Introduction

The AYON Launcher allows users to log in, launch applications, and access a variety of AYON tools. It also manages updates to ensure everything runs smoothly. For more details, please refer to Getting Started with AYON Pipeline.

Once you launch the AYON Launcher, the AYON icon should appear in your system tray.

Tray Menu

When you click the AYON icon in your tray, the AYON Tray Menu appears. It provides a set of tools:

• Launcher

• Publisher

• Browser

• Admin (Utilities)

• Login

• Launcher Info The button with the launcher version number.

• Exit

Launcher

The AYON Launcher is designed to display actions for selected entities, such as application actions.

Application actions allow you to launch Digital Content Creation (DCC) applications within a specified AYON context: project, folder path, and task.

Application actions automatically configure the studio environment based on your administrator's settings in Applications and Tools, which significantly reduces the need for manual adjustments of local user preferences.

By default, the last workfile is opened when starting an application. However, administrators can modify this behavior through the workfile settings in Core Addon Settings. Additionally, users have the option to right-click the application and choose to skip opening the last workfile or select a specific workfile to open from the workfiles list in the Launcher UI.

Launcher UI

The Launcher works in two steps: first select a project, then select the context you want to work in.

Step 1: Select a project

When you open the Launcher, it shows the projects you have access to. Select a project to open it.

Step 2: Select a context

After selecting a project, choose the folder and task you want to work on. The actions at the bottom then apply to that context.

1. Back: Return to the project list.

2. Project: Switch to another project.

3. Refresh: Reload the view.

4. Folder filter: Type to filter folders by name.

5. My tasks: Show only the tasks assigned to you. This button has a person icon.

6. Folders: Select a folder. Each folder shows its status icon and thumbnail.

7. Tasks: Select a task. Each task shows its status icon. Hover over a status icon to see the status name, such as "In progress."

8. Workfiles: Select a workfile to open. The list shows when each workfile was modified and its file size, which makes an empty or unusually small file easy to spot.

9. Actions: Launch applications and run tools for the selected context. See Action Pane.

Action Pane

Available actions follow your studio's configuration for application and tool settings specified in Applications and Tools.

• Left-click an action to trigger it and open a list of available application variants. By default, it opens the last available workfile; otherwise, it starts a new scene.

• Right-click an action to change its configuration, which is useful for specifying how to launch applications. For example, enable skip last workfile to always start a new scene.

  

Common Actions

Action Icon	Action Name	Action Description
	Launch Applications	Denoted by the DCC app icon.
	Explore Here	Opens the location for the selected folder or task in the file explorer.
	Show in AYON	Opens the location for the selected folder or task on the AYON server.
	Terminal	Allows you to open the terminal initialized with the selected application's environment. Useful for admins and TDs.

Publisher

This is only available if your admin added the tray publisher addon to the pipeline bundle.

When clicked, it launches the standalone publisher. For more info, see Working with AYON Tray Publisher. It's the same as our Creator / Publisher tool but standalone.

Browser

The Browser lets you explore published work outside of a DCC. It's the same tool as the Loader, but standalone, so you can browse and check published products without opening an application.

The Browser has three main areas:

• Slicer (left): Choose how to find versions: by Hierarchy, Reviews, or Lists. Selecting a folder in the hierarchy also lists its tasks below.

• Products area (center): Shows versions in a table or cards layout. Use filters, Group By, Customize, and Views to find and organize published work. Right-click a version to see its available actions.

• Details panel (right): Shows the selected version's thumbnail, information, and representations. Select several versions to compare their thumbnails in one preview.

The Browser's filters, Group By, Customize, and Views work the same way as on the Products and Versions Page in the AYON web app.

Admin (Utilities)​

Useful AYON utilities for Admins and TDs.

• Console

• Publish Report Viewer

Console

It's like any other script editor in DCCs where you can interact directly with AYON.

1. Script Output Pane

2. Script Input Pane

3. Add Tab...

4. Execute

Publish Report Viewer

This tool is used to examine exported publish reports.

1. Publish Reports Pane: Drag and drop publish reports to add them. Click the trash icon to remove them.

2. Report Viewer: Displays what the publisher looked like when the report was exported.

Login

Log in to AYON using the credentials provided by your studio. You can log in directly using the input fields on the login window or click Login with AYON Server to log in using the browser.

Login window.

Once logged in, the login window will show the current user.

Launcher Info​

This button is labeled with the AYON launcher version. When clicked, it shows additional information about your installed AYON launcher, local site ID, and environment variables.

• * Local Site ID: A unique ID assigned to your machine when installing AYON Launcher. For further details, check Site ID.

Exit

Exit and close the AYON Launcher desktop app.