How to install

As user environment variables

On windows:

1- Download the repo.
2- Extract (if downloaded as Zip else just move) the repo in the desired location
3- Run gafferTools_setup.bat

On linux:

1- Download the repo.
2- Extract (if downloaded as Zip else just move) the repo in the desired location
3- Run: source ./gafferTools_setup.sh

Warning

The bash script has only be tested in a VM environment as I don't have a running linux system at the moment, it is expected to work but you've been warned in case it doesn't.

In a wrapper

On windows:

1- Download the repo.
2- Extract (if downloaded as Zip else just move) the repo in the desired location
3- If you already have a custom wrapper to start `gaffer.cmd` call gafferTools.bat prior to it (see example below)

On linux:

1- Download the repo.
2- Extract (if downloaded as Zip else just move) the repo in the desired location
3- If you already have a custom wrapper to start `gaffer.cmd` call gafferTools.sh prior to it (see example below)

How the setup works

The script will create (or append to if they already are set/existing) the following environment variables at user or wrapper/session level (depending on the setup you've chosen):

GAFFER_TOOLS = parent directory of the bat/sh scripts and tools
GAFFER_STARTUP_PATHS = allows the nodes to show up in the node creation menu in the nodegraph and will create a custom Global Context Variable that points to ${GAFFER_TOOLS/assets}
GAFFER_REFERENCE_PATHS = location of the node files

Example of a wrapper on windows:

@echo off

:: Define Arnold's SDK location
set "ARNOLD_ROOT=G:/pipeline/renderers/Arnold/Arnold-7.2.5.1-windows"

:: Define Yeti's Procedural location
set "ARNOLD_PLUGIN_PATH=G:/pipeline/Plugins/Maya/Yeti/2024/4.2.12/bin;%ARNOLD_PLUGIN_PATH%"

:: Load GafferTools
call "G:/pipeline/Utilities/Tools/Gaffer/Gaffer-Tools/gafferTools.bat"

:: Start Gaffer
"G:/pipeline/DCCs/gaffer-1.3.10.0-windows/bin/gaffer.cmd"

Content

QuickFocus (Focus Control Tool)

Overview

QuickFocus is a tool designed to simplify and enhance focus control within GafferHQ. It provides an intuitive interface for easily controlling the Focus Point and accurately visualizing it within your scene. QuickFocus offers familiar camera parameters such as focal length, aperture, and f-stop control, allowing users to achieve precise focus adjustments just like with a regular camera node. Additionally, users can set their own geometry or locator as the Focus Point and fine-tune its position with an offset parameter for precise control over where the focal plane lands.

Gaffer_QuickFocus_Showcase.mp4

Features

Focus Point Control

QuickFocus allows users to easily control the Focus Point within the scene. The Focus Point can be adjusted using intuitive controls to set the desired focal distance.

Visualization of the Focus Point

Accurately visualize the Focus Point within the scene. QuickFocus provides visual feedback to help users understand where the focal plane is positioned relative to the scene geometry.

Scaling Parameter

Adjust the scale of the Focus Point visualization to suit your scene. The scaling parameter allows users to control the size of the Focus Point indicator for optimal visibility and accuracy.

Camera Parameters

QuickFocus offers the same focal length, aperture, and f-stop control as with a regular camera node. Users can adjust these parameters to achieve the desired depth of field effect and control the amount of focus blur in the scene.

Custom Focus Point

Set your own geometry or locator as the Focus Point. QuickFocus allows users to specify any object in the scene to act as the Focus Point, giving greater flexibility in focus control.

Fine-Tuning with Offset

Fine-tune the position of the Focus Point with an offset parameter. Users can adjust the offset to precisely control where the focal plane lands, ensuring accurate focus control even in complex scenes.

Yeti Procedural

Gaffer_YetiProcedural_Showcase.mp4

Custom box that aleviates any potential user error(s) when loading and setting up Yeti Procedurals within Gaffer while keeping exposed important parameters as well as a debug tab.

Important

This requires to have your Yeti/installationPath/bin to be set in your PATH variable for the bbox to be calculated and displayed accordingly

---

Turntable Tool

Overview

This Turntable Tool is designed to provide a streamlined way to create turntable animations with ease.

This tool streamlines the process of setting up a turntable animation by automating asset and skydome rotation based on the timeline duration (split 50/50 by default).

It also includes features such as rotation offset fields, inversion toggles, automatic camera framing based on the asset bounding box, normalized scaling of the cyclo and HDRI in viewport, HDRI support, and visibility toggles for enhanced control over your turntable renders.

Gaffer_Turntable_Showcase.mp4

Features

Adaptive and Automatic Rotation

• Timeline Duration Control: The tool automatically adapts asset and skydome rotation based on the timeline duration, ensuring a smooth and consistent turntable animation.

Rotation Controls

• Rotation Offset Fields: Fine-tune your turntable animation with customizable rotation offset fields for both the skydome and asset, allowing precise control over the rotation angles.

• Inversion Toggles: Toggle inversion of skydome and/or asset rotation independently, providing flexibility in achieving desired turntable effects.

Camera Framing

• Automatic Asset Framing: Enable automatic camera framing to adjust the camera based on the asset bounds. Optional padding further enhance control over the framing.

Scaling and Visibility

• Normalized Ground and Viewport Skydome Scale: Maintain visual coherence with normalized ground and viewport skydome scaling, ensuring consistency across different scenes.

• Skydome Camera Rays Visibility Toggle: Easily toggle the visibility of skydome camera rays for a cleaner presentation.

• Cyclo Camera Rays Visibility Toggle: Toggle the visibility of cyclo camera rays to customize the appearance of your turntable render.

• Reference Spheres Toggle: Enable or disable reference spheres as needed for visual guidance in your turntable setup.

HDRI Support

• HDRI Repository Loader: Load HDRI environments from a repository to enhance the visual quality of your turntable renders.

• HDRI Dropdown Menu: Conveniently select HDRI environments from a dropdown menu, providing a user-friendly interface for quick and easy HDRI adjustments.

Batch Render Support (WIP Feature)

• Batch Render Toggle: Allows to have the various HDRIs to be dispatched and rendered through a wedge node.

Important

Prerequisites

Requires a wedge node using the value set in the Selector plug of the Spreadsheet tab as Variable and the Index Variable plug set accordingly.

Mode set to String List.

The Strings plug requires the enabledRowNames of the Spreadsheet as input.

GafferThree

Overview

Inspired by Ezequiel Mastrasso's LightCreator, part of the LDTGaffer toolsuite he's developped.
As well as Katana's GafferThree node, used for lighting (hence this name)

It includes all you can expect from a lighting utility, creating lights, naming them, set lightgroup names, and more...

Gaffer_GafferThree_Showcase.mp4

Features

Light Types

GafferThree supports the creation of the following light types:

• Quad Lights
• Skydome Lights
• Distant Lights
• Spot Lights
• Disk Lights
• Cylinder Lights

Per-Light Type Parameters

Each light type comes with a set of specific parameters that can be adjusted to customize the lighting effect. These parameters include but are not limited to:

• Intensity/Exposure
• Color
• Size
• Cone Angle (for spot lights)
• Spread Angle
• Contribution
• etc ...

HDRI Textures Support

GafferThree provides support for High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) textures for Skydome and Quad lights. Users can easily load HDRI textures for the Skydome and Quad lights as well as color correct them if needed.

Texture Resolution

For Quad and Skydome lights with textures, GafferThree allows users to set the resolution of the textures independtly between the viewport and the render output. This enables fine-tuning of the texture quality based on project requirements.

Viewport Scale

Adjust the viewport scale of the lights visualiser. This feature helps users visualize and finetune more easily the lights orientation.

Drawing Mode

GafferThree supports different drawing modes for lights in the viewport. Users can choose between wireframe, color, or textured representations to facilitate a more efficient and intuitive lighting workflow.

Note

At the time of writting i haven't found a way to have the quad light display its color in the viewport but if/when you have an HDRI assigned to it it'll display, and the color correction also are displayed in the viewport. It is not impacting the render output whatsoever, only the viewport visualization