David Shepstone
Article

Announcing Animation Tool Kit

Animation Tool Kit is now live: a production-focused set of tools built to help animators move faster, stay organized, and spend more time animating.

Animation Tool Kit Maya Python release animation
Announcing Animation Tool Kit

Today I’m excited to officially release Animation Tool Kit.

Animation Tool Kit is a production-focused software package designed to remove repetitive setup work so animators can focus on performance, timing, and polish.

Why I Built It

In every studio pipeline, small repeated tasks add up:

  • scene prep and cleanup
  • repetitive export and publish steps
  • tool-hunting across multiple menus
  • one-off fixes that break creative flow

Animation Tool Kit brings these common actions into one consistent workflow so they’re faster, clearer, and easier to repeat.

What’s Included in the First Release

The first public release includes a curated set of practical tools for day-to-day animation work:

  • Workflow utilities for common scene and rig tasks
  • Batch helpers to reduce repetitive click-heavy steps
  • Quality-of-life shortcuts for cleaner, quicker iteration
  • Toolbar integration for fast access inside Maya

Built for Real Production Use

This toolkit was developed from real animation production experience, tested against common bottlenecks, and designed to stay lightweight and dependable.

My goal is simple: reduce friction between idea and execution.

Get It and Follow Updates

You can find Animation Tool Kit on the Software page along with release notes and download details.

I’ll continue shipping updates, fixes, and new modules based on production feedback. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it fits into your workflow.