Project Overview

Introduction

"Project Tools" is a collection of scripts included in the Blender Studio Pipeline repository, developed to assist you in running and managing one or more projects. These scripts automate and standardize many common operations involved in setting up a production pipeline.

It all starts with the directory layout, which should be deployed by a Technical Director following the Project Tools Setup Guide. This standard directory layout defines where things like .blend files and playblasts are stored. It enables Project Tools to ensure all users are running the same version of Blender and have a similar experience with minimal setup required by individual users.

Join the discussion at the Blender Studio Pipeline Channel on Blender Chat, the central hub for discussion about the Blender Studio Pipeline.

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Folder Structure Overview

This page explains the standard folder structure for Blender Studio Tools projects. Consistent folder layout ensures smooth collaboration and easy onboarding for new artists.

Typical Project Location

Projects are typically stored at /data/your_project_name, where data is at the root of the filesystem. This is for consistency between computers at the Blender Studio.
External studios can use a different root folder, such as a user's home directory.

Folder Descriptions

• local/
  Contains a local copy of the project's Blender version and any extensions distributed by the project. Also stores userpref.blend for per-project user preferences.
• shared/
  Symlink to a shared network drive or a synchronized folder (e.g., Syncthing, Dropbox). Used for ephemeral data such as renders, audio, and video files that can be regenerated if lost.
• svn/
  Contains .blend files for production and pre-production. Recommended to use version control software (SVN, GIT-LFS, or Perforce) to track changes. Also contains project tools.

Version Management Modes

There are two methods of version control for projects:

• Version Control (Recommended):
  Use SVN or GIT-LFS to track changes to Blender files.
• Disk Versions:
  As a backup, new versions are saved in the relevant shot or asset directory when new playblast versions are created.

This setting can be configured when using the Setup Assistant.

Version Controlled Folder Layout

project_name/
    ├── local   # Local Blender & Preferences
    ├── shared  # Symlink or sync folder (Syncthing, Dropbox, etc)
    ├── svn     # Version Controlled (SVN, GIT-LFS, etc)
    └── render  # Symlink to Render Farm Output (optional)

See the shared and svn directory overviews for more details.

Disk Versions Folder Layout

project_name/
    ├── local   # Local Blender & Preferences
    ├── shared  # Symlink or sync folder (Syncthing, Dropbox, etc)
    ├── svn     # Symlink or sync folder (Syncthing, Dropbox, etc)
    └── render  # Symlink to Render Farm Output (optional)

Creating Folder Structure

Root Folder

For simplicity, this guide assumes you are working within your system's home folder.

• Linux/Mac:

  mkdir ~/data

• Windows:

  mkdir %HOMEPATH%\data

Next, create the project folder and all subfolders.
This can be handled automatically by setup_assistant.py or created manually via the project tools scripts.

Full Folder Structure Overview

data/
└── project_name/
    ├── local/   # Local copy of Blender & per-project user preferences
    ├── shared/  # Symlink to a shared drive or Syncthing mount point
    │   ├── artifacts   # Project Blender stored here for distribution
    │   ├── editorial   # All footage and editorial-related data
    │   ├── audio 
    │   ├── deliver     # Final approved render of film
    │   ├── export      # Exports of edit in progress
    │   └── footage     # Renders created during shot production
    ├── svn/     # Version controlled (SVN, GIT-LFS, etc) folder containing production files
    │   ├── dev        # Visual development and tests
    │   ├── edit       # Blend files for video editing
    │   │   ├── audio
    │   │   ├── deliver
    │   │   ├── export/
    │   │   │   └── prod_code-v001.mp4 # Export of edited movie
    │   │   └── footage/
    │   │       └── SQ01/
    │   │           └── SH01/
    │   │               └── SH01-anim/
    │   │                   └── Sh01-anim-v001.blend # Render used in edit
    │   ├── pre        # Pre-production sequences
    │   ├── pro        # Main production files
    │   │   ├── assets # Assets to be used in shot production
    │   │   │   ├── cam
    │   │   │   ├── chars/
    │   │   │   │   └── Rain/
    │   │   │   │       └── Rain.blend  # Asset file
    │   │   │   ├── props
    │   │   │   └── sets
    │   │   └── shots # Shot production (animation, light, fx, etc)
    │   │       ├── dev
    │   │       ├── edit/
    │   │       │   └── prod_code-v001.blend # Editorial file
    │   │       ├── pre
    │   │       └── pro/
    │   │           └── SQ01/
    │   │               └── SH01/
    │   │                   └── SH01-anim.blend # Animation file                
    │   └── tools # Project support scripts 
    └── render # Symlink to Flamenco Render Farm Output