NukeTools

A comprehensive collection of tools, scripts, and gizmos for Foundry Nuke, designed to enhance workflow efficiency and provide powerful automation capabilities for visual effects and compositing artists.

Overview

NukeTools is a curated collection of Python scripts, custom gizmos, and utilities that extend Nuke's functionality with features like:

• Automated gizmo management and loading
• Node organization and arrangement tools
• File management and batch processing
• Script cleanup and optimization
• Custom viewer processes
• 3D and camera tools
• And much more

Quick Installation

Linux/macOS

cd ~/.nuke
git clone https://github.com/seaniedan/nuketools.git
echo "nuke.pluginAddPath('nuketools')" >> init.py

Windows

cd %USERPROFILE%\.nuke
git clone https://github.com/seaniedan/nuketools.git
echo nuke.pluginAddPath('nuketools') >> init.py

Verification

After installation and restarting Nuke, you should see:

• An SD icon in the node panel
• A SDNukeTools menu in the main Nuke menu

Features

🎯 Core Tools

Gizmo Management

• Automatic Gizmo Loading: Automatically loads and organizes gizmos from categorized directories
• Gizmo Sanitization: Converts and standardizes gizmo files with consistent naming and metadata
• Icon Management: Automatic icon copying and organization

Node Organization

• Arrange By: Intelligent node arrangement based on various criteria (position, class, metadata, etc.)
• MassivePanel: Advanced panel for bulk node operations and property management
• Node Movement: Precise node positioning, scaling, and rotation tools
• Backdrop Management: Automatic backdrop creation and organization

Script Management

• Script Cleanup: Comprehensive script optimization and cleanup tools
• Tidyness Analysis: Analyze and improve script organization
• Search & Replace: Advanced search and replace functionality for node properties

📁 File Management

File Operations

• Recursive Read: Automatically create Read nodes for entire directory structures
• Collect Files: Gather and organize project files
• Copy Commands: Copy file paths, render commands, and frame ranges to clipboard
• File Conversion: Convert between various file formats

Render Management

• Render Range Tools: Manage render ranges and frame lists
• Command Line Render: Generate command-line render commands
• Write Directory Creation: Automatic directory creation for Write nodes

🎬 Viewer & Display

Custom Viewers

• Flip/Flop Viewers: Mirror operations for viewer
• Grid Viewer: Grid overlay for alignment
• Saturation Viewer: Saturation analysis
• Laplacian Viewer: Edge detection visualization
• CheckFrozen Viewer: Frozen frame detection
• Scroll Viewer: Corner pin visualization

Display Tools

• Screengrab: Capture viewer screenshots
• Thumbnails: Generate node thumbnails
• Viewer Handles: Set viewer handle ranges

🔧 Utility Tools

3D & Camera

• Animated Snap 3D: Snap 3D objects to axes
• Smooth Camera: Create smooth camera animations
• Camera from Metadata: Generate cameras from metadata
• CornerPin Conversion: Convert between CornerPin types

Animation & Tracking

• Tracker Median: Pick best tracking data
• Animation Curves: Copy animation curves between nodes
• Tween Nodes: Interpolate between node positions
• Shake Style Clone: One-way cloning system

Automation

• Autosave: Automatic script saving
• Autolabel: Automatic node labeling
• Node Defaults: Set default node properties
• Font Size Adjustment: Dynamic font scaling

Directory Structure

nuketools/
├── init.py                 # Nuke initialization script
├── menu.py                 # Menu creation and organization
├── gizmo_config.py         # Gizmo loading configuration
├── python/                 # Python scripts and tools
│   ├── load_gizmos.py      # Gizmo loading system
│   ├── sanitize_gizmos.py  # Gizmo sanitization tool
│   ├── arrange_by_sd.py    # Node arrangement tool
│   ├── MassivePanel.py     # Bulk operations panel
│   ├── script_clean_sd.py  # Script cleanup utilities
│   └── ...                 # Additional tools
├── groups/                 # Custom gizmos organized by category
│   ├── Color/              # Color correction gizmos
│   ├── Filter/             # Filter and effects gizmos
│   ├── Transform/          # Transform gizmos
│   ├── Draw/               # Drawing gizmos
│   ├── Keyer/              # Keying gizmos
│   ├── Time/               # Time-based effects
│   ├── Merge/              # Compositing gizmos
│   └── Views/              # Viewer gizmos
├── gizmos/                 # Additional gizmo files
├── icons/                  # Icon files for gizmos
└── README files            # Detailed documentation

Menu Organization

Main Nuke Menu

• File: Nuke/NukeX switching, file collection
• Edit: Node operations, arrangement, cleanup
• Viewer: Handle management, custom viewers
• SDNukeTools: Comprehensive tool collection

Nodes Menu

• SeanScripts: Organized gizmo categories
• Image: Recursive read, read from write
• Transform: Various transform utilities

Configuration

Gizmo Configuration (gizmo_config.py)

# Log level for gizmo loading
LOG_LEVEL = 'INFO'

# Show statistics after loading
SHOW_STATS = True

# Custom gizmo directories
CUSTOM_GIZMO_DIRECTORIES = []

# Categories to include/exclude
INCLUDE_CATEGORIES = []
EXCLUDE_CATEGORIES = []

# Gizmo conversion settings
GIZMO_CONVERSION = {
    "suffix": "_sd",
    "tile_color": "0xaaffffff",
    "help": "Copyright Sean Danischevsky",
    "default_icon": "SeanScripts.png"
}

Usage Examples

Basic Node Arrangement

# Arrange selected nodes by class
import arrange_by_sd
arrange_by_sd.arrange_by(nuke.selectedNodes(), sortKey='class')

Gizmo Sanitization

# Sanitize a gizmo file
import sanitize_gizmos
success, message = sanitize_gizmos.sanitize_gizmo("/path/to/gizmo.gizmo")

Script Cleanup

# Clean up entire script
import script_clean_sd
script_clean_sd.cleanupScript(nuke.allNodes())

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Function	Context
h	Zoom to center	DAG
Alt+Shift+d	Toggle disable	DAG
Shift+L	Arrange by...	DAG
Alt+d	Make dot input	DAG
Alt+c	Copy paths to clipboard	DAG
Shift+o	Open directories in browser	DAG
Ctrl+k	Shake style clone	DAG
Alt+v	Paste multiple	DAG

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Gizmos not loading

   • Check file permissions
   • Verify directory structure
   • Check gizmo_config.py settings

2. Menu items missing

   • Restart Nuke after installation
   • Check init.py path configuration
   • Verify Python script syntax

3. Import errors

   • Ensure all dependencies are available
   • Check Python version compatibility
   • Verify file paths

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging in gizmo_config.py:

LOG_LEVEL = 'DEBUG'

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add your tools to appropriate directories
4. Update documentation
5. Submit a pull request

Documentation

• Gizmo Loading System - Detailed gizmo management documentation
• Sanitize Gizmos Tool - Gizmo conversion and standardization
• Python Scripts - Individual script documentation

License

This project is licensed under the terms specified in the LICENSE file.

Author

Sean Danischevsky - GitHub

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Check existing documentation
• Review the troubleshooting section

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NukeTools is designed to enhance your Nuke workflow with powerful automation and organization tools. Happy compositing!