Managing Projects and Media > Managing Projects and Users > Creating a Project >

# Setting a Project's Home Directory

When you create a project, a project home directory is created on the system disk in the /usr/discreet/project/ directory. File-based resources such as effects setups, EDLs, and LUTs are usually managed in a set of subdirectories in this home directory, by module.

For example, when you save a LUT, the file browser opens, by default, to a subdirectory of the project home directory for storing LUTs. You are not obliged to save LUTs in this directory, but doing so can help you better manage the resources you need by saving them to a consistent location. Similarly, when you load a LUT, the file browser opens, by default, to the same directory. For details on saving and loading resource such as LUTs, preferences, and setups, see About Setups and Preferences.

You are not restricted to these directories when you load or save setups. You can use the file browser to locate a different directory, or use project shortcuts to browse the setup directories of other projects on the same system.

When you create a project, the project's home directory path appears in the Setup Directory box.

(a) Setup Directory box

You have two options, however, that override the default home directory:

- You can share the project home directory with an existing project, allowing you to share setups between the two projects.
- You can create a custom path for the project home directory.

You can also copy the setups of another project into the subdirectories of the project you are creating.

NoteYou can copy setups from a project created in a previous versions of Autodesk products to the new project — old projects are listed in the Copy From project list. However, you cannot share them.

To share the project home directory with an existing project:

1. From the Setup Directory box, select the existing project's home directory that you want to share.

   Any setups already saved to the existing project are made available to the new project.

To create a custom path for the project's home directory:

1. From the Setup Directory box, select <new>.
2. In the file browser that appears, navigate to the directory where you want the project home directory created.
3. Make sure that the permissions in this directory are set so Smoke (or the account into which you are logged in and from which you launched Smoke) has read/write privileges.
4. Click New Directory.
5. In the keyboard that appears, type the name of the project home directory in which you want Smoke to create setup subdirectories and press Enter. It is recommended to give this directory the same name as the project.

   If the directory is not created, you may not have the access privileges to create directories in the current location.

6. Click Set Directory.

   The new directory name appears in the Setup Directory box of the Create Project menu.

To copy setups from an existing project:

1. From the Setup Mode box, select Copy From.
2. From the Projects box that appears to the right of the Setup Mode box, select the existing project from which you want to copy the setups.