Awesome CG / VFX Pipeline

List of open-source technologies that help in the process of building a pipeline for CG or VFX productions.

Any contribution is welcome!

Summary

Awesome CG / VFX Pipeline
Summary

Digital Content Creation Software (DCCs)

2D

Allusion - Allusion is a tool to help you organize your Visual Library. It is a complementary tool to PureRef or another Board tool, like PureRef or Kuadro - no open source software - or BeeRef.
BeeRef - A simple Reference Image Viewer.
Cascade Image Editor - A node-based image editor with GPU-acceleration
Gimel Studio - Cross-platform, non-destructive, node based 2D image graphics editor
Imogen - GPU Texture generator using dear imgui for UI
Inkscape - Professional quality vector graphics softwar
Krita - A professional painting program
Materia - An open source alternative to Substance Designer written in C#
MyPaint - Graphics editor for digital painters with a focus on painting rather than image manipulation or post processing
Opentoonz - Animation production software
Pencil2D - An easy, intuitive tool to make 2D hand-drawn animations, the best way to visualize your story
Storyboarder - Storyboard editor
Synfig - 2D animation software
TexGraph - A procedural texture creation tool that let you create textures by connecting nodes in a graph
The Gimp - A cross-platform image editor
VArtiste - WebXR/VR painting, drawing, and image editing app
TerraForge3D - A procedural terrain generation and procedural modelling toolkit
G'MIC - A full-featured open-source framework for digital image processing
Graphite - 2D raster & vector editor that melds traditional layers & tools with a modern node-based procedural workflow

3D

Animation Nodes - A node based visual scripting system designed for motion graphics in Blender
ArmorPaint - A stand-alone software designed for physically-based texture painting
Blender - Modeling and animation
Dust3D - Dust3D is brand new 3D modeling software. It lets you create watertight 3D models in seconds. Use it to speed up character modeling for games, 3D printing, and so on. Source are available on GitHub.
F3D - Fast and minimalist 3D viewer, with animation, thumbnails and many file formats support.
FragM - Mikael Hvidtfeldt Christensen's Fragmentarium fork representing a compilation of features and fixes
Gaffer - Gaffer is a great toolbox, it's a VFX application that enables look developers, lighters, and compositors to easily build, tweak, iterate, and render scenes.
glChAoS.P - RealTime 3D Strange Attractors scout on GPU
Mandelbulb3D - A program designed for the Windows platform, for generating 3D views of different fractals
Mandelbulber v2 - Mandelbulber creatively generates three-dimensional fractals
MeshLab - System for processing and editing 3D triangular meshes
Möbius Modeller - End-user visual programming in the browser for automating complex tasks
Nodi - Nodi is an online node-based geometry design tool, it's a web tool
Penzil - A web application to sketch in 3d made in three.js and Vue
Possumwood - A graph-based procedural sandbox, implementing concepts of graph-based visual programming in a simple interface
Sorcar - A procedural modeling node-based system which utilises Blender and its Python API to create a visual programming environment for artists and developers
Sverchok - A powerful parametric Blender tool for architects, allowing geometry to be programmed visually with nodes
Tissue - Blender's add-on for computational design
VFX Fractal Toolkit - Set of tools for generating fractal and generative art
Wings 3D - An advanced subdivision modeler that is both powerful and easy to use
ZENO - Node based 3D system able to produce cinematic physics effects at High Efficiency
Blackjack - A procedural, node-based modelling tool, made in rust
Plasticity - A 3d modelling software for concept artists

3D realtime engines

A-Frame - An easy web framework for building 3D/AR/VR experiences.
Armory - 3D engine with Blender integration focused on portability, minimal footprint and performance
Babylon.js - WebGL engine
Bevy - A refreshingly simple data-driven game engine built in Rust
Cauldron - A simple framework for rapid prototyping on Vulkan or DirectX12
Falcor - A real-time rendering framework supporting DirectX 12 aiming to improve productivity of research and prototype projects
Filament - PBR engine
Fusee - A multiplatform 3D C# realtime engine with a strong emphasis on content transformation and manipulation
Godot - C++ based 2D/3D realtime engine (PC, console, mobile, HMTL5)
Harfang 3D - C++ 3D visualization library also usable in Python, Lua and Go (Windows, Linux)
Material Maker - A procedural materials authoring tool, based on the Godot Engine
Neo Axis Engine - NeoAxis Engine is an integrated development environment with built-in 3D and 2D game engine.
Ogre - Open source graphical rendering engine
Open 3D Engine - An open-source, real-time 3D development engine
Overload - 3D Game engine with editor
Panda3d - Python based 3d Engine (PC)
Stride - Game engine dedicated tor realistic rendering and VR, develop with a C# techno.
Three.js - WebGL engine
- Procedural GL JS - Based on Three.js, this framework is dedicated to generate a 3D Map experience on a web service.
Unreal Engine - C++ based 2D/3D realtime engine (PC, console, mobile, HMTL5)
UPBGE - Integrated game engine in Blender
Vengi - A C++ voxel game engine

Audio

Ardour - Record, Edit, and Mix on Linux, macOS and Windows
helio.fm - One music sequencer for all major platforms, desktop and mobile
Jam - open source alternative to Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces and similar audio spaces. Create audio rooms that can be used for panel discussions, jam sessions, free flowing conversations, debates, theatre plays, musicals and more.
LMSS - Cross-platform music production software
OpenAudio - A list of open-source VST (and other format) plugin/app projects
zrythm - a highly automated and intuitive digital audio workstation

Rendering Engines

AppleSeed - Physically-based global illumination rendering engine
bgfx - Cross-platform, graphics API agnostic, "Bring Your Own Engine/Framework" style rendering library
Cycles - Physically based production renderer developed by the Blender project.
kajiya - Experimental real-time global illumination renderer made with Rust and Vulkan
LuxCoreRender - Physically-based and unbiased rendering engine
Mitsuba - A research-oriented retargetable rendering system, written in portable C++17 on top of the Enoki library
MoonRay - DreamWorks’ open-source, award-winning, state-of-the-art production MCRT renderer, which has been used on several feature films
OSPRay - An open source, scalable, and portable ray tracing engine for high-performance, high-fidelity visualization on Intel Architecture CPUs
Radeon ProRender Physically-based engine, product by AMD.
Tungsten - High performance physically based renderer in C++11
Yocto/GL - A collection of small C++17 libraries for building physically-based graphics algorithms
Aurora - A real-time path tracing renderer that enables fast product visualizations

Photogrammetry

AliceVision - Photogrammetric Computer Vision Framework
- Meshroom - 3D Reconstruction Software
COLMAP - A general-purpose Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) pipeline with a graphical and command-line interface
openMVG - A library for computer-vision scientists and targeted for the Multiple View Geometry community

Photography

Darktable - Photography workflow application and raw developer
dcraw - A tool that decodes any raw image from any digital camera on any computer running any operating system
RawTherapee - free, cross-platform raw image processing program

Video

CasparCG - A Windows and Linux software used to play out professional graphics, audio and video to multiple outputs as a layerbased real-time compositor
DJV - Professional review software for VFX, animation, and film production
ffmpeg - A complete, cross-platform solution to record, convert and stream audio and video
GStreamer - Pipeline-based multimedia framework that links together a wide variety of media processing systems to complete complex workflows
Jitsi - Secure, Simple and Scalable Video Conferences that you use as a standalone app or embed in your web application.
Kdenlive - Video editing software based on the MLT Framework, KDE and Qt
MediaPipe - Cross-platform, customizable ML solutions for live and streaming media
mrViewer2 - The Professional Flipbook, Video and Audio Player
Natron - Open Source Compositing Software For VFX and Motion Graphics
OBS - software designed for capturing, compositing, encoding, recording, and streaming video content, efficiently.
Olive - Non-linear video editor aiming to provide a fully-featured alternative to high-end professional video editing software
OpenShot - award-winning free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and is dedicated to delivering high quality video editing and animation solutions to the world.
qctools - A free and open source software tool that helps users analyze and understand their digitized video files through use of audiovisual analytics and filtering
Shotcut - A free, open source, cross-platform video editor
tlRender - timeline render, is an early stage project for rendering editorial timelines
UltraGrid - UltraGrid low-latency audio and video network transmission system
xSTUDIO - Image playback and review for the filmmaking community
RV - A digital review tool for film, TV, and games

UV/Unwrap library

Thekla atlas | This tool performs mesh segmentation, surface parameterization, and chart packing.
xatlas | Fork from theakla atlas, it's a library to generate an UV for -example- lightmap uv.

Tools

A set of small tools, DCC addons, python library... to complete or add feature on DCC softwares.

Capsule - Blender addon to export, manage and automate to shared between blender and Unreal/Unity or other realtime engine.
Genetic Drawing - Python library to generate a stylised rendering from an image
Glsl Texture - Create textures from Glsl fragment shaders on Blender (2.8)
OD CopyPasteExternal - Tool to easily copy/paste a geometry across 3D application like Blender <> 3DS Max <> Maya <> ... <> and more.
UE4 Env. project - An Environment Simulation project for Unreal Engine 4.
LYNX - Free & OpenSource VFX Pipeline Tools
qLib - A procedural asset library for SideFX Houdini
SideFX Labs - A completely free, open-source toolset geared towards assisting Houdini users with a variety of tasks commonly used for digital content creation
xComp - Image Render comparing.

Low-code platforms

Appsmith - To build dashboards quickly
Budibase - To build simple business apps
Rowy - To build tables quickly

Writing

Ink - open source scripting language for writing interactive narrative.

Libraries

File path

Clique - Another Python module for file sequence parsing and formatting
Fileseq - Frame ranges and file sequences parsing
gofileseq - A Golang port of the library above
Lucidity - String/filepath templates system inspired by SGTK's template mechanisms
pyseq - Another Python module for file sequence parsing and serialization

UI

aframe-vartiste-toolkit - WebXR/VR UI components toolkit (that the VR drawing app VArtiste is built upon.)
NodeGraphQt - Node graph for Qt
Nodz - Node generator for Qt
Qt.py - Qt versions abstraction
QtWebengine - Render web content in Qt
Riffle - A filesystem browser for PySide supporting sequences grouping
SceneGraph - Ui for scene graph
Thonside - Python console for Qt apps

CG Software API

CGCmake - CMake modules for CG apps
Cortex - Libraries for VFX software development
Cross3D - Scene and node management abstraction
ExoCortex for Max 2018 - ExoCortex ported to Max 2018
mGui - Portable pure-python GUI library for Maya
minq - Maya query language for speeding up common scene operations
NXT - A layered code compositing application
OpenWalter - USD Plugins Arnold, Houdini, Katana, Maya and USD
Photoshop Python API - Python API for Photoshop.
Py3dsMax - 3dsMax API in Python
PyMEL - Python in Maya Done Right
Pymiere - Python API for Premiere Pro
OpenFX - Image processing plug-in standard

Geometry

autoremesher - Automatic quad remeshing tool
Blender Addons - Helpers for Blender
BlenderGIS - Geo data importer
CGAL - A software project that provides easy access to efficient and reliable geometric algorithms in the form of a C++ library
CvWrap - Fast Maya wrap deformer
Dem Bones - A library for skinning decomposition
Easy3D - A lightweight, easy-to-use, and efficient C++ library for processing and rendering 3D data
Eigen - A C++ template library for linear algebra: matrices, vectors, numerical solvers, and related algorithms
Embree - A collection of high performance ray tracing kernels that helps graphics application engineers to improve the performance of their photorealistic rendering application
Geometry Central - A modern C++ library of data structures and algorithms for geometry processing, with a particular focus on surface meshes
Instant Meshes - Remesher
libigl - A simple C++ geometry processing library
MakeHuman - Parametric human character modeling
mmg - mmg is an open source software for bidimensional and tridimensional surface and volume remeshing
Open3D - A Modern Library for 3D Data Processing
OpenSubdiv - A set of open source libraries that implement high performance subdivision surface evaluation on massively parallel CPU and GPU architectures
Optimesh - Python library to optimise a triangular mesh, remesh with various
Partio - A unified interface that makes it easier to load, save, and manipulate particle files
PCL - A standalone, large scale, open project for 2D/3D image and point cloud processing
Polygon Mesh Processing Library - A modern C++ open-source library for processing and visualizing polygon surface meshes
QHull - Convex hull generator
Quadriflow - Convert a mesh to a quadrangulation algorithms
Rigify - Auto-rigging Addon for Blender
Simplex - Blendshape Solver
SOFA - An efficient framework dedicated to research, prototyping and development of physics-based simulations
Polyscope - A C++ & Python viewer for 3D data like meshes and point clouds

Colors

Colour - An open-source Python package providing a comprehensive number of algorithms and datasets for colour science
OpenColorIO (repo) - Unified color environment, a complete color management solution geared towards motion picture production with an emphasis on visual effects and computer animation

Shaders

BRDF Explorer - The Disney BRDF Explorer is an application that allows the development and analysis of bidirectional reflectance distribution functions
OSL - Language to manipulate shaders
Ptex - A texture mapping system developed by Walt Disney Animation Studios for production-quality rendering
SeExpr - An embeddable, arithmetic expression language that enables flexible artistic control and customization in creating computer graphics images
MDL - Material Definition Language SDK

Denosing

Intel Open Image Denoise - An open source library of high-performance, high-quality denoising filters for images rendered with ray tracing

File formats

ACES - Color management
AL_USDMaya - Represent Maya data in Maya, and USD data in USD
Alembic - Animations
Assimp - A portable Open-Source library to import various well-known 3D model formats in a uniform manner
Cryptomatte - Accurate object ID mattes
Field3D - An open source library for storing voxel data
ImageMagick - Use ImageMagick to create, edit, compose, or convert bitmap images
Kiko - DCC-agnostic animation curves storage (works between Maya and Nuke, with more DCCs to come)
luma_usd - Plugins for USD
MaterialX - Materials and look-dev
meshio - Input/output for many mesh formats
OpenCV - An open source computer vision and machine learning software library
OpenDCX (repo) - C++ extensions for OpenEXR's "deep" file format
OpenEXR (repo) - exceptional image format for visual effects purposes, pioneered by ILM
OpenEXRid - Object isolation
OpenImageIO - A library for reading and writing images in many common and VFX related formats
OpenTimelineIO (repo) - Editorial timeline
Raven - Experimental OpenTimelineIO Viewer
OpenVDB AX - Fast expression language for manipulating OpenVDB files
OpenVDB (repo) - Volumetric data
pfstools - A set of command line programs for reading, writing and manipulating high-dynamic range (HDR) images and video frames
texture-synthesis - Example-based texture synthesis written in Rust
USD Manager - Program designed for lightweight browsing, managing, and editing of Universal Scene Description (USD) files
USD Shell Extension for Windows - a full-featured Windows shell extension for giving the File Explorer support for USD thumbnails, side previews and even exposes certain deep metadata to Windows Search
usd-arnold - USD Schemas and tools for exchanging Arnold shader information between multiple 3rd party packages
usd-noodle - Pretty node graph showing dependencies of a USD file
USD-URI-resolver - A generic, URI based resolver for USD, support custom plugins
USD - Scenes
UsdQt - Qt components for building custom USD tools
OpenAssetIO - Interoperability standard for tools and content management systems used in media production

File transfer

rsync - open source utility that provides fast incremental file transfer. It also has useful features for backup and restore operations among many other use cases.
rclone - rsync for cloud storage Google Drive, S3, Dropbox, Backblaze B2, One Drive, Swift, Hubic, Wasabi, Google Cloud Storage, Yandex Files
Tsunami - high speed file transfer protocol using UDP and TCP for high speed long distance networks
UDT - reliable UDP based application level data transport protocol for distributed data intensive applications over wide area high-speed networks
WDT - Warp speed Data Transfer (WDT) is an embeddedable library (and command line tool) aiming to transfer data between 2 systems as fast as possible over multiple TCP paths.

Job schedulers

CGRU is a CG tools pack that includes AFANASY, a free opensource render farm manager
Coalition from Mercenaries Engineering (developers of Guerilla Render)
Flamenco from the Blender Foundation
OpenCue (repo) An open source render management system from Sony Imageworks
Pandora Open-Source Renderfarm-Manager
Plow by Chad Vernon

Package managers

bleeding-rez - a very active Rez fork with improved isolation, Windows support and Python 2+3 support
conda
Ecosystem
mamba - a faster drop-in replacement for "conda"
qip - Quarantined Installer for Python
Rez Packages
Rez
wiz

Environment Manager

Allzpark Based on Rez manager, Allzpark can manage your software to give an specific software, really usefull with old project.

Asset managers

Production managers

Attract - Production tracking for film makers (Blender Foundation)
Kitsu - For small to mid-size studios
Ramses - Asset Management System for motion picture production (by Rainbox Laboratory)
Stalker - Open Source Production Asset Management (ProdAM) Library designed specifically for Animation and VFX Studios.

Content validation

Pyblish - A Python framework that brings test-driven development to visual effects and triple-A game creation
- Blender Pyblish - Blender Addon to integrate the Pyblish framework

Docker images

Animal Logic's USD Docker - A set of docker build scripts which will download all the Open Source packages required to build Pixar's Universal Scene Description, as well as USD itself
Deadline - Docker images for Thinkbox Software Deadline
Foundry RLM
Kitsu/Zou
Maya

Misc

Jean-Paul Start - Small (with Ansible-like syntax) launcher with GUI
WSL Distribution Switcher - Change the distro behind Windows Subsystem

Plugins

AFX - Everyday compositing for Nuke
Cmt - Various Maya tools
FTrack Hooks Set of plugins for FTrack
OnionSkinRenderer - Onion Skin Renderer for Maya
Palladio - CityEngine Plugin for Houdini
Wiretap - Manage Flame Wiretap database

IDE

PyCharm

MayaCharm - Run and edit Maya scripts directly from PyCharm
USD - Plug-in for USD

SublimeText

MariSublime - Run and edit Mari scripts directly from SublimeText
MayaSublime - Run and edit Maya scripts directly from SublimeText
NukeToolsSt - A Sublime Text package to send Python or BlinkScript code inside Nuke.
VEX - Houdini add-on for Sublime Text

vim

nuke.vim - Run and edit Nuke scripts directly from vim

VSCode

blender_vscode - Visual Studio Code extension for Blender development
Blink Script (Nuke) Language Syntax (repo) - for syntax highlighting support
MayaCode (repo) - Maya syntax highlighting support, along with autocomplete commands and send code to maya via command port
MayaPort (repo) - Run Maya code from VSCode
MEL Language Syntax (repo) - for syntax highlighting support
Nuke Tools - Nuke tools to help the development process inside Visual Studio Code.
Pixar USD ASCII Language Syntax (repo) - for syntax highlighting support, courtesy of the folks at Animal Logic
SendtoMaya - Alternative to MayaPort, serving the same purpose
VEX Language Syntax (repo) - for syntax highlighting support

VSCodium

Nuke Tools - Nuke tools to help the development process inside Visual Studio Code.

vscode.dev

DCC WebSocket - A WebSocket client to send code from vscode.dev web browser text editor to a DCC application.

Databases

Graph

Relational

Document-based

Monitoring Web Services

Not really efficient, you can find more links on the sys admin awesome list ; on monitoring or metric collection

Communities

Resources / Tutorials

cgwiki
Beginning Python For Maya
Blue Sky Studios Tech Blog
Digital Video Introduction
Example of Python scripts for 3D Studio Max, Maya and Blender
Les Fées Spéciales Studio Tech Blog
Pipeline Patterns
Unit Testing in Maya
VFX good night reading - Curated collection of good reading about VFX and CG

Free music for showreel

Contributors ✨

Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):

_{Frank Rousseau} 🖋	_Hal 🖋	_{Alan Fregtman} 🖋	_{Nikita Musatov} 🖋	_{sreenivas alapati} 🖋	_Stilobique 🖋	_bob-white 🖋
_{Vincent Lamy} 🖋	_{Steve Theodore} 🖋	_{Cube Creative} 🖋	_{Toke Jepsen} 🖋	_{Santosh Kumar} 🖋	_{Alex Miarsky} 🖋	_{Justin Tennant} 🖋
_{Juraj Tomori} 🖋	_{Kuntal Majumder} 🖋	_{Jean-Francois Panisset} 🖋	_{Jesse Spielman} 🖋	_Corentin 🖋	_{Savio Fernandes} 🖋	_{Anvith Shivakumara} 🖋
_{Antoine Boellinger} 🖋	_{Mathieu Bouzard} 🖋	_{Milan Kolar} 🖋	_mwestphal 🖋	_{Erkan Ozgur Yilmaz} 🖋	_{Michael Oliver} 🖋