This is an introduction to the folder structure that Mistika VR will create in your computer:
Note: In some cases you may have old names created by older versions, and they are indicated between parenthesis ().
Base folders:
During the installation (and also in the initial dialog appearing when opening Mistika VR) two base folders are defined:
- SGO Data/Media (Material): This is the base folder where the rendered media files are created by default.
- SGO Data/Projects (Work): This is the base folder where all the projects are created. A project contains all the work that you do for a production ( not including the rendered media, which is defined in the point above).
You can change the location of those folders at any time, in the Paths dialog appearing when opening Mistika VR. They are separated because in general they have different needs: Project files are small but they should be in the most reliable and protected storage, and it is recommended to make backups often because the projects contain all the work that you do in the application. Meanwhile, the media files (rendered media) should be located in the fastest storage available for you. Normally the rendered files do not require backups as you can re-render them easily (as long as you keep the RENDER folder explained below)
For collaborative workflows, when using multiple systems or multiple Mistika products it is highly recommended to share those folders between all the systems and all the Mistika products, also making sure that all users have the adequate permissions so they can collaborate between them.
Project subfolders:
When you create a new project it will contain several sub-folders. Most of them are not relevant for Mistika VR, but they need to be there so different SGO products (Mistika VR, Mistika Ultima, Mistika Boutique, Mistika Review, etc ) can share the same project.
The relevant folders and files for the Mistika VR product are only these:
- ProjectName/DATA :
This is where your sequences are saved, including all the stitch information. All the work you do to a sequence is saved in a .vrenv file.
Please note that a same project can have several .vrenv files (as many as you create with the "File->Save Sequence" menu). This permits to have multiple sequences of a complex production, or to save multiple versions of a same stitch.
- ProjectName/DATA/RENDER
This point is for advanced users and for programmers. Most users will not need to use these files, but it is documented here as a reference:
Every time you render (or when you use the "Add to render queue" button), a render job file ( .rnd file) is created under the DATA/RENDER/RenderName folder for each shot, and they contain all the information that is passed to the vr renderer. A .rnd file is like the .vrenv file, but it is split into shots (one .rnd per shot).
A sidecar .clp file is also created with each .rnd file. It contains the metadata of the new media file that will be created when rendering the .rnd file.
In those files you will find all the render metadata that was not defined in the .vrenv , including the render resolution, render path, and render format.
Apart from rendering with the interface, you can use the .rnd files in two ways:
* Mistika Command Line Interface (CLI). The "mistika -r" CLI permits to launch the background render as a command line ( mistika -r PathToRnd ).
* The "Add to render queue" permits to create the rnd files and then call a user scripts for each one passing the rnd and some other metadata to them. For example, the integration with Smedge, Deadline and other render farms is based on those files, which are submitted as part of the render jobs.
Also, the .rnd files are interesting in case that you need to repeat a render exactly as it was made (for example if you have deleted the rendered media to make space). For which you can use any of the above methods.
Note: All the files mentioned above ( .vrenv, .rnd, .clp, ...) are just text files . You can manipulate them directly with your own scripts for better integration in your workflows. You can find more details in the article about Mistika syntax in the knowledge base.
Global application settings and camera presets folder. ( SGO AppData/VR folder)
The software also needs a global folder to save configuration files and global settings that do not depend on a specific project. This is the SGO AppData/VR folder in your user account (on Windows, it is normally located in C:\Users\YourUserName\SGO AppData\VR ). Most of the files inside are not intended for direct user manipulation, but it has some interesting files that you may need to be aware, which are these:
SGO AppData/VR/etc/CameraPresets
It contains the camera presets describing all the known camera rigs. Very often SGO or Mistika VR users publish new camera presets before they appear in new releases (typically in the Mistika VR Presets forum ), and you can install them by simply placing them in this folder. These files have a .grp extension, they can store new camera presets saved by the user and they are also compatible with other Mistika applications like Mistika Ultima / Mistika Boutique.
SGO AppData/VR/runBatch.cfg
This is the runBatch configuration file for the <Add to render queue> button, and it is created the first time than this tool is used. It is explained in the integration with Smedge, Deadline, and other render farms document.
SGO AppData/shared
Some configuration files are shared between all the Mistika applications, and they located in this folder.
The content of this folder depends on the installed products. In general, Mistika VR users not using other Mistika applications do not need to do anything with them, just be aware that they exist as this folder will need to be shared between all the applications of the Mistika family.