PXLtools — Tool guide
TurnTable — Maya Builder + Nuke Comp Setup
A two-part turntable pipeline for presenting models and shaders the way a supervisor expects to review them. The Maya Builder sets up scene, lighting, and render layers; the Nuke Comp Setup builds and drives the review comp. Both share one UI kit and a guided, gated flow, and both auto-update from GitHub on launch — so a clean, client-ready turntable is a few clicks, not a pipeline project.
The interface
01
Overview
TurnTable is a two-part turntable pipeline for presenting models and shaders the way a supervisor expects to review them. It ships as a Maya Builder that sets up the scene, lighting and render layers, and a Nuke Comp Setup tool that builds and drives the review comp.
The two tools share one UI kit, so they feel like a single product, and both auto-update from GitHub the moment you launch them. It was forged on the Thresholds production and built so small teams can run a clean turntable without a pipeline department behind them.
02
Requirements
- Autodesk Maya 2025
- Arnold renderer
- ACES 1.2 colour management
- Foundry Nuke 15
- Python 3
Maya 2025 already includes PySide6. You do not install it, you do not pip anything, you do not touch your Python environment.
03
Download & Install
No GitHub account or token needed. The repo is public. You only need an internet connection at install time.
Maya
Drag and drop
Download INSTALL.py and drag it from a file browser straight into a running Maya viewport. It installs the Maya module, the Nuke toolbox, optionally the turntable asset pack (you will be prompted), and builds the PXLtools shelf.
To update later, drag the same file in again. That is the whole process.
Get INSTALL.pyNuke
One-line install
Nuke cannot run a dragged file, so the install is a single line. Paste it into Nuke's Script Editor on the Python side and run it. It installs or updates only the Nuke side and rebuilds the PXLtools menu live. No restart.
Nuke Script Editor · Python tab
import urllib.request as u; exec(u.urlopen("https://github.com/PXLmentor/PXLtools/raw/main/INSTALL.py").read().decode())
Manual download
Prefer to grab the files yourself? Download the latest release zip from the releases page on GitHub.
04
Auto-update
Both tools check GitHub for a newer stable release on launch. The check is throttled, runs in the background, and never blocks the tool. When a new version ships, you get it without thinking about it.
If you want to force it, re-run the installer or press the shelf Update button in Maya, or re-run the one-liner in Nuke.
View Online Guide button: Both the Maya Builder and the Nuke Comp Setup now have a book icon in the top-right of their header. Clicking it opens this guide in your browser directly from the tool.
05
Using the Maya TurnTable Builder
The Builder has two tabs: 1 · SETUP and 2 · RENDER.
The step-gating flow
Every numbered step is gated. This is the part worth understanding once before you start.
Step states at a glance
Green — done
This step has already been satisfied. No action needed.
Orange — do this now
The one enabled step. Complete it, and the next step wakes up.
Grey — locked
Intentionally un-clickable until it is its turn. Finish the orange step first.
The tool walks you through the correct order. You cannot do step 3 before step 1. If a button looks dead, that is the gating doing its job — finish the orange step and the next one enables.
SETUP tab
Work top to bottom. The orange step is always your next action.
01 Scene Setup
- Load Turntable Scene. Brings the rig in as a reference.
- Apply Frame Range. Set the start and end frames (default 1001 to 1200), then press Apply. Skip this and you have no animation.
02 Model
Choose Shader Ball or Your Model, then attach what you are presenting.
03 Lighting
Pick the HDRI environment, the backdrop, and your Arnold settings.
Clear Scene
At the bottom of the SETUP tab. Removes the turntable reference but keeps your model. There is an option to also remove the TT render layers if you want a full clean.
RENDER tab
Render Layers Setup
- Tick the HDRI slots you want: Studio, Day Overcast, Direct Sun, Cloudy Sun, Night, Night Neon, plus two custom slots.
- Optionally tick Include Charts Layers.
- Press Create Render Layers.
Render Turntable
Kick off the render.
Tip: Save your scene first. Render names derive from the scene file name, so a saved, sensibly named scene gives you sensible outputs.
06
Using the Nuke TurnTable Comp Setup
Same guided, gated flow as the Maya tool. Work the orange step, the next one opens.
Preliminary Steps
- Check ACES 1.2 Config.
- Browse to your working folder.
- Set Working Folder.
Comp Setup
- Load the Turntable Template.
- Browse the render location.
- Apply Project Settings.
- Fill in Asset Info: Type, Department, Asset name, Version.
Visual Options
Set the background and wireframe colour.
Comp Effects Settings
Vignette (default intensity 0.25), Z-Defocus, and the other look controls live here.
Export
- Set the output name and version.
- Choose PNG sequence or MP4.
- Create the Write node and render.
07
Troubleshooting
The tool did not update.
Press the shelf Update button in Maya, or re-run the one-liner in Nuke's Script Editor. Both will pull the latest stable release.
A button is greyed out and I cannot click it.
That is the step-gating doing its job. The grey steps are intentionally locked. Find the orange step — that is your current action. Completing it will unlock the next one.
Load Turntable Scene cannot find the file.
The asset pack is not installed. Re-drag INSTALL.py into Maya and accept the asset pack prompt when it appears.