CHALLENGE: From media management to file duplication, managing large 3D projects across a remote and globally distributed team created numerous logistical hurdles for Point In Time Studios. Artists were relying on a mix of local storage, shipping drives, and Dropbox, which led to upload failures, unavoidable file duplication, and delays during handoffs. Sharing project files between Phoenix, Tempe, Chicago, and Brazil required cumbersome coordination between remote team members, slowing productivity and creating confusion between collaborators.

WHY SUITE? Suite streamlined file sharing and project handoffs for Point In Time Studios, enabling real-time collaboration from any location. On Suite, artists can access centralized project files and stream the latest versions instantly on any machine. Suite’s intelligent cache system also enables seamless performance for any network conditions. Now, the team at Point In Time saves roughly five hours/week while maintaining its creative focus.

KEY INSIGHTS:

• Centralized file & folder architecture accessible with File Streaming
• Team members in Arizona, Illinois, and Brazil
• Blender, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop files rendered on Suite
• 5+ hours saved weekly on File Transfers
• Suite Cache optimizes performance for remote editors
• Scalable cloud storage complements on-prem infrastructure

“The continuity on Suite is one of the best parts. Everything working lives on Suite, it's always the most current version.”

— John Goodall, Senior Lead Artist, Point In Time Studios

Building three-dimensional virtual worlds takes a combination of technical skill, a knack for precision, and a wide imagination. For the artists at Point In Time Studios, who craft immersive digital spaces and experiences for a range of commercial clients, working collaboratively—despite any distance between them—is essential to delivering the photo-realistic 3D renders, animations, and video work they’re trusted to create.

Spanning architectural projects, like 360-degree tours of living spaces & offices, to colorful digital branding and advertising for casinos, the workload for Point In Time’s 3D team varies weekly, and John Goodall, senior lead artist, is one of the key creatives tasked with keeping everything running smoothly. “My role is split between overseeing things, making sure we’re getting everything done, and actually working on projects myself,” he says.

Hopping into the edit when needed, Goodall also plays the role of media manager, ensuring that his team has access to the files they need to create. With a dispersed team that features key players in Phoenix, Tempe, Chicago, and Brazil, working efficiently means keeping Blender, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Photoshop files up-to-date and accessible, so the team can stay on top of the multiple jobs it has going at any given time.

Before adopting Suite’s cloud storage with file streaming, Point In Time struggled to keep its assets organized and efficiently available, using a combination of shipping drives and Dropbox to send & receive the latest working media. Establishing an efficient, overarching file architecture was one of the biggest challenges.

“When you're working on an active project, especially something like student housing, there will be multiple amenity areas, tons of different unit layouts to design,“ explains Goodall. “So it’s important that we have files and folders named appropriately and set up in a way where we can collect all those pieces.”

Testing Suite for just one week before fully adopting the platform, Goodall and the 3D team at Point In Time Studios immediately felt the positive impact, most importantly how Suite helped establish a instantly updated source of truth for working media. “We ran a couple of tests to understand how to upload, to test performance, we even tried to break it,” says Goodall. “Within a week, we were figuring out folder structure, adding the right people, just seamlessly rolling it out for all incoming projects.”

On Suite, by simply uploading assets and applying the appropriate permissions for each collaborator, Goodall ensures that files & folders stay organized without having to ship hard drives or coordinate Dropbox transfers between team members. Everything lives within a centralized architecture for simple access. Better yet—Goodall remains confident in the workflow, even if an artist is heading out of town.

“On Suite, it’s all just in a central place,” he says. “When someone asks to take over a project, or I need to make a few quick revisions for a client, the files are already on Suite—you just go to the folder. That’s a huge improvement from trying to pack everything up and upload it to Dropbox, where you inevitably creative four different versions. The continuity on Suite is one of the best parts. When we receive a new project, we'll set up folder structure on Suite so everybody has access to it. Everything working lives on Suite, it's always the most current version.”

With files organized, updated, and accessible, Goodall and his team can stay focused on the work, not the workflow, utilizing file streaming and pre-caching to optimize performance. “We have the cache drive set up for each of our PCs. It feels seamless, like you’re working off of any drive,” he notes. “Oftentimes with cloud services you may experience a bit of latency—where you start to feel disconnected from your work—but on Suite, and with the way it can be setup with the cache, it just feels local.”

For the 3D artists at Point In Time Studios, Suite not only solves media management issues, it provides a way to collaborate that feels like everyone’s working from the same location. “There's no sitting around, waiting for uploads, or anything like that,” says Goodall. “Everything is at your fingertips. It’s more collaborative working this way.”

Working in real-time via Suite’s cloud storage with file streaming has also started to put time back on the team’s collective calendar. Wait times, unsuccessful syncing, and shipping delays are a thing of the past at Point In Time Studios, where creatives and admins can stay focused without interruption.

“We’re probably saving about an hour a day,” notes Goodall. “My day is interrupted less and that speaks for itself. When you’re working on a project trying to find the flow state, but having to pass files back-and-forth between team members… that’s the worst. The most surprising thing about Suite is that you don’t realize you need it until you try it.”

Working on complex 3D renders with a cohort of talented artists in various locations, this 3D team found quick success on the cloud, acting faster and more collaboratively as they access files from anywhere.Tapping into remote work in a big way by balancing on-site production with remote editing, Point In Time Studios has established a workflow built on Suite that looks and feels familiar while it connects key creatives in real-time.

“It feels like you’re in the same place connecting to a traditional NAS or server,” says Goodall. “I’m in Phoenix, with coworkers in Chicago and Brazil. We’re all talented people, and it’s amazing that distance isn’t a challenge anymore when we collaborate. If there's anyone reading this that's hesitant, I'll just say: We have a cloud system now and it doesn’t matter where you are in the world; if you’re on vacation, a work trip, or whatever… you can still have connection and contact with your team. It’s seamless.”

Using Suite, Point In Time Studios established the cloud-based post production infrastructure that keeps its distributed team aligned, projects moving, and the team's focus on the work itself. Whether visualizing housing developments or animating immersive VR/AR brand experiences, this 3D team can trust that their working assets are readily available. Promoting remote collaboration between key players while keeping files organized, Suite integrates efforlessly into the creative process at Point In Time Studios.

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