Why Omoospace?

For any digital work with slight complexity, you’ll often handle more than one file. When files pile up, you’ll try to sort them with folders. A proper folder structure helps teams locate files quickly and lets you revisit old projects easily. So how to design a reasonable folder structure?

Key Points for a Good Design

Workflows in Common

All creative work, whether modeling, animation, or AI pipelines, can be abstracted into a unified structure if files are stored on a hard drive:

Everything in the workflow falls into 4 categories:

• Project files: Software-specific format files

• Inputs: Imported files like images, audios, videos, and models...

• Outputs: Exported results (may be imported in next-step)

• Caches: Deletable/regenerable files

This provides a basis for rational file classification, enabling a universal folder structure for all workflows in theory.

Laziness Is Acceptable

Few people stick to maintaining complex project folders, let alone artists😂. Thus, minimizing operational effort to keep projects structured is crucial. The goal of a folder structure is easy maintenance, so clarity is paramount.

Time-saving tips:

• Use filenames as annotations. Avoid ambiguous abbreviations/codes—you won’t want to be confused when reopening source files months later. Clear filenames eliminate the need for extra documentation. (An AI-powered auto-naming tool is feasible now)

• Use prefixes to imply connections. For example, two source files prefixed with Seq010_ are obviously related to Seq010. Similarly, Seq010_Props.blend and .glb models prefixed with Seq010_Props_ clearly show the export relationship.

• Auto-sort resources. Standardize export paths (e.g., renders to Renders, videos to Videos). Sort imported assets by file format.

• Don’t manage all files. Staged data is mostly handled in software—paths can be messy as long as filenames don’t conflict. Downloaded resources or files from other projects have random structures; sorting them by type wastes time and isn’t necessary.

Project Document

Software updates rapidly—multiple versions may release during a project cycle. Archived projects may require older software versions to open. You need a place to record software versions used, plus plugins, team members, their roles, and project descriptions.

Shortcomings of Other Solutions

⚠️ Incompatible Software-native Systems

Most software with external resource imports has built-in asset management features: "Collect Files" in After Effects, "Pack Resources" in Blender, "Save Project with Assets" in Cinema 4D, "Set a Project" in Maya, $JOB in Houdini, and so on.

These features are useful but use inconsistent folder structures. This breaks cross-software collaboration unless you use one tool end-to-end. Conclusion: Software-native solutions are not optimal—we need a unified folder structure compatible with all tools.

⚠️ No Isolation Between Resource Assets and Project Files

What happens when they’re mixed? Example:

Project001
|-- Assets
|   |-- PropA
|   |   |-- PropA.blend # referenced file
|   |   `-- PropA_wip.blend # wip file

Both are Blender files, but PropA.blend is a static resource, while PropA_wip.blend is a dynamic working file. Putting them together seems logical but overlooks project growth:

As projects expand, you may split files into folders (e.g., move PropA to Seq010). This breaks references to PropA.blend. Moving only PropA_wip.blend creates duplicate folders.

Thus, isolate static resource assets and dynamic source files. Mixing them causes conflicts: rigid structures if prioritizing stability, or broken references if prioritizing flexibility. The issue worsens in team collaboration.

Omoospace Principles

No single software covers all creative workflows, and processes evolve with technology. Hence Omoospace was born—to guide creative file storage. It’s a set of principles, not rigid rules or a management tool.