User guide

Installation guide for ftrack Connect

Application Launcher

This action provides a shortcut to make it easy to jump from ftrack studio to any supported application also known as a plugin.

Connect must be running otherwise the actions can not be found

Successfully found Connect and the action required

Currently supported plugins are:

• 3DSMax
• Hiero & Nuke Studio
• Maya
• Nuke
• Houdini
• cineSync

Framework Clients

Opener

Ftrack menu > Open

The function of the opener client is to allow the user a way of opening up a previously published file, The Snapshot, and or, the component which could have been published at the same time.

Currently supported published components:

• Geometry
• Scene
• Camera
• Lighting
• Rig
• Animation

From the Opener client UI, you also have the option to launch the Assembler client

Asset Manager

The Asset Manager client allows you to:

• Track assets that you have imported or referenced
• Add/Remove assets
• See the version history and info on the asset

Assembler

The Assembler client allows you to:

• Import or reference assets in multiple ftrack Projects
  
  • Choose how the namespace should be represented
• See the version history on the asset
• Quick suggestions based on linked assets setup via ftrack studio
  • This enables teams like Layout to know exactly which assets belong to which sequences or shots.
  • Or eventually extending this to an editorial workflow, linking that editor to the correct media for ingestion at speed.

Publisher

Overview

The Publisher client is a valuable tool for any studio that wants to streamline its production workflows and make it easy for artists to share their work.

For more sophisticated production needs, studios can write custom publisher definitions and custom plugins, such as the collector and validator. This gives studios the flexibility to tailor the Publisher client to their specific needs.

The interface

• Task & Project Location - A visual to help users understand what context they are in
• Change Context - This gives the user the ability to switch context/task
• Select Publisher - The user can choose what type of publisher they would like to use, this helps with studios that have multi-department workflows
• Refresh Publisher - This will refresh the current publisher
• Versioning -  The user will have the option to publish New or version up an existing publish. Versioning up will only appear if this is the second time the user is trying to publish something.
• Version info - The user can change the status at publish time and leave a description that can accompany the publish and be read on ftrack studio.
• Components - Here the user, depending on the publisher they have selected, will be given a variety of components that they can choose to publish.

Settings

Certain settings can be setup via the publisher definitions or changed at the publish step by altering the settings for each component

Change Context

By selecting the change content client you are able to swap tasks, which is a workflow improvement for the artist, being able to stay within the same DCC and change to a different task and publish for example is a big win, especially if your changing tasks throughout the day.