project with 200 models O_o;;

[eptigo]

suppose im working on a project and its got or some obscene number like 200 models in the coreography

is their a way to organize the models in the coreography, like group them together, or place them into folders?

[Rodney]

Sure is. As a matter of fact, there are several ways to approach projects of this magnitude.

The approach you take will depend on the end results you need. (case by case basis so we would have to know more about your project to narrow down options)

 

You can create folders within your Choreography where you can organize your models.

For instance, you could create a folder named "Actors" where all your characters could be collected.

Another folder might be "Props" or "Buildings".

 

 

One of the the tried and true methods is to use Proxy models in place of the actual models that will be in the final chor.

For instance, lets say you have a city scene where 100s of buildings are in a shot. You expect to have to see the buildings from every angle so cannot use standard cheats like rendered backdrops and cutouts.

 

You can build the scene with models consisting of only rectangles and simple shapes to help you set up the scene.

then replace each of those Proxy models with the final models as necessary.

 

A favorite suggestion for me would be to create a group of folders (on your harddrive not in your Choreography) to contain your models. Example:

Active - Contains all the models that A:M will use

Proxy - Simple models with little detail

Final - Contains all the models in final detail

Empty - This last folder is still experimental for me. The contents mirror the contens of the Proxy/Final folders but... the models are empty. This way you can selectively 'disappear' models as needed for selective rendering of shots without adjusting shortcuts in A:M.

 

How does this setup work?

Copy the models you need from one or all of the folders into the Active directory.

A:M will then use only those resources you tell it to delivering the models you need to the specified locations.

 

Eventually I'm confident we'll see a utility created to move these resources as needed but it'll take years for me to program such a thing. Coming soon... in the year 2020!

 

Other methods... keep things simple despite the complexity of your scene.

If you don't really need 200 models... don't use them.

If you can hide some and render groups of your models as separate layers that might work better for you.

 

Let us know more about your project and I'm sure you'll find a suitable solution.

Until then... Divide and conquer!

[eptigo]

i meant in the project manager

how can i organize objects in the coreography of the project manager/project workspace

[MMZ_TimeLord]

That's actually what he was talking about eptigo... Within the project workspace tree under your Choreography, you can create folders and keep different models in different folders.

 

Rodney,

 

As to the solution you are using for switching out final/proxy/empty models, KUDOS! A good tool to help you with this would be SyncBack SE. This is freeware. Slightly older version than their current one, but still VERY useful.

 

You can set up different profiles in it to do different jobs. i.e. - A profile called "Final model copy" to copy all the files in the "Final" directory to your 'Active' directory for models. Another could be called "Proxy model copy" and again copy all the files in the "Proxy" directory to your "Active" directory. You can even set it to remove files not found in the source directories.

 

I may start using this technique myself. Thanks for the tip!

 

Cheers!

[Fuchur]

Just to mention it:

A folder can be created by Rightclicking on the chor in the PWS, going to New -> Folder.

 

If you created a folder, just drag and drop on it what you want to be placed in it.

 

*Fuchur*

[Rodney]

Here's an example of what the Folders might look like.

Note that you aren't restricted to organizing Models.

You can collect and organize all your resources both in the Choreography as well as other locations in the Project Workspace.

 

Another relatively new feature is the ability to Group Models in the Choreography (see Groups at very bottom of the image).

While the Groups cannot be moved up to the higher order Folders you see above they can be organized within the Groups Folder as needed.

 

Note: When organizing large groups of resources in the PWS... save often.

If you put a lot of work into organization and you push too hard you can find yourself staring at the desktop.

When experimenting with something new... at least until you get a good feel for the options... save often.