Prepare your source material

Good organization makes a project easier to repeat, compare, and troubleshoot. Keep originals separate from working files and results.

Keep a simple structure

Here is an example organization, not an import requirement:

my-spatial-project/
  originals/
  working/
  results/
  project-notes.md

• originals holds unchanged source files.
• working holds copies or derived files you actively edit.
• results holds outputs you want to inspect or compare.
• project-notes.md records the source, your intent, and important changes.

Check the actual input requirements

Confirm the file format, representation, and limits of the specific tool before importing. A familiar extension alone does not guarantee compatibility.

For 3D material, keep track of scale, orientation, and any dependent files. For photos and video, preserve useful source metadata when creating working copies.

Name versions clearly

Use names that distinguish the subject, capture pass, and version. Avoid overwriting the only copy of a result you may need to compare later.

Do not rename a file’s extension to make it look like another format. Conversion requires a tool that understands both representations.

Keep provenance with the project

Record where the material came from, who owns it, and any restrictions on using or sharing it. Keep credits and permission records with the source rather than trying to reconstruct them at publication time.

Before you share

• Confirm that you are sharing the intended version, not a source folder containing private material.
• Check that dependent files can be found by the recipient’s tool.
• Inspect the result from the intended starting view.
• Review permissions separately from technical compatibility.

If an input fails, see Troubleshooting before changing a large batch of files.