Q100275: Export preset for automatically generating separate 'render' directories for multiple comp versions

SUMMARY

This article will highlight the recommended workflow for creating individual directories for each comp version you create in Nuke Studio.

MORE INFORMATION


Users often find it useful to customise their directory structures to allow for better file and asset management. Nuke Studio offers the tools to achieve this and one example of good workflow management when it comes to your comp versions, is to generate separate directories for each comp versions rendered.

Same 'render' directory for all comp versions
Nuke Studios default presets will place a users comp version files into the same directory using the following preset structure (this example is from the Basic Nuke Shot preset). Also please note bold text represents a file rather than a folder in the export preset structure:

- {shot}
   - nuke
      - script
         - {shot}_comp(_nameindex}_{version}.{ext}
      - renders
         - {shot}_comp(_nameindex}_{version}.####.{ext}

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This will generate a directory structure that would look as follows (the {shot} name in this example will be 'StudioShot001'):

- StudioShot001
    - nuke
      - script
         - StudioShot001_comp_v01.nk
      - renders
         - StudioShot001_comp_v01.0001.dpx

Or if you were looking at the directory path on disk (the temp directory is the project directory I set, so all directories are created in here for my project):

/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/script/StudioShot001_comp_v01.nk
/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/renders/StudioShot001_comp_v01.0001.dpx

Separate 'render' directories for each comp versions
In order to adapt your export preset so that each comp version render is saved within their own directory, rather than within the same 'render' directory, you can update the preset to the following:

- {shot}
   - nuke
      - script
         - {shot}_comp(_nameindex}_{version}.{ext}
      - renders_{version}
         - {shot}_comp(_nameindex}_{version}.####.{ext}
​
inline865540171.png

This will generate a directory structure that would look as follows:

- StudioShot001
    - nuke
      - script
         - StudioShot001_comp_v01.nk
      - renders_v01
         - StudioShot001_comp_v01.0001.dpx

Or if you were looking at the directory path on disk:

/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/script/StudioShot001_comp_v01.nk
/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/renders_v01/StudioShot001_comp_v01.0001.dpx

This change means that anytime you render a new comp version, a new renders directory will be created in the 'nuke' directory. So for instance if you version up to v02, your nuke directory would now contain the following:

/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/script/StudioShot001_comp_v01.nk
/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/renders_v01/StudioShot001_comp_v01.0001.dpx
/temp/StudioShot001/nuke/renders_v02/StudioShot001_comp_v02.0001.dpx

Using this logic you can modify any of the default presets or use your own to create more flexible directory structures.