# GafferHQ/gaffer

Gaffer is a node-based application for lookdev, lighting and automation

Repository: https://github.com/GafferHQ/gaffer
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/gafferhq-gaffer
Homepage: http://www.gafferhq.org
Language: Python
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-09-02T22:38:43+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 100, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4908, "days_push": 0, "days_rel": 5, "gap_med": 7, "n_releases_24m": 76}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1089, forks 225 (observed 2026-09-03T02:15:05.943889+00:00)

## What it is
Gaffer is a free, open-source, node-based VFX application for look development, lighting, and compositing, with Python and OSL scripting for building shaders and automating production workflows. It also serves as an extensible application framework that studios can use to build their own VFX pipeline tools.

## Use cases
- build and tweak 3D scenes for look development and lighting
- write custom shaders with Open Shading Language for Arnold, Cycles, or 3Delight
- automate VFX production processes with node graphs and Python scripting
- build a studio-specific VFX pipeline tool on an extensible framework
- perform non-destructive scene assembly, pruning, and inspection
- run automated QC and image processing on 2D renders

## When to choose
- you need a free node-based lookdev and lighting tool for film VFX
- your studio wants an extensible Python/C++ framework for pipeline tools
- you work with Arnold, Cycles, or 3Delight and need shader authoring
- you need to automate rendering and scene processing on Linux or Windows

## When to avoid
- you need a general-purpose 3D modeling or animation package like Blender
- you only need a lightweight scene viewer rather than a full node-based application
- you work primarily on macOS, which is not officially supported
- you need real-time game engine rendering rather than offline VFX rendering

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: gui, graphics, simulation, plugin-system, workflow-automation, developer-tools
- domain: graphics, developer-tools, media
- platform: windows, python, cpp
- tags: vfx, lookdev, lighting, node-graph, rendering, arnold, cycles, osl, compositing, pipeline-tools, game-development, automation, linux

## Member repositories
- GafferHQ/gaffer (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:05.943889+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:49:16.029092+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/GafferHQ/gaffer (fetched 2026-09-03T02:15:05.943889+00:00, sha 0c6687966076)
  - homepage: http://www.gafferhq.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:51:41.745672+00:00, sha a4ab6e3ba3cc)
  - site_page: https://www.gafferhq.org/documentation/1.7.0.0 (fetched 2026-08-29T12:51:41.754951+00:00, sha 04809bb2678a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.