Blender + Tasty Publisher

Tasty Publisher is the production assistant for the CG pipeline. It enforces consistent naming, keeps files in the right folders, versions safely, and makes hand-offs seamless. Once installed (see Tasty Publisher setup), a Publish menu appears in the Blender topbar - this is the command center for every stage below.

Folder layouts and the render filename pattern are the single source of truth in Folder structures and File naming conventions; this page shows them in practice.

The golden rules

1. Always use Save Work instead of regular save (Ctrl+S).
2. Follow the workflow order - you can go forward but not backward. Plan accordingly.
3. Publish approved work to mark an asset final, then render from the published file.

The five commands

Command	What it does	When to use
Save Work	Saves with smart, pipeline-correct naming	Starting new work
Version Up	Increments the version (v001 → v002)	Making revisions
Scene Up	Clones the folder tree into the next scene (scn010 → scn020)	New angle / variation
Set Render Path / Set Animation Path	Configures the output folder + filename	Once per file, before rendering
Render Frame / Render Animation	Renders, names, and saves in one click	Testing or producing
Publish	Creates the approved _pub copy	Work is approved

Save Work, Version Up, Scene Up

Save Work writes the file into the correct task folder with the correct name. Made changes? Version Up saves the next version (v002, v003, …) in place.

Scene Up auto-detects the current scene (e.g. scn010), creates the next scene at a +10 increment (scn020), duplicates the full folder tree (folders only, no files), saves your current file into the matching task in the new scene, and resets the version to v001. It auto-detects the pro vs env branch and skips ahead if the next scene already exists.

Current file:    pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v003.blend
After Scene Up:  pd25518-bk_pro_scn020_lighting_v001.blend

scn010 = product with light ON
scn020 = product with light OFF
scn030 = product with arm swiveled

Set Render Path

Instead of typing long paths and creating folders by hand, Set Render Path does it in one click: it creates the output folder, names renders with all the metadata, auto-numbers re-renders, and keeps everything organized by task, scene, and version.

Render from the published file

Always render from the published .blend file before you Set Render Path. That is what lets the add-on name each rendered file correctly.

1. Save your work first with Save Work, so the file is in the proper location.
2. Click Set Render Path (or Set Animation Path) in the Publish menu. A popup confirms where renders will go.
3. Render - a new Render Frame / Render Animation button appears. Click it to render, name, and save all at once.

You only Set Render Path once per file - it is remembered across saves. If you Version Up, set it again so v001 renders stay separate from v002 renders. The Render button only appears after a path is set, which prevents renders going to random places.

The add-on routes by render settings: regular renders go to images/, multi-layer EXR to passes/, and preview renders to previews/.

Publish

When work is approved, Publish creates a copy with a _pub suffix inside a _publish/ folder alongside the current directory. The published file is the approved file used for the next phase and for final rendering.

lighting/
├── pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v003.blend          ← working file
└── _publish/
    └── pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v003_pub.blend   ← published file

You cannot publish from inside a _publish folder, and you cannot publish an unsaved file.

Scene, shot, and version numbering in practice

• Scenes - scn###, starting scn010, increment by 10. Each scene is a distinct setup or angle (light on, light off, arm swiveled, …).
• Shots - sh###, starting sh010, used inside animation folders.
• Versions - v### (v001, v002, …); publishing adds _pub; render frame padding is 5 digits.

Full rules: File naming conventions.

The stages

Each stage saves into its own task folder. Use Save Work to land in the right place; publish when approved.

Stage	Location (under 01_working/pro/scn010/ unless noted)	File example
Asset build	00_in/3d_model/	f-103l-56-mw_v001.blend
Previz	previz/	pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_previz_v001.blend
Modeling	modeling/	pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_modeling_v001.blend
Lookdev	lookdev/	pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_lookdev_v001.blend
Layout	layout/	pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_layout_v001.blend
Lighting	lighting/	pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001.blend
Animation	05_animation/sh010/	f-103l-56-mw_env_scn010_anim_sh010_v001.blend
Camera solve	env/scn010/cam_solve/	f-103l-56-mw_env_scn010_cam_solve_v001.blend
360° (optional)	360/	turntable / spin

A few stage notes:

• Layout - name cameras Cam.001, Cam.002 (or Camera.001, Camera.002). An unnamed/misnamed camera blocks rendering.
• Lighting - the render stage for stills. Set Render Path, then Render Frame; outputs land in 02_renders/pro/scn010/images/v001/.
• Animation - set a frame range, click Set Animation Path; outputs land in 02_renders/pro/scn010/animation/sh010/v001/.
• Camera solve - solve 1/2/3-point perspective, match the model to the supplied clean plate, and relight to recreate the original environment lighting.

Asset build example (per source - SKU mismatch preserved):
Your model: modern ceiling fan
Location:   00_in/3d_model/
Filename:   f-103l-56-mw_v001.blend
Published:  _publish/pd25518-bk_pub.blend

Decoding a render filename

pd25518-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v003_cam001_fr00001_00001.exr
    ↓        ↓    ↓       ↓       ↓     ↓      ↓       ↓
   SKU    Type Scene   Task  Version Camera Frame  Sequence

Part	Meaning	Example
SKU	Product code	pd25518-bk
Type	Product or environment	pro / env
Scene	Scene number	scn010
Task	What you are working on	lighting, anim
Version	File version	v003
Camera	Which camera rendered	cam001
Frame	Frame number	fr00001
Sequence	Render attempt	00001, 00002, …

Each re-render of the same frame gets a new sequence number, so nothing is ever overwritten:

First try:  filename_cam001_fr00050_00001.exr
Second try: filename_cam001_fr00050_00002.exr
Third try:  filename_cam001_fr00050_00003.exr

With multiple cameras, each camera carries its own sequence:

Camera 1: filename_cam001_fr00001_00001.exr
Camera 2: filename_cam002_fr00001_00001.exr

Catalog 7-camera product stills

The lighting file for a catalog product contains 7 static cameras, each bound to a unique marker. This is not an animation: each timeline frame corresponds to a different camera angle, so rendering frames 1-7 produces seven distinct stills.

Draft-first review. For a new product, render a single front-camera image (do not use the published file yet - this is just a draft for PM review). Save it to the graphix-working.wac filespace using the render naming pattern, e.g. hr2r-du-a-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001_cam001_fr00001_00001.jpg. If the PM requests changes, render a new version (v002, v003, …) into the same filespace. After the PM approves, create a _versions subfolder under /renders and move the older, unapproved versions into it.

Final 7-frame render. Once approved:

1. Publish the lighting file with Tasty Publisher.
2. Open the published file from the _publish folder.
3. In the Publish menu, click Set Render Path.
4. In Output Properties the output name auto-sets to the published filename followed by five hash symbols for sequence padding: sku_type_scn###_taskName_v###_pub_#####.
5. Render all seven frames with Ctrl+F12. Each frame reflects a different camera view.
6. Locate the renders in the output folder (alt + click the folder).
7. Copy the files to the graphix-working.wac filespace under product_images/images/renders.

Renders on the video-working.wac filespace:
dc-cd05-f-cc-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001_pub_00001.jpg
dc-cd05-f-cc-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001_pub_00002.jpg
...
dc-cd05-f-cc-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001_pub_00007.jpg

Copied to graphix-working.wac (product_images/images/renders):
dc-cd05-f-cc-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001_pub_00001.jpg
...
dc-cd05-f-cc-bk_pro_scn010_lighting_v001_pub_00007.jpg

Rename before moving

Always rename files locally or on the video-working.wac filespace before moving them to graphix-working.wac, to avoid issues. This must be done correctly for the catalog-season automations to work and to help the Design team handle the volume.

The hand-off boundary itself is documented in Cross-team handoffs.

Troubleshooting

Message	Cause / fix
Invalid save location	Saving in the wrong folder. Use the folder structure.
Cannot move from X to Y task	Skipping stages. Follow the workflow order.
Invalid camera name	Rename the camera to Cam.001, Cam.002, …
Cannot save empty scene	Add content to the scene first.
Render button missing	Set Render Path / Set Animation Path has not been run for this file.
Cannot publish	Save the file first; you cannot publish from inside a _publish folder.