What it does
Gaffer is a free, open-source application for assembling and rendering visual-effects scenes. It imports geometry and images, applies shaders and lighting, and keeps those operations in a node graph. Windows and Linux builds are available, with Cycles included for rendering.
Gaffer expects modelling and animation to come from another tool. Its SceneReader imports Alembic, USD and native SceneCache files; ImageReader imports images. Changes happen in the graph without rewriting the imported scene cache.
A first scene
The Assembling the Gaffer Bot tutorial uses a supplied robot model. Add a SceneReader, load the example cache, expand its hierarchy, then combine it with a Camera through a Group node. StandardOptions selects the camera and resolution; Outputs chooses the image output; InteractiveRender starts a Cycles preview. The tutorial then adds shaders, textures and lighting.
The hierarchy controls which objects are expanded in the viewer. A collapsed location displays as a bounding box, so a box on screen does not necessarily mean the geometry failed to load.
Python and C++ interfaces allow custom nodes and production tools. The repository also documents building with Arnold or 3Delight support, which requires the corresponding renderer installation.
Installation uses a self-contained archive. Windows additionally needs Microsoft's Visual C++ Redistributable. Prebuilt macOS packages are not currently available.
Strengths
- Imported scene caches remain unchanged while graph operations modify their output.
- The included Cycles renderer supports the supplied first-scene tutorial.
Watch out for
- Prebuilt macOS packages are unavailable.
- Building third-party renderer support requires that renderer's installation.
Best for
- Lighting artists working with geometry from other applications
- Technical teams automating scene assembly and rendering
Sources
- Gaffer: Home (Oct 28, 2026)
- Gaffer: Official Repository (Oct 28, 2026)
- Assembling the Gaffer Bot (Oct 28, 2026)
- Installing Gaffer (Oct 28, 2026)