Workfiles: Create and Show thumbnails for workfiles

[BigRoy]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues.

Please describe the feature you have in mind and explain what the current shortcomings are?

I had a discussion with an artist recently who mentioned a feature from another pipeline that he used recently that he really liked, thumbnails for workfiles. Basically the work file browser could show these thumbnails as you click a particular workfile.

Would love to hear thoughts on implementation with regards to where the thumbnail should be and how it should be linked? (Also with keeping an eye on potentially remote artists connected with site sync, etc? or having these also show on ayon frontend?)

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Note that especially users looking to use AYON coming from Prism Pipeline mention this as a feature they'd like.
The feature has been discussed before here: Ynput Community Forum: Thumbnails for workfiles

How would you imagine the implementation of the feature?

Where to show?

So basically in the workfiles tool it would show a thumbnail top right. The thumbnail could be e.g. saved next to the workfile with the same name but with extension .jpg and that would then show in the UI.

Note: Preview comes from prototype from OpenPype

Top right here it would then show a thumbnail - that's some sweet sauce!

But preferably even each workfile would show their thumbnails in the list view as well - similar to e.g. Prism pipeline does.

When to generate or what thumbnail to show?

The thumbnails could e.g. be generated on workfile save with a little "capture screenshot" tool or maybe even a dedicated capture from the host (e.g. single frame playblast or M3DView api image save in Maya, or viewport flipbook in Houdini).

Are there any labels you wish to add?

• I have added the relevant labels to the enhancement request.

Describe alternatives you've considered:

No response

Additional context:

• A prototype implementation in OpenPype
• Ynput Community Forum: Thumbnails for workfiles

[dee-ynput]

Thumbnail cascading rules are about to be consolidated.
They will basically make it so there's no entity without a thumbnail by inheriting it from (grand)child in the entity tree, or from the (grand)parents.
Explicitely set thumbnails will always be the visible one.

I wonder if this applies to the workfile too?
Like: wouldn't it be appropriate to have the product thumbnail showing on the workfile by default?

[BigRoy]

Like: wouldn't it be appropriate to have the product thumbnail showing on the workfile by default?

No - as came up in the forum discussion this in particular is about what that particular workfile version looked like - not about its output contents. In particular see @LiborBatek 's comment here.