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Why Omoospace?

Any work with even a little complexity usually involves more than one file. When there are too many files, you need folders to organize them. A good folder structure helps you revisit and understand the project later. So how should you design it?

Points to Consider

Common Ground Across Workflows

Files in all creative workflows can be divided into two main types:

  • Resource files: Images, audios, videos, models, and other files that are imported or referenced.
  • Source files: Files in software-specific formats that you work on (your working files).

Additionally, all workflows can be abstracted into a cycle:

Resource → Production → Resource → Production → Resource → ...

Software-native Solutions Are Incompatible

Most software that uses external resources has its own way to collect or pack assets, such as:

Some software also helps you create project folders, such as:

These features are useful, but each software organizes files differently. This makes it hard to collaborate across multiple tools.

You Need a Place to Record Information

You need a place to record:

  • Software versions used
  • Extensions used
  • Team members and their roles
  • Project description, client information, etc.

Keep It Maintainable, But Respect Laziness

Few people can maintain a very complex folder structure, and even fewer want to write lots of comments. So it’s important to make the project “self-explanatory” with minimal effort. Here are some ways to save time:

  • Use filenames as comments
    Not every file can have a written description, so the filename itself should be clear and plain.
  • Use prefixes and suffixes to add meaning. For example:
    • Sc010_ as a scene context prefix
    • .v001 as a version suffix
    • .480p as a resolution suffix
    • .low as a low-poly suffix
  • Use consistent output paths. For example:
    • Render outputs go to Renders
    • Video exports go to Videos
  • Accept mess for unimportant files
    f a file isn’t important, you don’t need to organize it strictly. But if it is important, don’t be too casual—your future self will thank you 🥲.

The Conflict: Flexibility vs Stability

If folders are too flexible, references break. If they are too fixed, the structure becomes rigid. Consider this example:

ProjectRoot/ 
├── Prop01/ 
│   ├── Prop01.blend      # Resource file (referenced by others) 
│   ╰── Prop01.WIP.blend  # Source file (work in progress)

Later, you may want to move Prop01/ into an Assets/ folder. But moving it will break all references to Prop01.blend. To avoid this, you would have to plan the final structure from the very beginning.

Is there a way to have both flexibility and stability? To start simple and grow the structure as the project expands—without breaking references?

Omoospace Principles

No single software can cover all workflows, and workflows keep changing with new technology. We need a unified way to guide how files are stored on disk. That’s why Omoospace was created.

Core Idea: Separate Resource Files and Source Files

To solve the flexibility/stability conflict, we ask:

  • Who needs to be stable? Resource files
  • And who needs to be flexible? Source files

If they are mixed together, conflicts are inevitable:

  • Prioritizing stability makes the structure rigid
  • Prioritizing flexibility breaks references

So they should be stored separately. This is the core idea of Omoospace.

Omoospace Is a "Guideline", Not a "Strict Rulebook"

Omoospace does not enforce a specific folder structure, and it is not a management tool (though tools can help). It is more like a set of principles that gives you a direction when you’re unsure how to organize your files.

Omoospace is simple. It has only four rules: Omoospace Principles.