Quick start for CueNIMBY

Get started with CueNIMBY workstation control

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CueNIMBY is a cross-platform system tray application that provides user control over OpenCue’s NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) feature on workstations. It allows artists and users to monitor their machine’s rendering availability, toggle between available and disabled states, receive notifications when jobs start, and schedule automatic state changes.

Before you begin

You must have the following software installed on your machine:

• Python version 3.7 or greater
• The Python pip command
  • On some systems this command may be installed as pip3
• OpenCue client libraries (pycue)
• Access to a running Cuebot server

Platform-specific requirements

macOS:

• macOS 10.14 or later
• Optional but recommended: terminal-notifier for most reliable notifications (brew install terminal-notifier)
• Alternative: pync for enhanced notifications (pip install pync)
• Built-in fallback: osascript (no additional install required)

Windows:

• Windows 10 or later
• Optional: win10toast for toast notifications

Linux:

• A desktop environment with system tray support
• Notification daemon (usually pre-installed)
• Optional: notify2 for desktop notifications

Installing CueNIMBY

From source

1. Clone or download the OpenCue repository:

   git clone https://github.com/<username>/OpenCue.git
   cd OpenCue
   

2. Install CueNIMBY:

   cd cuenimby
   pip install .
   

Using the sandbox installer

If you’re using the OpenCue sandbox environment, CueNIMBY is automatically installed when you run:

./sandbox/install-client-sources.sh

Running CueNIMBY

1. Start CueNIMBY from the command line:

   cuenimby
   

   On first run, CueNIMBY creates a configuration file at ~/.opencue/cuenimby.json.

2. Look for the CueNIMBY icon in your system tray:
   • 🟢 Green: Available for rendering
   • 🔵 Blue: Currently rendering
   • 🔴 Red: Disabled (manually locked)
   • 🟠 Orange: NIMBY locked (due to user activity)
3. Right-click the tray icon to access the menu:
   • Toggle Available to enable/disable rendering
   • Toggle Notifications to control desktop alerts
   • Toggle Scheduler for time-based control

Connecting to Cuebot

By default, CueNIMBY connects to localhost:8443. To connect to a different Cuebot server:

Using command-line arguments

cuenimby --cuebot-host cuebot.example.com --cuebot-port 8443

Using environment variables

export CUEBOT_HOST=cuebot.example.com
export CUEBOT_PORT=8443
cuenimby

Using configuration file

Edit ~/.opencue/cuenimby.json:

{
  "cuebot_host": "cuebot.example.com",
  "cuebot_port": 8443
}

Testing the setup

1. With CueNIMBY running, verify your host appears in CueGUI:
   • Open CueGUI or CueCommander
   • Navigate to the Hosts view
   • Find your workstation by hostname
2. Test manual control:
   • Right-click the CueNIMBY tray icon
   • Uncheck Available to disable rendering
   • Check Available to re-enable rendering
   • Observe the icon color change and notification
3. Test job notifications:
   • Submit a test job to OpenCue
   • When a frame starts on your workstation, you should receive a notification

Troubleshooting

CueNIMBY won’t start

• Check that Python 3.7+ is installed: python --version or python3 --version
• Verify OpenCue client libraries are installed: pip list | grep pycue
• Check the logs for errors: Run with cuenimby --verbose

Can’t connect to Cuebot

• Verify Cuebot is running and accessible
• Check firewall rules allow gRPC traffic on the Cuebot port
• Test connectivity: telnet cuebot.example.com 8443

Tray icon doesn’t appear

• Linux: Ensure your desktop environment supports system tray icons
• Some environments require AppIndicator support
• Try restarting CueNIMBY after logging in

No notifications

• macOS: Grant notification permissions in System Preferences. For best results, install terminal-notifier: brew install terminal-notifier
• Windows: Check notification settings in Windows Settings
• Linux: Ensure notification daemon is running: ps aux | grep notification