Stamps

Stamps is a smart node connection system for Nuke.

It lets you create lightweight proxy nodes that point back to a single source node, so large scripts stay easier to read, navigate, and reconnect without filling the graph with long pipes and dots.

This repository currently ships the modernized v1.2 codebase, including compatibility updates for newer Nuke / Qt environments, while also bundling the original user guide PDF for the established workflow.

At a Glance

• Built for Nuke artists who want cleaner node graphs without losing traceability.
• Uses Anchors as the source of truth and Wired Stamps as reusable references.
• Ships with menu integration, selector UI, reconnection tools, and optional W_hotbox support.
• Works with 2D, Deep, 3D, Camera, Axis, and Particle workflows.

What It Does

• Creates Anchor Stamps that act as the source reference for a node.
• Creates Wired Stamps that point back to an Anchor and can be placed anywhere in the script.
• Supports different node families including 2D, Deep, 3D, Camera, Axis, and Particle nodes.
• Lets you find Anchors by tag, backdrop, title, all, or most-used entries through the selector UI.
• Includes several reconnection strategies: by stored name, by title, and by explicit selected Anchor.
• Can auto-reconnect pasted stamps by title when stored node names are no longer reliable.
• Carries tag and backdrop context from the Anchor into linked stamps.
• Adds bundled W_hotbox rules automatically when W_hotbox is available.

Installation

Fresh Install

1. Copy this repository to your Nuke plugin path, for example as:

   ~/.nuke/Stamps
   

2. In your main Nuke init.py, add:

   nuke.pluginAddPath("./Stamps")

3. Restart Nuke.

The repo's own init.py then adds the internal stamps/ package to Nuke's plugin paths.

If you prefer, the same line can point to any other location where you keep Nuke tools:

nuke.pluginAddPath("/path/to/Stamps")

Updating

1. Replace the existing Stamps folder with the updated one.
2. Restart Nuke.
3. If needed, run Edit -> Stamps -> Refresh all Stamps in Nuke to rewrite callbacks and reconnect existing stamps.

Usage

The main entry point is F8 by default.

• With regular nodes selected, F8 creates new Anchor + Wired Stamp pairs.
• With an Anchor selected, F8 creates another Wired Stamp for that Anchor.
• With a Wired Stamp selected, F8 duplicates it.
• With nothing selected, F8 opens the Anchor selector if Anchors already exist, or starts a new empty Anchor if none do.

Stamps also adds menu entries under:

• Edit -> Stamps
• Nodes -> Other -> Stamps

Typical Workflow

1. Select a node and press F8.
2. Confirm or adjust the proposed title and tags.
3. Stamps creates an Anchor near the source and a Wired Stamp linked to it.
4. Create more Wired Stamps for that Anchor anywhere else in the script.
5. If a script is duplicated, merged, or pasted into another setup, use the reconnect tools to restore links quickly.

Core Concepts

Anchor Stamp

An Anchor stores the canonical title, tags, and source identity for a stamped node. It also gives you quick actions to:

• create a new Wired Stamp
• select all linked stamps
• reconnect linked stamps
• jump through linked stamps in the node graph

Wired Stamp

A Wired Stamp is the lightweight node you scatter through the script. It exposes quick actions to:

• show or zoom to its Anchor
• select similar stamps
• reconnect itself, similar stamps, or all stamps
• reconnect by title or by explicit selection
• enable auto-reconnect-by-title for copy/paste workflows

Reconnection Tools

Stamps includes several recovery paths for broken or moved connections:

• Reconnect by name uses the stored Anchor node name.
• Reconnect by title finds an Anchor with the same visible title.
• Reconnect by selection forces one or more stamps onto a selected Anchor.
• Auto-reconnect by title helps when copying or pasting stamps between scripts where internal node names may change.

Customization

You can override defaults by placing a stamps_config.py in your Python path, typically next to the package or in .nuke.

Supported customizations include:

• STAMPS_SHORTCUT
• ANCHOR_STYLE
• STAMP_STYLE
• defaultTitle(node)
• defaultTags(node)
• node-class mappings and exception lists

Example:

STAMPS_SHORTCUT = "F8"

def defaultTags(node):
    if node.Class() == "Write":
        return ["File Out"]
    return []

For the full template, see stamps/stamps_config.py.

Included Integrations

• W_hotbox rules are bundled in stamps/includes/W_hotbox and registered automatically when W_hotbox is present.
• The package keeps compatibility wrappers such as stamps.py, config.py, and qt_compat.py so older imports continue to work.

Documentation

• User guide PDF: Stamps v1.1 User Guide.pdf
• GitHub: adrianpueyo/Stamps
• Nukepedia: Stamps on Nukepedia
• Video tutorial: Vimeo

Notes

• The bundled PDF is v1.1, while the code in this repo is v1.2. The core workflow is the same, but the repository includes more recent maintenance and compatibility work.
• The selector UI can group Anchors by tags, backdrop labels, title search, or popularity.
• Default shortcut and creation logic can be overridden without modifying the core package.

License

This project is released under the terms in LICENSE.