NexusLauncher

English | 简体中文

A powerful and intuitive desktop application designed to streamline artist workflows by managing projects, organizing task folders, and launching creative applications efficiently.

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✨ Features

🎨 Project Management

• Multi-Project Support: Seamlessly switch between multiple projects
• Project Customization: Personalize each project with custom icons and colors
• Auto-Save Configuration: All settings are automatically preserved

📁 Task Management

• 7 Preset Templates: Character, Weapon, Prop, Environment, Animation, Rigging, and Other
• Visual Node Editor: Create and customize folder structures visually
• One-Click Creation: Generate standardized folder hierarchies instantly

🚀 Application Launcher

• Quick Launch: Fast access to your favorite creative applications
• Icon Scaling: Adjust icon sizes with Ctrl + Mouse Wheel
• Drag & Drop: Reorder applications easily

🔧 Plugin System

• Maya Integration: Custom plugin support for Maya 2023+
• Substance Painter: Built-in launcher integration
• Extensible: Easy-to-add custom plugins

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📋 Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Usage Guide
  • Project Management
  • Task Management
  • Application Management
• Project Structure
• Configuration
• Documentation
• System Requirements
• Building from Source
• Acknowledgments

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🚀 Installation

Option 1: Standalone Executable

1. Download NexusLauncher.exe from the releases page
2. Extract to your preferred directory
3. Run NexusLauncher.exe

Option 2: Run from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://gitlabtools.virtuosgames.com/sha_ta/tools/NexusLauncher
   cd NexusLauncher
   

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Run the application:

   python main.py
   

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⚡ Quick Start

1️⃣ Add Your Applications

Main Window → ⚙ Settings → + Add Application

Fill in the details:

• Name: Maya 2025
• Path: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2025\bin\maya.exe
• Version: 2025.1

2️⃣ Create a Project

Settings Window → New Project → Enter Project Name

Suggested naming:

• Character_HeroName
• Environment_ForestScene
• Weapon_SwordAsset

3️⃣ Create Task Folders

Task Tab → Select Task Type → Set Workspace → Create Task Folder

4️⃣ Launch Applications

Project Tab → Click Application Icon

💡 Tip: Use Ctrl + Mouse Wheel to adjust icon sizes

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📖 Usage Guide

Project Management

Creating Projects

• Navigate to Settings (⚙ icon)
• Click "New Project"
• Enter a descriptive project name
• Customize with icons and colors

Switching Projects

• Use the dropdown menu at the top
• Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Tab
• All settings are automatically saved

Project Operations

Operation	Description
New	Create a new project
Duplicate	Copy existing project
Rename	Modify project name
Delete	Remove project
Icon	Set custom icon
Color	Choose theme color

Task Management

Available Templates

Template	Use Case
Character	Character creation
Weapon	Weapon modeling
Prop	Prop assets
Environment	Environment art
Animation	Animation work
Rigging	Character rigging
Other	Custom tasks

Character Template Structure

TaskFolder_Character_001/
├── Reference/      # Reference materials
├── MP/            # Mid-poly modeling
├── HP/            # High-poly sculpting
├── LP/            # Low-poly modeling
├── Baking/        # Baking workflow
├── Texture/       # Texturing
├── FBX/          # Final exports
└── Screenshot/   # Presentation images

SubFolder Editor (Node Editor)

Operation	Shortcut	Function
Move Node	Drag	Reposition
Rename	F2	Rename node
Delete	Delete	Remove node
Duplicate	Ctrl + D	Copy node
Add Child	Right-click menu	Add subfolder
Zoom	Ctrl + Mouse Wheel	Scale view
Pan	Middle Mouse Drag	Move view
Center	Home	Center view
Save	Ctrl + S	Save structure

Application Management

Adding Applications

⚙ Settings → + Add Application → Fill Details → Save

Required Information:

• Name: Application display name
• Path: Full path to executable
• Version: Version number (optional)

Common Application Paths

Software	Default Path
Maya 2025	C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2025\bin\maya.exe
Blender	C:\Program Files\Blender Foundation\Blender 4.2\blender.exe
ZBrush	C:\Program Files\Maxon\ZBrush 2025\ZBrush.exe
Substance Painter	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Painter\...
Photoshop	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2025\Photoshop.exe
Unreal Engine	C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.4\Engine\Binaries\Win64\UnrealEditor.exe

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📂 Project Structure

NexusLauncher/
├── main.py                    # Main application entry
├── requirements.txt           # Python dependencies
├── build.bat                 # Build script
├── Run.bat                   # Run script
├── config/                   # Configuration module
│   ├── config_manager.py    # Config management
│   ├── constants.py         # App constants
│   └── icon_config.py       # Icon configurations
├── ui/                       # User interface
│   ├── project/             # Project panel
│   ├── task/                # Task panel
│   └── utilities/           # UI utilities
├── plugins/                  # Plugin system
│   ├── maya.py              # Maya integration
│   └── substancepainter/    # Substance Painter plugin
├── icons/                    # Application icons
└── docs/                     # Documentation
    ├── ARTIST_GUIDE.md      # User guide (Chinese)
    └── CUSTOM_PLUGIN_GUIDE.md # Plugin development guide

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⚙️ Configuration

The application stores all settings in config.json in the application directory.

Configuration Structure

{
  "projects": [
    {
      "name": "Project_01",
      "icon": "path/to/icon.png",
      "color": "#FF5733"
    }
  ],
  "applications": [
    {
      "name": "Maya 2025",
      "path": "C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2025/bin/maya.exe",
      "version": "2025.1"
    }
  ]
}

Backup Configuration

Simply backup the config.json file to preserve all your settings.

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📚 Documentation

• Artist Guide - Comprehensive user guide (Chinese)
• Custom Plugin Guide - Plugin development guide for Maya (Chinese)

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💻 System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 or higher
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 100MB free space
• Python: 3.8+ (if running from source)

Recommended Configuration

• OS: Windows 11
• RAM: 8GB or more
• Display: 1920x1080 resolution
• Python: 3.10+

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🛠️ Building from Source

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• All dependencies from requirements.txt

Build Steps

1. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

2. Run build script:

   build.bat
   

3. Find the executable in the dist/ directory

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with CustomTkinter
• Icons from various open-source projects
• Special thanks to all contributors

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NexusLauncher - Making project management simpler for artists 🚀

Version 1.2.0 | Updated: November 2025