Systems and processes provide network clients on various platforms a customized file system experience on demand while managing files (e.g., computer animation files) across a variety of storage devices spread across a network of arbitrary size (local area networks, wide area networks, worldwide networks, the world wide web, etc.). Clients may specify a set of requirements for an instantiation of a file system interface or object for a given application. Such requirements may include storage location, file quality, capacity, scale, permanence, speed, and the like. The system may then provide to the client a customized file system interface with particular hardware resources allocated to satisfy the designated file system requirements. The file system interface may coordinate file delivery, allocation, tracking, transportation, caching, deletion, and the like. The system may manage and allocate hardware resources ranging from a local client computer to distant hard drive banks across the world.