OpenCue

An open source render management system

Scale your rendering pipeline with job scheduling, resource optimization, and integration across your production workflow

Why Choose OpenCue

Production-proven render management at any scale

High-scale rendering
OpenCue provides features to manage rendering jobs at high-scale
Built for visual effects and animation
Sony Pictures Imageworks in-house render manager used on hundreds of films
Render at scale
Highly-scalable architecture supporting numerous concurrent machines
Flexible deployment
Support for multi facility, on-premise, cloud, and hybrid deployments

OpenCue Walkthrough Tutorial

Learn how to use OpenCue with this quick guide

Submitting Jobs

Launch the submission form, configure job details, and set job types and services for your render.

Setting up Dependencies

Configure relationships between render jobs to control execution order and manage complex workflows.

Job Hierarchy

Learn how OpenCue organizes work into Jobs, Layers, and Frames for efficient render management.

Monitoring with CueGUI or CueWeb

Navigate Shows, Allocations, Subscriptions, Monitor Host, Services, and Log views.

Powerful Render Management

Built for the demands of modern visual effects and animation production

Intelligent Scheduling

Advanced algorithms distribute render jobs across compute resources for optimal performance and resource utilization.

Scalable Architecture

From small studios to major facilities - handles thousands of concurrent jobs with enterprise-grade reliability.

Cross-Platform

Native support for Linux, macOS, and Windows environments with consistent performance across platforms.

Python Integration

Comprehensive Python API enables custom integrations, automation scripts, and seamless pipeline workflows.

Real-time Monitoring

Web-based and desktop GUI interfaces provide live job tracking, resource monitoring, and detailed performance analytics.

DCC Integrations

Ready-made plugins for Maya, Nuke, Blender and other industry-standard digital content creation tools.

OpenCue History

Decades of production-proven render management evolution

Origins

Early Foundations

Early internal tools and scripts supported the first large-scale rendering workflows at Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI).

1992-2006

Cue1 and Cue2

The earliest generations of Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI)'s internal queueing and render management systems.

2007-2018

Cue3

A major internal rewrite of Cue1 and Cue2 at Sony Pictures Imageworks that powered high-throughput, feature-film rendering at SPI for over a decade.

2019-2021

OpenCue Launch

The Sony Pictures Imageworks's Cue3 core code was open-sourced in collaboration with Google, becoming OpenCue.

2021

ASWF Adoption

OpenCue became an official Academy Software Foundation project.

2023

Academy Award

Matt Chambers received a Scientific and Technical Academy Award for pioneering Sony Pictures Imageworks' original Cue3 system, later adapted as the Plow system at another company. Cue3 was further enhanced and evolved into what is now known as OpenCue.

2024-2025

Full Alignment

OpenCue's codebase is fully migrated and synchronized with SPI's internal code, ensuring the open-source project reflects current production realities.

Documentation Hub

Everything you need to deploy, manage, and extend OpenCue

Quick Starts

Get OpenCue running in minutes with our sandbox guides for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Core Concepts

Understand OpenCue's architecture, components, and fundamental principles.

Installation Guide

Production deployment instructions for system administrators and DevOps teams.

User Guides

Day-to-day workflows for artists, supervisors, and production staff.

Other Guides

Additional resources and specialized guides for specific use cases and integrations.

Reference

Reference guides for all users running OpenCue tools and interfaces.

Tutorials

Step-by-step walkthroughs for common tasks and advanced workflows.

Developer Guide

Technical documentation for developers contributing to OpenCue and building custom integrations.

Join the OpenCue Community

Be part of the future of render management

Academy Software Foundation

Official ASWF project advancing open source entertainment technology.

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Open Source Collaboration

Contribute code, fixes, and knowledge to shape VFX industry tools.

Industry Standard

Used by developers, artists, and studios worldwide.

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Active Development

Regular releases with community-driven roadmap and features.