Poll: organizing your files

[Max]

Quick poll on a very specific issue - the responses are ideally formatted in the same way.

How do you organize your file structure at a high level? Some examples might be:

c:\... <ClientName> \ <Project> \ <Model>

or

c:\... <Model>

or

c:\... <Project> \ <Model>

or

c:\... <JobID> \ <Project> \ <Department> \ <StateID> \ <year> \ <lunar cycle> \ <Model>


The question is really - what kind of high-level hierarchy do you use in your file system, and what are the things that are part of it (client/customername, project, department, businessUnit, etc). Can you give an example, in a similar format to the examples shown above, how you do it?

Please keep responses as concise as possible. This thread is just for getting a bunch of examples of how you guys do things right now in the file system.

 

[simonb65]

I have 3 general file structures (external customer projects, internal projects and a library).

For the External customer based projects and specific CAD parts...
<Drive or NetworkShare>:\<Customer>\<Projects>\<Year>\<ProjectID>\<CAD>

One for internal in-house hardware CAD projects ...
D:\<Development>\<Hardware>\<Year>\<ProjectID>\<CAD>

... and one for my common 'shared' CAD parts library ...
D:\<Development>\<CAD File Repository>\<Component Category>\<Component>\<Sub-Component>

 

[kw856]

Folder real time synced with a diffrent pc and NAT server.
C:\Projects\<Project name>\<sub folders>
1_Documentation
2_Assemblies
3_Sheet metal
3_Eletronics
4_standardized items
5_Plastics
6_sections (tube)
Project.KSP
Project.AD_ASM

 

[JST]

Customer / year/ P.O. number

 

[swertel]

I'm using MS O365 and Teams a lot more now. While I would prefer a better solution than a sync'd environment, when working with my remote partner and clients, OneDrive is the best we can afford. The clients are happy, too. Teams is an easy way to share information and project status with them.

We create a Team for each client, and a channel for each project. We sync the FIles from the Teams/SharePoint location to our local OneDrive for Business folder and work locally. We also have a corporate Team with respective channels for departments and CAD/IT is one of those channels. Standard parts, custom settings, etc. are all stored within that sync'd location. A folder exists for Alibre files, Solid Edge files, Autodesk files, SolidWorks files, or whatever CAD program we must use for the client.

In the end, the local OneDrive folder resolved into
...\<client>\<project>\<design state>

Yes, it's a pain to move files around, but without a formal configuration management or release system, we move the files into different folders to easily communicate where we are in the development cycle. Are the files <in work>, <in review>, <released>, <obsolete>? Which ones has the customer already seen and agreed to? Which ones are design-locked because the customer is already bidding and building those parts? Once all the files have been released and the job complete, we snapshot and archive the released folder.

 

[OTE_TheMissile]

For the record, I work for an aftermarket motorcycle accessories manufacturer as their sole CAD tech. Everything we do is either made in-house or farmed out to other local shops; we don't take on projects from outside companies.

So my CAD library pretty much has only two levels:

...\<Make and model>\<Product>

Anything deeper than that is usually just an archival folder of PDF copies of old drawing revisions, and/or a folder of CAD models of custom workholding setups/fixtures for our CNC machines & welding department.

 

[oldfox]

<D>:\<ApplicationName>\<MajorCategory>\<ProjectCategory>\<ProjectName>\<Hardware>
Of course, there can be different folders under <ProjectName> e.g. \Buyouts\ \3Views\ \JPGs\ \Presentation\ etc.

e.g. D:\Alibre\Projects\Trains\NS-2200 - 184mm\Hardware

Drive D: is my data drive for everything.

I'm the proverbial one-man-band so I don't need to share with other entities. It's my computer (C:\) and my Data (D:\). I put it there; ergo I know what it is.

 

[BlackBird28]

Customer/project/Version

 

[MikeHenry]

For me, the folder structure is:

Client | Project Name | Sub-project Name | Model/Drawing/Assembly, etc.

I also export either STLs (for 3D prints) or STEP files (for CNC machining) into entirely different folders.

I'd appreciate Alibre remembering the file structures separately for CAD, 3D Print, and CAM files in case that's where this is heading.

 

[RocketNut]

Project Name/CAD Files
Project Name/CAD Files/ (part name)
Project Name/CAD Files/ (part name)/ (version)
Project Name/PCB Files
Project Name/PCB Files/ (circuit name)
Project Name/PCB Files/ (circuit name)/ Gerber Files
Project Name/PCB Files/ (circuit name)/ (version)
Project Name/PCB Files/ (circuit name)/ Gerber Files\
'
'
'
'
'

 

[bigseb]

I also export either STLs (for 3D prints) or STEP files (for CNC machining) into entirely different folders.

I'd appreciate Alibre remembering the file structures separately for CAD, 3D Print, and CAM files in case that's where this is heading.

Yes!

 

[TimoCAD]

Mine is:

X:\mycompany\2021\A2021_001_customer\CAD

Under "A2021_001_customer" is a folder structure with several other Standard folders which I copy for every New project. One is "CAD".

 

[markporter]

Mine is:

x:\Project1\Requirements\Whatever.doc
x:\Project1\References\NicePic.png
x:\Project1\Design\Alibre\parts\MyPart1.AD_PRT
x:\Project1\Design\Alibre\assemblies\MyAssy1.AD_ASM
x:\Project1\Design\Alibre\drawings\myPart1.AD_DRW
x:\Project1\Design\SomeOtherCADProgram\sketches\cable1.SKD
x:\Project1\Manufacture\dxf\MyPart1.dxf
x:\Project1\Manufacture\Laser\MyPart2.emf
x:\CommonParts\Motors\AXI\22XXTube.AD_PRT

It's a bit long-winded and requires discipline, but helps me with models that need ~1,500 files, of which ~500 are Alibre files. It can be templated, and helps me get back to backups, old version etc on the NAS in cases when things go wrong.

 

[bigseb]

 

[dwc]

D: Project \ Subproject \ 3D
D: Project \ Subproject \ Archive
D: Project \ Subproject \ Documentation
D: Project \ Subproject \ Calculations
D: Project \ Subproject \ STL
D: Project \ Subproject \ STEP
D: Project \ Subproject \ Gcode

If Alibre would allow it I would also have:

D: Project \ Library \ StandardParts
D: Project \ Library \ PurchasedParts

The libraries would be in directories set read-only so I can be sure that the parts are not inadvertently changed.

 

[MCATI]

Found with Project/xxx/xxx, works not well, as sometimes you have similar design for different project. So I do like:
c:\...\ 3D_design \ Company_SystemType_Spec1_Spec2 \ files,
seems work and easy to find what you did already

 

[Drutort]

X:\<ClientName>\<Project or Type>\<Model>



Their are times when I would do ...<Model>\<ClientPDF’s>\

and if they have their own work it would be ...<Model>\<ClientModel>\

also if I have some fixturing or Gcode that I would reuse, or copy to other simlar project I would have

...<Model>\<FixturingModel>

...<Model>\<Gcode>


Basically differentiating what was given original and what I am doing

I would say it is best to give full user customization and show a small video how to change it.

Also have a check box to override, yes for those times a user wants to change their mind, and not put it into structure for whatever reason.

Would be nice that if a file type has some of these fields populated that upon “save as” based on user predefined settings these files will drop into those folders and or create folders/directory automatically

Simple solution to start is to have default or throw everything into parent existing last known folder, as is now I assume (not sure I’m describing it right)



I move my files between systems with just changing the drive letter so this makes it so simple to work with multiple systems and never had issues with AD doing so. I would say in windows sort by modified is your friend, whatever was modified that time on said machine gets copied to a usb/nvme drive with same exact structure, and those I move it to whatever machine I am on.

yes not ideal, esp when having multiple project changes, and or clients, but works as USB NVME is master, and I have a 2ndary most used machine that I would fall to. also when project is too updated, and I am on a machine that is out of date I just copy said project to that machine, deleting dated stuff. This keeps my mind pretty sharp and active, and worst case I spend few min doing comparison with the drive and projects, but its easy to see the dates.

(BTW all drives are encrypted/passworded btw)

 

[Andy]

Having used Alibre for 15 years or so now, starting from the days of the 'Repository' then we had 'M files' which essentially held all files in a single folder, then the 3D Systems thing happened (or rather didn't happen, a few years of standing still and minimal support so we had to migrate to SW for a couple of years but then the original guys 'n gals from Alibre came back and all is now again wonderful. That is except for one thing, no M files, no file management system.
When we came away from Alibre we had to dump all our CAD files into one windows folder and as we make a range of 100+ products all having crossovers with fastenings, bearings and other standard components so a single folder for all our production files is probably the best option and saves all the 'connection' problems when moving stuff around between folders. We currently have around 4,200 CAD files in a single One Drive folder! Not good but we are stuck with it for the moment.