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Project management solution?

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Project management solution?

I'm looking for some kind of project management solution for animation.
The people involved are located at different places so we need some web-based solution for managing the project.
An easily overviewed interface where I can set up each scene with descriptions, timeline, who's animating it, adding some sketches, some video and other reference material etc. Where everyone involved easily can add comments, content etc.
It would also be great if we could easily exchange project files via the interface, animation files, source images etc., but I already have a FTP so we could use that for file transfers.

We will be working on Linux, Mac and probably some windows-machines as well so the solution needs to be platform independent, preferably web-based without having to install any software (except perhaps on a server, which would be a linux-machine).

I have been thinking of setting up a forum or a wiki for the project but those solutions would be rather crude for the task.
I have also googled for project management software but all I've found seems to be ill-fitted for animation/film-projects.

I would also like the solution to be open-source, or at least not very expensive.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Proofhub can help you

I have a rich experience in remote collaboration and I am now managing a team that is spread across 4 states. I’ve tried a ton of project management and collaboration softwares, but only proofhub has helped me to manage my team.

most high end programs come with built in management systems like US animation etc.

another way of doing this without spending too much is working on a VPN with common access folders which hold your assets. everything goes to the central data base and then gets backed up from there every few hours/changes.

i dont know of any off the shelf software that works specifically for this purpose.

Thank you for you reply.
It's not as much content management as project management I need. We have an FTP where everyone can upload and download content so we're pretty synked file-wise. It's the whole business of notes, directions, reference material, what to do and who's going to do it etc.
Also we are using a wide range of software so using one specific animation software's management system won't work.

well here is an idea then

ask yourself
how robust the team size is
how long term the project is
will you do this again?

if justified you could look into gettting something made custom. it wont be glamorous but if you can tap and Indian IT company and they could give you something for peanuts. custom is the way to go.

additionally, can you do a search on this, i very vaguely remember reading about a package, i might have been the one to write about it too but for the life of me i cant recall.

...if justified you could look into gettting something made custom. ...
additionally, can you do a search on this, i very vaguely remember reading about a package, i might have been the one to write about it too but for the life of me i cant recall.

That's an idea, unfortunately our budget won't allow for something custom built.
Having searched for a while now I don't think there's are anything like what I'm after. (Although I did find a lot of interesting things, http://www.octopz.com/ for example.)
I think I'll go for a wiki/forum-solution.

Take a look at Google Apps or film production software

It sounds like you need tools to help you with collaboration, task assignment and progress tracking of team members separated by geography, OS, and application.

There are a few open-source project management applications available, but some require dedicated servers and MySQL management. E.g. Open Workbench http://www.openworkbench.org/ I've not used it, but I have considered it for one of my non-animation projects.

You should look at the tools available at Google Apps. These are free, web-based and probably quite easy to use. They won't be powerful Project Management tools, but combine a task manager, a meeting organizer/Chat program, with a calendar plus your own asset management set-up and you may have what you need.
http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/var_1a.html

There are other tools out there for the film industry that, while they are not specifically project management tools, have some production management capabilities, e.g. script notes, storyboarding & scheduling. They may not work on all platforms.

Celtx - an open-source scriptwriting software that has production collaboration tools built in. Free, multi-platform. http://www.celtx.com/ (I'm evaluating this for my own work.)

Gorilla - Production management software for film/TV with modules. Costs money, but you can evaluate before you buy. www.junglesoftware.com/ (I'm also evaluating this package.)

Showbiz Producer 6.x - It's basically a task manager. They had a "buy it for $0.01" promotion, but that was quite a while ago. http://www.showbizsolutions.com/ss/Products/SProducer/Showbiz_Producer_07.htm

That should get you started. There is a lot of open source products at: www.osalt.com. Film Production software is basically project management software that presents data in a specific way, e.g. stripboards vs. gantt charts. I'm sure I could figure out a very clever and useful way to set up an animation team using stripboards. But then maybe that's "using a wrench to pound a nail."

Good luck! Report back with what you decided on.

I use BamBam!

I manage my team in UK from Poland using BamBam! It is very useful project management tool. I integrated BB with Springloops - version control and Chime (Time tracking software) so i can track my team time work. I find in internet screen with all goodies. 

84kids - Meet the Family! Tools for Pros from 84kids

Hello rylleman

Hello rylleman

I work for HoBSoft

Have a look at http://www.hobsoft.net That will do exactly what you are looking for, and then some.

The system is custom configured to each production - and compared to sending e-mails and ftp'ing data - you will save money, even on a low budget Flash tv-series

Normally we use this system on feature films, but we used it on Kika & Bob II (Flash, 26 x 11) between Brussels and China.

The system is a production database combined with automation that does creation of Flash files with panels and audio, file transfers, rendering and updating of editing timelines (FCP and Avid) - and all that is automatic.

Currently we are finishing Tomm Moore's Song of the sea, TVPaint on Windows, Mac and Linux in 4 European studios.

Feel free to contact me on

hc@hobsoft.net

Hans-Christian Jehg

HoBSoft

HoBSoft Automated animation workflow for feature and tv-series

A web based project

A web based project management software can help you achieve these things, but you have to invest time and effort to know which tool suits you in the best possible manner as there are plenty of such solutions available in the market. You would be greatly helped by such a tool that contains a proofing tool, enables effective file management as well as fastens up communication and collaboration within your team. You need to continue with your search and will definitely get a tool that suits your needs perfectly sooner or later.