Precomp Switcher v1.0.0

Precomp Switcher v1.0.0

A Nuke plugin that simplifies your precomping workflow. It builds a Write + Switch + Backdrop setup that you can toggle between Bypass and Precomped. There's a Rendering state for clear visual reminder to swap out your precomp!

Highlights

• Creation Panel to quickly build the precomp setup (Shift+W)
• Visual Backdrop with color and label tracking the precomp state (Bypass, Rendering, Precomped)
• F7 renders selected Writes
• Alt+R reads from Write
• Disabling the Switch toggles between Bypass and Precomped
• Pipeline-friendly: TDs can route render and read-from-write through studio commands via precomp_config.py
• Ships with full User and Developer Guide PDFs

Installation

Precomp Switcher is a self-loading plugin. Meaning it's designed to load everything it needs by just adding the folder to Nuke's plugin path.

Here is a step by step guide:

1. Simply download the latest Release .zip, or clone/download this repo anywhere on disk.

2. Add the inner precomp_switcher/ folder (the one with all the .py files) to your Nuke plugin path.

   Option A - Your local User

   • Drop the folder inside your ~/.nuke/ directory
   • Open or create your ~/.nuke/init.py file in a Text Editor
   • Then add this line to your init.py:

     nuke.pluginAddPath('./precomp_switcher')

   Option B - Another folder or over a shared network

   • You can use any other location on disk or over the network:

     nuke.pluginAddPath('/path/to/precomp_switcher')

   • Above is just an example path, so be sure to replace /path/to/ with the folder path where you placed the precomp_switcher.

That's it! No menu.py entry needed.
If you want to remove, add, or change hotkeys of Precomp Switcher, open up the precomp_config.py in a Text Editor and there you can assign, change, or disable hotkeys.

See Developer Guide §2 for more info on customization via the config file.

After Nuke launches, you should see Edit → Node → Precomp Switcher → Create Precomp Switcher with Shift+W as its hotkey.

Documentation

• README: install, quick start, hotkey reference
• User Guide PDF: every feature, troubleshooting
• Developer Guide PDF: pipeline integration, configuration reference, architecture

Requirements

Nuke 14+. No third-party Python dependencies.

License

MIT. © 2026 Tony Lyons.