File System Organization
Directory Tree
The basic directory tree for "My Friend Shadow" is:
The project "server" is SIRIUS, and all master files should reside on that system.
development
The "development" area exists on SIRIUS and holds vis dev art, tests and storyboards.
incoming
The "incoming" directory exists on SIRIUS and contains incoming work (models, rigs, anim files, etc...) from the MFS crew.
production
The "production" area exists on all systems, with some variation in the sub-directories. The "production" area on SIRIUS contains the master "audio", "elements" and "scenes" sub-directories, as well as the "current" sub-directory. The "production" area on any other system only contains the "current" sub-directory.
audio
Audio files are primarily WAV files, and should ideally be named in a corresponding manner to their sequence & scene.
current
The "current" directory contains the latest version of available elements. Element files in the "current" directory are copies of the master files in the "elements" area, with their trailing version numbers removed to facilitate referencing (see Model & Rig File Naming for more detail). Referencing is used for set/prop elements ONLY. Characters (and any props with GUIs, such as the umbrella) are ALWAYS imported (see File Referencing for more detail).
elements
The "elements" directory holds working files and the latest master models & rigs. All finished models must undergo the steps outlined in the Model Checks doc. Unfinished models (such as set elements) which are being used in scenes as work-in-progress must at least have upper transforms applied (particularly crucial for referencing).
Models and rigs should be named and versioned according to the conventions outlined in Model & Rig File Naming, and relevant notes added to the "NOTES" files within their directories. In addition, models and rigs should be tagged for internal identification within Maya scenes (see the Dogtags doc for more on this).
Here is an example where a prop model ("rock_hires_model.02") is updated with new shading groups:
- the model file is updated with new shading groups
- the "Tag it!" button is invoked, and the current model tag is checked
- the model tag's version is updated to "0003", and the tag is updated
- the model is saved as "rock_hires_model.03" under the "elements" directory
- a note is added about what was done to the file in the directory's NOTES document
- the "rock_hires_model.03" file is copied over to "current", where the "03" index is removed from the name
- the new "rock_hires_model" file is then referenced into shots from the "current" directory
Here is an example where a character model ("tomy_hires_model.91") is update with new shading groups:
- the model file is updated with new shading groups
- the "Tag it!" button is invoked, and the current model tag is checked
- the model tag's version is updated to "0092", and the tag is updated
- the model is saved as "tomy_hires_model.92" under the "elements" directory
- a note is added about what was done to the file in the directory's NOTES document
- Kevin updates the rig with the improvements, dogtags the rig, saves it under "elements" and also copies it to "current" :-)
scenes
"My Friend Shadow" scenes are organized by sequence. Ideally, each Maya file should include a prefix which indicates its parent sequence and scene - especially important as files are transferred back and forth among animators. Scenes should always be built from elements out of the "current" area: characters are always imported, while sets/props are usually referenced. One exception are "featured" props (accessories) with GUIs, such as the umbrella or backpack, which are imported - never referenced. See the Tommy Rig User Documentation for details on how to import and update character rigs and accessories.
textures
The "textures" directory exists on every system, and contains the same group of textures on every system. Where possible, textures should be named according to the guidelines outlined in Texture File Naming.