Project Brief: Asset Processor Tool

1. Main Goal & Purpose

The primary goal of the Asset Processor Tool is to provide CG artists and 3D content teams with a friendly, fast, and flexible interface to process and organize 3D asset source files into a standardized library format. It automates repetitive and complex tasks involved in preparing assets from various suppliers for use in production pipelines.

2. Key Features & Components

Automated Asset Processing: Ingests 3D asset source files (texture sets, models, etc.) from .zip, .rar, .7z archives, or folders.
Preset-Driven Workflow: Utilizes configurable JSON presets to interpret different asset sources (e.g., from various online vendors or internal standards), defining rules for file classification and processing.
Comprehensive File Operations:
- Classification: Automatically identifies map types (Color, Normal, Roughness, etc.), models, and other file categories based on preset rules.
- Image Processing: Performs tasks like image resizing (to standard resolutions like 1K, 2K, 4K, avoiding upscaling), glossiness-to-roughness conversion, normal map green channel inversion (OpenGL/DirectX handling), alpha channel extraction, bit-depth adjustments, and low-resolution fallback generation for small source images.
- Channel Merging: Combines channels from different source maps into packed textures (e.g., Normal + Roughness + Metallic into a single NRMRGH map).
Metadata Generation: Creates a detailed metadata.json file for each processed asset, containing information about maps, categories, processing settings, and more, for downstream tool integration.
Flexible Output Organization: Generates a clean, structured output directory based on user-configurable naming patterns and tokens.
Multiple User Interfaces:
- Graphical User Interface (GUI): The primary interface, designed to be user-friendly, offering drag-and-drop functionality, an integrated preset editor, a live preview table for rule validation and overrides, and clear processing controls.
- Directory Monitor: An automated script that watches a specified folder for new asset archives and processes them based on preset names embedded in the archive filename.
- Command-Line Interface (CLI): Intended for batch processing and scripting (currently with limited core functionality).
Optional Blender Integration: Can automatically run Blender scripts post-processing to create PBR node groups and materials in specified .blend files, linking to the newly processed textures.
Hierarchical Rule System: Allows for dynamic, granular overrides of preset configurations at the source, asset, or individual file level via the GUI.
Experimental LLM Prediction: Includes an option to use a Large Language Model for file interpretation and rule prediction.

3. Target Audience

CG Artists: Individual artists looking for an efficient way to manage and prepare their personal or downloaded asset libraries.
3D Content Creation Teams: Studios or groups needing a standardized pipeline for processing and organizing assets from multiple sources.
Technical Artists/Pipeline Developers: Who may extend or integrate the tool into broader production workflows.

4. Overall Architectural Style & Key Technologies

Core Language: Python
GUI Framework: PySide6
Configuration: Primarily JSON-based (application settings, user overrides, type definitions, supplier settings, presets, LLM settings).
Processing Architecture: A modular, staged processing pipeline orchestrated by a central engine. Each stage performs a discrete task on an AssetProcessingContext object.
Key Libraries: OpenCV (image processing), NumPy (numerical operations), py7zr/rarfile (archive handling), watchdog (directory monitoring).
Design Principles: Modularity, configurability, and user-friendliness (especially for the GUI).

5. Foundational Information

The tool aims to significantly reduce manual effort and ensure consistency in asset preparation.
It is designed to be adaptable to various asset sources and pipeline requirements through its extensive configuration options and preset system.
The output metadata.json is key for enabling further automation and integration with other tools or digital content creation (DCC) applications.

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