An overview of what’s possible beyond the basics of Autodesk’s production tracking platform
For many studios, ShotGrid (now officially called Flow Production Tracking) starts off as a glorified spreadsheet — a flexible database where you can assign tasks, upload versions, leave notes, and run reviews. And that’s already a lot.
But what most teams don’t realize is just how much more ShotGrid can do.
This post is a high-level overview of the ShotGrid “stack” — the full set of tools, layers, and automations available when it’s configured fully. Whether you’re managing a small team using only the Web UI, or scaling up with DCC integrations and a custom backend, ShotGrid can be extended to fit your production — not the other way around.
One of the biggest challenges in pipeline development isn’t technical — it’s awareness. Teams don’t always know what’s possible with the tools they already have. So this article is here to demystify what’s built-in, what can be added, and how it all fits together.
1. ShotGrid Web UI – The Foundation
What It Is
The Web UI is the base layer of ShotGrid — and the starting point for most productions. While it looks and behaves a lot like a spreadsheet, it also includes built-in production tracking and review tools. For many teams, it becomes the central hub of project management. It’s flexible, visual, and permission-controlled — and you don’t need to install anything to use it.
What It Takes
No special setup required — this is all available out of the box with a new ShotGrid (Flow Production Tracking) instance.
Where It Shines
- Task & note tracking for departments and individual artists
- Scheduling tools, including Gantt-style views
- Review workflows, including internal and client review
- Visual dashboards with Insights for quick production health checks
- Permission controls that make it easy to define what each role can see or change
- Email notifications and an internal inbox for centralized updates
Used as-is, this can be a lightweight review and tracking pipeline for a small or mid-sized team.
2. ShotGrid Configs + ShotGrid Desktop – Extending the Core
What It Is
Once you set up a ShotGrid “config” using the Toolkit system, you unlock a much deeper layer of integration between ShotGrid and the artist environment. ShotGrid Desktop becomes your bridge between the database and the file system — giving you folder creation, file naming, DCC launchers, publish hooks, and custom desktop apps.
What It Takes
You’ll need to create and deploy a Toolkit config for your studio. This involves defining project templates, software hooks, and file/folder conventions. Autodesk provides boilerplate configs you can build from. A little Python knowledge helps — but it’s also very approachable for small studios.
Where It Shines
- Folder structure + file naming management
ShotGrid can auto-create your project folder tree, following studio standards. When artists publish files, filenames follow task- and asset-based conventions — reducing human error. - Built-in DCC integration
Artists can publish straight from Maya, Nuke, Houdini, Photoshop, etc. You can also run QC checks before allowing the publish — like validating scene naming or geometry fidelity. - Launchers for DCCs + RV
Artists can launch Maya, Nuke, RV, or SG Create directly from ShotGrid Desktop, with the right context and settings preloaded. - Custom Desktop Apps
Build your own tools — like a standalone publish tool for reference footage, an asset browser, or a delivery manager — and make them available right inside the SG Desktop launcher.
3. Event Daemon – Background Automation
What It Is
The Shotgun Event Daemon is a Python-based process that runs on a machine in your network, constantly listening to ShotGrid events. When something happens — like a new version is uploaded — it can automatically trigger actions. It’s your automation workhorse.
What It Takes
You’ll need to install and configure the Event Daemon on a server or always-on workstation, and write your own plugins using Python. It requires admin API access to ShotGrid and basic scripting knowledge.
Where It Shines
- Status progression
- When a version is created, mark it Ready for Review
- When notes are left, mark it Needs Changes
- When approved, set task to Complete
- When task is complete, unlock the next downstream task
- Slack or Teams notifications
When a new version is uploaded, automatically notify the artist or department lead in their channel. - User management
When a user is assigned to a task, the daemon can automatically add them to the project with the correct permissions.
These small automations keep the pipeline flowing, reduce human error, and eliminate the need for manual follow-ups.
4. Backend Web Server – Unlocking Advanced Functionality
What It Is
Running a backend web server opens up a powerful new layer of ShotGrid extensibility. It acts as your custom logic layer — a place where events from ShotGrid (via webhooks or AMIs) can trigger scripts, render jobs, file moves, metadata updates, or web dashboards.
This layer unlocks four powerful capabilities:
- Webhooks
- AMIs (Action Menu Items)
- Custom Web Reports
- Advanced Notification Systems
What It Takes
You’ll need a lightweight server running Flask, Node.js, or similar. This can live on your file server, a render manager, or a cloud instance. The server needs API access to ShotGrid and optionally access to your studio’s file system or render farm.
4.1 Webhooks – Event-Driven Power
What It Is
Webhooks listen for specific events in ShotGrid (like a new task, version, or status update) and trigger a callback to your web server. From there, you can run any logic — using the ShotGrid Python or REST API.
Where It Shines
- Entity linking
When an asset is added to a shot, it’s automatically linked to its sequence and episode. When removed, those links are cleaned up — keeping your hierarchy clean and consistent. - Background publishing
A new version submission can trigger a background job — like converting files, triggering a render on the farm, or generating proxy versions. - Metadata population
When a version is published, ShotGrid can automatically update fields like “Latest Version” or “Client-Ready” based on tags or task status. - Tool integration
Changes in ShotGrid can trigger updates in external tools like Jira, Notion, Perforce, or internal asset databases.
4.2 AMIs – Right-Click Power in the Web UI
What It Is
AMIs let you add custom right-click actions to any page in ShotGrid. These actions send selected data to your web server, which responds with logic or output.
Where It Shines
- Playlist creation
Right-click selected assets and launch a menu to create a playlist — choose which task step, latest or approved versions, or by artist. - Batch downloads
Select multiple versions, then right-click to download the files directly to your machine (or a shared location). - Tool launching
Right-click on a task to open a delivery tracker, render calculator, or custom internal tool.
4.3 Custom Web Reports – Interactive Dashboards
What It Is
Instead of static Insights reports, build your own dashboards with filters, graphs, and widgets that update in real time.
Where It Shines
- Dynamic dashboards
Build a single asset overview page with filters by artist, department, episode, or status. No need to clone dashboards for every variation. - Custom data viz
Use libraries like ECharts or D3 to show production trends, shot burn-downs, or artist load charts. - External linking
Embed links to other tools (like delivery portals, render queues, or review apps) directly inside the report.
4.4 Advanced Notifications – Smarter, Cleaner Alerts
What It Is
Control exactly who gets notified, when, and how. Your backend can send smart alerts that are relevant, well-timed, and easy to act on.
Where It Shines
- Custom email formatting
Send clean, readable HTML emails that group updates together with meaningful context. - Batching
Instead of bombarding artists with alerts, group notifications into digest summaries every hour, day, or week. - Targeted logic
Alert producers only if shots haven’t moved in 3 days. Alert artists when feedback is available, but only if they’re not on leave. You decide.
Wrap-Up: A Smarter Way to Work
ShotGrid isn’t just a database — it’s a powerful platform that can run the heart of your pipeline. When fully configured, it can automate repetitive work, enforce studio standards, reduce mistakes, and free up your team to focus on what matters most.
The trick is knowing what’s possible — and how to build it. Whether you’re a small studio just getting started or a growing team ready to level up, these tools can be tailored to your exact workflow.
If you’re heading into production — or wondering whether you’re getting the most from the tools you already have — I can help. I work with studios to audit existing setups, build clean configurations, train teams, and design custom tools that make ShotGrid work for you.
Thanks for reading — and stay tuned. I’ll be expanding this post with visuals, examples, and follow-up articles diving deeper into each layer of the ShotGrid stack.
