Ask HN: How you manage files on your computer?

Re:Ask HN: How you manage files on your computer? by MrLeap on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @01:44PM (#16431823)

I'm pretty simple. I remember briefly experimenting with deep nested logical folder hierarchies in windows 98 when I was like 10 years old, no experiments became habits because I just didn't have that many files to store back then. NES roms and like 3 songs.

These days I have all my code in ~/code, a sub folder for each project. I've got apparently accumulated 120 project folders in the last 5 years. Anything else I make tends to be a loose file in ~/assets.

Whenever I get the urge to do some 3d modelling, I quickly check spotlight if I've started anything like it before. I get the urge to make a castle? cmd + space, type castle. Yup I last edited castleTown.blend in 2014. Then I just pick up where I left off.

My assets folder, being something I do to relax, has grown pretty ludicrous. It's distributed between a few devices, but i'd estimate I've got 2-5000 different made-from-scratch 3d models, digital paintings, textures, alpha maps, etc all over the place. Kinda wish I could have a garage sale from time to time :D

The only other kind of file accumulation goes in ~/Downloads, and I delete that wholesale every few weeks.

Thanks for making me reflect on my.. accretions..

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Re:Ask HN: How you manage files on your computer? by rayalez on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @11:03PM (#16435070)

I have a CG folder, in it there are modeling, painting, rigging, animation, fx, etc folders, based on the type of project.

If I want to render a complete scene, I'll put it in "props" or a "set" folder. In it there are folders by software type - hou, silo, ps; and also some for generated files - geo, cache, render, render_comp, and out (for final render).

Also there's CG/assets where I put textures, references, houdini assets, etc.

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Re:Ask HN: How you manage files on your computer? by MrLeap on Friday February 23, 2018 @11:35AM (#16447368)

Got any tips on making rigging not feel unimaginably tedious? It's fun when you finally get a nice IK handled rig created, but getting there is always a nightmare for me. :(

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Re:Ask HN: How you manage files on your computer? by rayalez on Friday February 23, 2018 @12:30PM (#16447771)

Well, I use houdini, that's my solution =)

In hou it's really fun and flexible, and most of the repetitive stuff can be automated away. There's almost always a new cool challenge to solve, a creative improvement to be made.

Having said that, there's hardly a part of CG art that doesn't get tedious at times. Modeling, UVs, texturing, animation, rendering... It all has it's repetitive boring moments.

Look at it like at knitting, or putting together a giant puzzle, or playing minecraft. There are moments where you gotta think and be creative, and then there are moments where you can just enjoy the meditative, comforting, familiar process. It can be fun in it's own way.

Also, if things get really boring, you can always listen to music, audiobooks, or your favorite sitcom in the background =)

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Re:Ask HN: How you manage files on your computer? by MrLeap on Friday February 23, 2018 @05:08PM (#16450052)

I may give houdini a try. I've only ever tried rigging in blender and zbrush. Blender is my package of choice for hard surface modelling, but the rigging workflow is just.. onerous. Zspheres are way easier, but I don't like the hard surface topology most of the time. Zspheres are also missing a lot of the advanced rigging features blender has. Usability has its tradeoffs I guess.

Thanks for the chat Rayalez! :)

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