but I think you get the point. Everyone has their own organization techniques so find what works best for you. If you have any questions on how I organize things let me know.
jgonzalez, cchristopher england @jlampel
Thanks for your very thoughtful comments guys! I took a break from things for a few weeks there, but now I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.
Will definitely consider the feedback I've been given...Especially on saving certain folders and arranging them by certain patterns.
Thanks for your input!
Also, anyone live in Vancouver BC? It would be awesome to have a meet-up!