Asset Templates

Asset Templates are pre-configured starter files. Instead of opening Blender, configuring the scene, setting render settings, and saving - every time, for every artist - you do that work once, register the file as a template, and from then on Clustta creates new assets from it with a single click.

Why templates?

Without templates, every new asset starts from a software default. That means:

• Inconsistent scene settings across the team
• Repeated setup work for every new file
• New artists have to learn the studio's conventions through trial and error
• "I forgot to set the render resolution again" - every week

Templates eliminate all of this. The template is the studio's convention, encoded into a file.

What you can template

Anything Clustta can store as an asset:

• .blend with custom scene units, render engine, output settings, included rigs
• .psd / .psb with brand colors, layer groups, guides, swatch palette
• .ai with brand templates, page sizes, color profiles
• .ma / .mb with project rig, namespaces, render layers
• .kra, .spp, .ztl, .c4d, .aep, plus any other format

Templates aren't limited to DCC files. You can template .txt checklists, .json config scaffolds, anything.

Creating a template

1. Open the source app (Blender, Photoshop, etc.).
2. Set up the file exactly as you want a new asset to start. Save it anywhere on disk.
3. In Clustta, open Project Settings → Templates → Add Template.
4. Give it a clear name (e.g. Blender Animation Scene, Brand PSD Layout).
5. Pick the file you saved.
6. Click Create.

TIP

Once registered, you can delete the original file. Clustta has copied the contents into the project's template library.

Using a template

From the browser:

1. Click New Asset on the action bar.
2. Pick the template you want.
3. Enter a name, optionally set type and tags.
4. Click Create.

Clustta materializes the template's contents as a new working file. Double-click to open it in your DCC tool.

Templates + Workflows

Templates pair naturally with Workflows. When defining a workflow's asset slot, you can specify which template to use when scaffolding. Now scaffolding a new shot doesn't just create the structure - it also creates real working files based on your studio's templates, ready to open and start working.

This is the closest thing Clustta offers to "automated pipeline setup."

Updating a template

Templates can be updated any time. Existing assets created from the template are not affected - they keep their own independent history. Only future asset creations use the new template content.

Deleting templates

Templates go to trash like any other asset and are recoverable until purged.