Gaffer 1.7.6: Painting, Lighting and MCP
Gaffer 1.7.6 brings light-editor improvements, geometry tools and a new MCP connection for AI-driven pipeline control.
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Python
68 posts
Building Apps for Autodesk Flow with Python (and Claude)
I show you how to build useful Autodesk Flow tools with Python, where pipeline automation gets difficult, and what Claude can and cannot do.
FLAPI: Baselight Beyond the Grading Suite
FilmLight's Jason Peterson, Mustapha Laatita and Steve Chapman explain why FLAPI exists, how it scales, what it costs and what comes next.
Nuke 18 Beta: More Control, Fewer Detours
Nuke 18 beta connects Griptape workflows, refines splat editing and adds cut detection, clearer errors, HEVC decoding and more useful node inputs.
RenderJuice Contest: $5,000 for Speedy Blender Animators
RenderJuice's free Blender Speed contest offers $5,000 in prizes for 5–30 second animations. Entries run October 15–31, 2026.
RizomUV 2027: More UVs, Less Wrestling
RizomUV 2027 adds live unfolding, density maps, a customizable interface and headless Python automation across Windows, macOS and Linux.
IngeTrazo: A Home for the Render Farm
A free architectural modeller combines SketchUp import, BIM quantities, drawing sheets, Blender rendering and Python extensions.
Vision Canvas: Blender’s UI, On Your Terms
Build a Blender control panel that answers to you: targeted properties, camera widgets, Python buttons, reusable animation and asset favourites.
SyncKey Reducer Keeps Poses Together
Amir Porat’s reducer aligns surviving pose frames in Max and Maya, with error controls, rig exclusions and a few cleanup buttons worth reading twice.
GhostPencilPro Gives Max a Grease Pencil
GhostPencilPro brings Grease Pencil-style drawing, animation, .ABR brushes and scripting into 3ds Max, without making Max users learn Blender.
InstaLOD Extends Geometry Toolchain to C4D and Omniverse
InstaLOD's July update adds two host integrations, adaptive quad topology, folder conversion, scene merging and import-axis control.
CityEngine 2026 expands Python and streets
CityEngine 2026 brings its Python 3 API out of beta, improves CGA authoring and adds more precise street editing tools.
FilmLight fl-enhance: Baselight Tools Escape Into Python
FilmLight’s fl-enhance repository brings Baselight and Daylight scripts, shaders and FLAPI tools to GitHub, including LUT wrapping, ACES EXR transcoding and colour utilities.
NukeRef Adds References to Nuke
NukeRef lets compositors paste image references into Nuke’s Node Graph as interactive backdrops. Tiny script, big sanity gain.
Node Ninja builds Redshift materials from folders
Node Ninja is a free Cinema 4D plugin that builds Redshift PBR materials from texture folders, with color spaces, AO, and bulk import baked in.
Free Tire Rig Generator for Blender Automates Tire Deformation
Tire Rig Generator is a free Blender plug-in that automatically builds and skins tire rigs for pressure, ground deformation and tire pivoting. Vehicle wheels, finally allowed to suffer accurately.
Natsura 0.6 adds effectors and Nanite export for Houdini Foliage
New growth controls, a new assembly workflow, and a long changelog full of speedups, warnings, and some very honest rough edges.
dy Install Libs adds Library Manager to Houdini
dy Install Libs ships Library Manager for Houdini, turning library installs into clicks instead of JSON wrangling.
Real-time Blender to Unreal Live Link
One click, fewer reimports: Blender Live Link pushes assets to Unreal in real time and can bake complex shaders into tidy textures.
Handy RefTool 3.0 speeds Maya ref matching
RefTool bundles Maya reference camera matching into one UI, adds a fuller paid build, and keeps a free version for core workflows.
NanoGaussianSplats for UE5
NanoGS adds a UE plugin for big Gaussian splat scenes, with LOD clusters, culling, and GPU sorting to keep frames moving.
Blender 5.1 is here
Blender 5.1 boosts animation speed, adds Raycast and Mask to SDF, and shaves time off shaders and nodes. Free upgrades feel nice.
Foundry buys Griptape to “orchestrate AI”
Foundry acquires Griptape to add "AI orchestration" to Nuke and broader VFX pipelines.
CityEngine 2025.1 Expands CGA Geometry Tools and Introduces Python 3 API
CityEngine 2025.1 arrives with a broadened toolset for procedural modeling, architecture, and urban layout work. The update focuses…
Lofted Surfaces and Retopo in 3DCoat 2025.15
3DCoat 2025.15 expands plane controls, improves Smart Retopo, updates Blender Applink to 5.0, and fixes sculpting bugs.
Python for Artists Cohort starts soon
Repetitive tasks kill time. Python kills repetitive tasks. DP author Alexander Richter teaches scripting for Maya, Houdini, Nuke, and more.
Problem Solver for VFX | TD Meetup 19
Problem-solving is a key life and professional skill, especially for those working with technology. Technical artists and directors in visual effects, animation and games are constantly solving technical problems, such as software crashes and slowdowns. They create alternative workflows and write Python scripts to speed up the process.
Meshroom 2025.1: Templates, Plugins and Photometric Stereo
Update 2025.1: Meshroom adds templates, photometric stereo and a plugin hub. More open, modular and production-friendly.
MotionBuilder 2026: A little Leap
Autodesk's MotionBuilder 2026 enhances USD workflows, introduces animation retention, and adds new selection shortcuts for improved motion capture editing.
Simplify Your Blender to Unreal Workflow
Scott Rafferty's BlenderCollection2Empty script automates the conversion of Blender collections to empties, streamlining the export process to Unreal Engine 5.
TD Meetup 14: GitHub Copilot
Imagine an AI assistant that saves you hours while making your Python code faster, cleaner, and more reliable.
BlenderCraft: Bringing Minecraft-Style Worlds to Blender
BlenderCraft merges Minecraft-style environments with Blender’s tools. With 300+ blocks, a draggable inventory, and procedural magic, it’s a voxel dream.
TD Meetup 10: ComfyUI in Nuke
What if we could create AI images directly in Nuke using ComfyUI?
Howler 2025 Released
Howler 2025, the latest update from Project Dogwaffle, introduces AI-driven features for animation and FX, improving workflow for artists and VFX professionals.
Blender add-on “Quad Maker” for more efficient retopology
Quad Maker facilitates retopology in Blender. The add-on offers automated functions that can significantly speed up the retopology process.
Baby’s first pipeline
The first big project with multiple stakeholders can feel like a rollercoaster ride! A clear workflow is the secret recipe for smooth collaboration and communication between departments. You often hear the term "pipeline" - sounds technical, doesn't it? Don't panic! In this article, I'll show you how to set up a pipeline for your project - without any magic or programming!
Blender 4.2 LTS
The latest version of Blender, 4.2 LTS, brings significant updates and features, improvements to the user interface, render engines and simulation tools.
Nuke Tools Vol. 3 – Channels, Passes and Mattes
While looking at the UI previously, we are now finally moving on to the node tree. More specifically, into Nuke's channel management. Here too, artists can make their lives much easier with a few tools and scripts. Because especially with a view
rebuild, you want to make life a little easier than constantly repeating the same steps.
RS Build Kit 2 released
With this Python tool for Autodesk Maya, you can perform powerful mesh, layout, import, export and curve operations.
TM Channel Manager Organises Substance Texture Sets
Timothee Maron’s Python-based TM Channel Manager plugin streamlined channel and texture-set organisation in Substance.
Zoo Tools Pro 2.5 Expands Its Modular Maya Toolkit
Zoo Tools Pro 2.5 updated Andrew Silke’s Python-based Maya framework with revised animation tools plus improvements to modelling, texturing and lighting.
Gnomon Teaches Python Jaw Rigging in Maya
Arturo Coso’s four-and-a-half-hour Gnomon workshop builds a jaw rig in Maya and automates parts of the process with Python.
Sunrise Productions Releases Node Execution Tree
Sunrise Productions releases NXT, an open-source Python-based tool for layered scripting, visualization and sequential execution.
Learning Character Rigging with Blender’s Rigify Add-on
Todor Nikolov’s Rigify tutorial series explains armatures, meta-rigs, custom character rigs, bone groups and posing in Blender.
Mocha Pro 2021 Introduces PowerMesh Warp Tracking
Mocha Pro 2021 added PowerMesh sub-planar tracking, AdjustTrack 2.0, Alembic export, a Python editor and performance updates.
Working with the SubSpline Script in 3ds Max
Jamie Cardoso’s second SubSpline tutorial demonstrates a scripting workflow for 3ds Max artists.
Autodesk RV 2021 Adds Python 3 and New Versioning
Autodesk RV 2021 updated the VFX image viewer and playback system with Python 3.7.6, a new naming convention and version availability policy.
Multiverse USD 6.5 Adds Maya Auto-Sync and Redshift Support
J Cube Multiverse USD 6.5 added procedural USD import with Maya auto-sync, Redshift rendering and a Hydra path-tracing viewport.
Cinema 4D: Project Neutron announced
Redshift 3.0, Trapcode and Project Neutron: Proceduralism is coming to Cinema 4D, Redshift Realtime and much more!
Blergh! Word Art! In Houdini?
Houdini is certainly not known for classic graphics and especially not for typography and fonts. And word clouds are certainly nothing new either, but somehow always chic when used correctly.
Foundry: Modo 12.0 released
Modo 12.0 is here: New modelling features, UV improvements, Python scripts and more in the new update!
Scripting for Artists – Scripting in 3ds Max
All good things come in fives – in this part of our “Scripting for Artists” series, we deal with 3ds Max.
Scripting for artists – Scripting in Nuke
Our "Scripting for Artists" series continues. This time with scripting in Nuke. In two videos, Alexander Richter explains everything Nuke users need to know to get started.
Scripting for Artists – Scripting in Maya
Custom scripts make the pipeline faster. Maya supports the programming and scripting languages MEL, Python and C++. DP author Alexander Richter introduces you to scripting with MEL and Python.
Scripting for Artists – Introduction to Python
In these videos, Alexander Richter reveals what you need to know about scripting with Python and demonstrates the first steps.
Scripting for Artists – The Advantages
Scripting yourself? Alexander Richter explains why it is worth looking into a little and how to create code in the various 3D software packages in our “Scripting for Artists” series.
C4D Script for Dynamic Paths
Free for Cinema 4D: With Jan Sladecko's Python script, you can create dynamic paths – for commercial and private use.
Nuke and Hiero 11.0 are here!
Live Groups, VFX Reference Platform 2017 standards, GPU support for AMD, Denoise improvements and more in the new release of Nuke.
Free Rubik’s Cube in Cinema 4D
Rubik's Cube in Cinema 4D: With this free preset, you can easily animate the Rubik's Cube via Python in Cinema 4D.
Thinkbox Presents HoudiniPRTExporter
The Python module for Houdini 12 enables users to export Houdini particles to the Thinkbox PRT format.
Maya Stretching with Creature Rigs
CreatureRigs offers the free Maya Python plug-in Stretch IK as well as a free MEL script for a Modular Rigging System.
Houdini 11 and Python
The Houdini animation package is gathering momentum – as a secret weapon of CGI professionals, the software has long appeared in many films. Extending the highly praised package with Python is the equivalent of a black belt in CGI – here is a presentation about it.
MAXON Announces Strategic Cooperation with Py4D Developers
CINEMA 4D users can easily add new functionality with the easy-to-learn Python programming language.
App Engine: Web Development on Google Infrastructure
Google enters the platform-as-a-service market with App Engine for hosting web applications on its infrastructure.
Real Flow 4 Now Also for XSI
Next Limit Technologies has released suitable Real Flow 4 plug-ins for XSI versions 5.11 and 6.0