Setup project library

In this guide, we will explore how to use the software to organize a library for your project, including source files, references, and more.

Create hierarchy file based on project structure
Customize hook files to automate the ingest

Create hierarchy file

Generate hierarchy file based on folder structure

If you already have a file structure for your project, you can use this script to generate a hierarchy file. Instead of using VFX categories (e.g., fire, smoke), the categories will be named based on your shot names (e.g., 0010_0010, 0010_0020).

Example project structure

Python script to convert project structure into hierarchy file:
resources/misc/code_snippets/get_hierarchy_from_folder_structure.py at main · das-element/resources

At the end of the file replace the path variable with the file paths to path to the project folder structure.

path = '/path/to/your/project/folder'

The script will analyze the folder structure and output a correctly formatted hierarchy structure.
Save the output into a file called hierarchy.json and place it in a location accessible to the entire team.

Tipp: you can use the synonyms to assign alternative names to your VFX shots. For example the slate name from the script or something like “big opening shot”.

Example hierarchy structure based on the folder structure from above:

{
    "hierarchy": [
        {
            "children": [
                {
                    "children": [
                        {
                            "id": "0010-0010",
                            "name": "0010_0010",
                            "synonyms": [
                                {
                                    "language": "custom",
                                    "value": "opening shot"
                                },
                                {
                                    "language": "custom",
                                    "value": "Slate 1A"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ],
                    "id": "0010",
                    "name": "0010",
                    "synonyms": []
                }
            ],
            "id": "Q2574811",
            "name": "/"
        }
    ],
    "version": "my project hierarchy v1"
}

Link hierarchy file to project library

After creating a new library, you can now link the previously created hierarchy file to it.
Learn more about linking a hierarchy file here: https://docu.das-element.com/docu/category-hierarchy-tree#CategoryHierarchyTree-Hierarchytreeoverwriteperlibrary

Now the library uses the project based hierarchy in both the Gallery View and Ingest View

Configure hook file

The Pre Ingest Load hook can automatically select the appropriate category from the hierarchy based on the file path of the ingested file. Lear more about hook files here: https://docu.das-element.com/docu/python-hooks

Example Python hook for automatically setting tags and categories in the Ingest View:
resources/scripts/hooks/examples/ingest/pre_ingest_load.py at main · das-element/resources