How do folks manage their project files?

This likely an odd question.

a little background. in my early computing days when floppy disks weren’t all that reliable. think the DS/DD years. ya a long time ago. I was in the habit of when I was coding for a project, I’d add a letter to the name of the project on each save BlahBlah_A then BlahBlah_B well you are all smart people you get where that is going.

I have had BEAMER for a very long time, but haven’t used him nearly enough. so I wanted to see if you power users had this situation arise.

I would like to just delete the iterative step files and keep the final print. However, when I think about converting the text to path. I wonder Hmmm should I keep the file with the raw text, so I can go back and merely edit that and figure out the font easily? In the event I ever need to reproduce an item. I haven’t gotten to that point yet. but I know many of you are recycling things.

Have you all ever “well crap I just wish I’d saved that file like that” ???

Anyways I’m just curious to know if intermediate files prior to completion had a “value” once the project was completed.

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Been a while since I got to sit down to any serious designing, but yes, I always save the original file in AI format as well as the final SVG, and sometimes several of the intermediate step files if the design changed a lot. Which is always. Otherwise I tend to cuss rather a lot and that’s not ladylike. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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I just append numbers if I make various versions. It’s rare I keep older versions once I’m happy with it.

I have folders for files I might have shared but in-general, they’re all just in my “My Designs” folder and I can sort by date or name.

Stuff I’m working on is in a “in process” folder.

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LOL Jules,

Lucky for me I can cuss and not worry about it being ladylike. :slight_smile:

As a side question. if you load up an SVG in AI, and changed a dimenstion would it resize things proportionally? I am asking because I am in the process of making what amounts to be a Jig Template for when the tray is removed. Then it becomes a matter of setting the “deck” of the jig’s height and cutting the supports. Mostly it is an exercise to have fun with Fusion360, but I know not everybody has that.

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Ok so you do dump the early versions. I think part of my OMG save it all mentality is that I’m not particluarly very adept with InkScape, etc. so it is hard for me to turn something loose.

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I use AI to design the SVG files, so when I put them back into AI, there is no change in dimension. But if you were to design your jig in Inkscape and then move that to AI, it could resize it. It depends on the settings for DPI output and input that you have set up on each of the programs. (The Glowforge takes into account whether a file comes from AI or Inkscape and adjusts the size of the SVG for the expected output from each of those programs…but if you try to work on a file from Inkscape in AI, it might not match up what you intended.)

For Fusion360, you do have to watch the output. (And take into account whether you designed in that program as mm or inches, etc.)

Does that make sense?

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I wasn’t probably clear.

the idea was I want to share the jig. so that somebody with AI, could change the dimension to what they needed and then cut their own jig. I meant to point out that the RESIZING that occured was to be intentional. :slight_smile:

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Oh…got it. I’m not sure. I think they would need to be aware of the potential differences in sizing and know how to adjust for it. (In other words, if it’s a catalog item, it’s likely to create some howling.)

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File clutter drives me mad. I keep all the iterations in separate layers and/or artboards in Illustrator. Only save AI files and use the copy/paste method to upload to the GFUI (svg version only if I share here).
So there’s only one file per project unless there’s bitmap images or 3D support files from Sketchup or Fusion.

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It is a matter of “just how final is this?” to me. If it is, sure enough, final, I delete all the working files and keep only the final SVGs and other pertinent files.
If I think this may be revisited, I keep everything. Disk space is cheap these days.

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yes I can see that. That’s why I was curious about being able to change dimensions

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I typically keep one file per design.

In that file I’ll have the editable design to one side, and the printable finished version to the other.

When I upload it to the GF, I highlight and delete the editable half.

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Hmmmm that is a very interesting and elegant solution. Thanks for that tip.

Files in folders in folders of other folders…

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For complex designs with many iterations I store older versions in layers. That way I have minimal file clutter but maximal history.

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This is an option for file storage.

Air inc

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I do this, but only like a year later. Too many times I’ve said “This is final” and then found something else the next day or next week - so I keep everything (_v1, _v47, _v32.5, etc.) until I know I’m never going back to that project.

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