ftrack glossary

Explore definitions of terminology encountered across the ftrack product suite.

Daniel Fleming avatar
Written by Daniel Fleming
Updated over a week ago

Adobe Creative Cloud

A set of applications and services from Adobe that gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development and more. ftrack currently integrates with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe After Effects. Learn more about our integrations with Adobe Creative Cloud



API Application Programming Interface

A communication protocol that simplifies the customization of ftrack and the creation of custom tools. 

API key

A unique key that is used for authenticating requests made via the ftrack API. 

Accessor

An implementation (typically a Python plugin) for accessing a particular type of storage using a specific protocol. 

Action

A custom script executed from the ftrack web interface. Actions in ftrack provide a standardised way to integrate other tools, either off-the-shelf or custom-built, directly into your ftrack workflow. 

Administrator

The person or people that have full access to, and control over, the operations of the ftrack instance.

Actual

The actual time cost calculated upon completion of a project. See "Bid".

Asset

A container for asset versions, typically represents the output from an artist. For example, geometry from a modeling artist, or an animation cycle from an animator. Each has an asset type that categorises the asset. 

Asset build

A container to hold tasks that, together, define the work involved when creating something reusable such as a 3D model. An asset build is part of the visible project hierarchy and should not be confused with asset. 

Asset path prefix

A configurable prefix to use when constructing asset paths. 

Asset type

A category for a particular kind of asset. This can be defined in ftrack web interface under Settings ‣ Asset types. 

Asset version

See "Version". 

Attribute

A designation for a role, characteristic, or trait of a process, operation, or activity in ftrack. See "Custom attributes".

AWS

Amazon Web Services

AWS Thinkbox

Creator of Deadline, render management software designed for the creative industries, with which ftrack integrates. Learn more about our Deadline integration

Bid

The amount of hours a studio estimates as the time cost of completing work on a project. The bidding process sees studios enter competing bids to win work. See "Actual".

Boto

A Python interface with Amazon Web Services. Learn more about Boto

Cinema 4D

A 3D modeling, animation, motion graphics, and rendering application, with which ftrack integrates. Learn more about our integration with Cinema 4D


cineSync

Academy Award-winning synchronized remote review and approval system owned by ftrack, with which ftrack integrates. Learn more about our integration with cineSync


Client

  1. A piece of computer hardware or software that accesses a service made available by a server. The community-supported clients for ftrack's API are currently Python and Javascript. 

  2. Also, a project's Client user or reviewer adding "Client Feedback" to a Client Review.

Component

A container to hold any type of data (such as a file or file sequence). An asset version can have any number of components, each with a specific name. For example, a published version of geometry might have two components containing the high and low-resolution files, with the component names as ‘hires’ and ‘lowres’ respectively. 

Context menu

A sub-menu that is accessed using right-click or from an arrow icon within the ftrack web interface. 

Cospective

The operating name of ftrack's Australian team in Adelaide. ftrack acquired in November 2019. Cospective is the developer of the secure synchronised remote review and approval application cineSync. See "cineSync".

Custom attribute

An attribute with a user-defined designation. See "Attribute". Learn more about custom attributes

Dailies

The process of viewing raw, unedited footage shot, captured or created during the production of a project to assess the quality and necessary next steps. Named as such as the process usually occurs at the end of each day. Also known as "rushes".

Dashboard

A customizable canvas on which users can add widgets that visualize production data and help to gain analytical insight into project progress. 

Disk prefix

The operating system dependant prefix specified for a disk in the web interface. 

DST

Daylight saving time. 

Episode

Part of the ftrack project hierarchy, it refers to a large section of a project. It is especially useful in productions whose result is a collection of episodes, for example. Learn more about organizing a project in episodes

An ftrack project can consist of several episodes, which in turn can consist of several sequences, shots, and tasks. ftrack project hierarchies tend to follow this order – you can learn more about each definition in this glossary: Project > Episode > Sequence > Shot > Task



Event

  1. Defines a phase of work or notable period of time in Overview > Projects and Users (and Project Plan accessible from the Tasks spreadsheet). An event can hold information about who should perform that work and the exact type of work the phase involves. They can be used for broad-scope planning of projects. E.g. The "concept art" phase of the project lasts for 10 days, starting on July 5th, 2023 and ending on July 14th, 2023 and has 2 artists assigned as the resources for that work. (Sometimes referred to as a Calendar Event)

  2. Segments of code generated in ftrack when entities are changed or certain actions are performed. E.g. a task is updated or a new version published. Clients can listen to these events and perform an action as a result. See "Client 1".

Event plugin

Python event plugins are used by the API to extend ftrack with new functionality, e.g. event processing, locations or actions. Learn more about Event plugins 

Export

Users can export ftrack Data to Excel, CSV and PDF files. Learn more about Exporting 

Foundry

Creator of software for creative industries. ftrack currently integrates with Foundry's digital review tools Hiero and HieroPlayer, and its compositing packages Nuke and Nuke Studio. Learn more about our integrations with Foundry products

ftrack Enterprise

ftrack Enterprise gives users access to everything available in ftrack Studio, plus an additional set of features and services specially tailored to the organization purchasing the platform. It is the most fully-featured and in-depth version of the ftrack product.

ftrack Studio

The project management, production tracking and media review platform that teams in the creative industries use to collaborate, all available in one cloud-based or locally hosted platform. 

ftrack Review

ftrack's media review and collaboration tool, without the deeper project management and asset tracking functionality of ftrack Studio. 

ftrack Connect

An application that tightly integrates ftrack with third-party production tools out of the box. ftrack Connect also launches any Actions or Python scripts created using the ftrack API. Connect is provided by a core service that runs on each individual's machine and separate integration plugins into a variety of third-party software. Learn more about Connect

HTTP

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is an application protocol that serves as the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. 

Import

ftrack comes with a wizard that can help you import project data from an external source such as Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, a Google spreadsheet etc. The wizard consists of a few steps and can either create or update objects. Related: Export. Learn more about importing

Integration

Integrations are used to extend the functionality of an application and integrate it with another system. ftrack offers several integrations with third-party software, such as Nuke Studio and Adobe Photoshop. Users can also utilize ftrack's API to create their own integrations. Learn more about ftrack's third-party integrations

ISO 8601

An international standard for representation of date and time. For example: 2016-02-25T10:15:02 

Job

Jobs display feedback to users in the ftrack web interface when performing long-running tasks in the API, such as media encoding and exports. The jobs menu is opened from the top bar in ftrack. Learn more about jobs

json

JavaScript Object Notation – a lightweight data-interchange format used for ftrack's API. Learn more about json and ftrack

LDAP

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. A software protocol for enabling anyone to locate organizations, individuals, and other resources such as files and devices in a network. It is used in ftrack for managing user access, syncing users, and more. See "Adminstering ftrack"

List

As data grows it becomes important to group things together. ftrack uses the concept of lists to group items of the same type. There are currently two types of lists; lists that can contain versions and lists that can contain other objects such as tasks. A list has a type, an owner and can either be open or closed. While list categories are global, a list itself is specific to a project and cannot be shared between projects. Learn more about using lists

Locations

A way to easily collaborate, track, and manage data (files, image sequences etc.) across multi-site locations using ftrack. Learn more about Locations

MariaDB

An enhanced database used in ftrack development. Visit the MariaDB website

Markdown

A markup language with plain text formatting syntax. Learn more about markdown 

Message

ftrack is equipped with an internal messaging system that can be used to instantly send messages to other users. Learn more about messaging

Milestone

Represents an important date for your project in the Project Plan or Gantt schedule. This could mean final delivery or another landmark, crucial occasion or turning point that people should be aware of. 

More menu

The menu at the top of the ftrack sidebar. 

Notification bar

A bar at the top of the screen of the ftrack web interface that appears when necessary to display important information. 

Object

The main building blocks in a project. Used to build the project hierarchy.  Task and Milestone are built-in objects that cannot be changed or removed. All other objects can be modified, or new objects created, to match the projects your company is working on. See also: "Types"

On-Premise

A version of ftrack that is not located on and accessed via the cloud, but is instead installed at the physical location of its use.

Overview

The studio overview page in ftrack Studio presents a bird’s-eye view of progress across different projects and departments. Learn more about ftrack Studio's overview page


Perforce Software

Developer of software used for application development, including version control software, web-based repository management, developer collaboration, application lifecycle management and Agile planning software. ftrack currently integrated with its version control system Perforce Helix Core. Learn more about our integration with Perforce HelixCore

Pipeline

The post-production assembly line. The VFX pipeline refers to the various stages of production required to add visual effects to a film. The pipeline helps to organize each department, so that every artist knows their role, and a production can move along within the allocated timeline. 

POST

One of the request methods supported by the HTTP protocol. Typically used by ftrack to send data to a server. 

Project

An entire creative undertaking that ftrack can be used to track, manage, review and deliver.

An ftrack project consists of portions of completable work or deliverables, which in turn can consist of several sequences, shots, and tasks OR concepts, designs, and tasks - the trackable work can be customized to your workflow. An example of an ftrack project hierarchy is: Project > Episode > Sequence > Shot > Tasks but is not limited to this workflow.

Project folder

A folder, specific to a project, that will be used when constructing resource paths. This can be set via the web interface. Learn more about organizing projects 

Project hierarchy/structure

The full structure of a project with all of its tasks and objects, laid out in order of containable hierarchy. E.g. the Episode has 100 shots within and each shot has 8 tasks and each task has its assets or asset versions so it would look like Project > Episode > Shot > Tasks > Versions. 

Project outliner

The tree navigation to the left in the Projects section. 

Publish

The process of uploading an asset version into ftrack so it can be tracked and managed from within it. Versions (also called asset version) are the main UI representation when publishing files to ftrack. See "Version". Learn more about publishing

Python

A programming language employed by ftrack that empowers users to work more quickly and integrate their systems more effectively. Often used in the creative industries. Visit the Python website

Resource identifier

A string stored in ftrack as a reference to a resource (such as a file) in a specific location. Resource identifiers are used by accessors (a method that fetches private data that is stored within an object) to determine how to access data. 

Resource path

A folder path that leads to specific folders within a project. 

REST

Representational State Transfer. A programming architectural implementation commonly used by APIs on the web and employed by ftrack. Systems which implement REST are called ‘RESTful’ systems.

Room

Video calls and screen sharing within your browser. Visit Room's website

RV

A digital review tool, with which ftrack integrates. Learn more about our integration with RV

SAML

Security Assertion Markup Language. An open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, in particular, between an identity provider and a service provider. It is used in ftrack's SSO service (see SSO).

Scheduling

The process of allocating, managing, and leveling staff resources against time using ftrack's project management, calendar, and Gantt chart tools. 

Schema

Schemas allow users to define and establish their own structures for managing projects. Learn more about schemas

Scope

Global filters in ftrack. They allow users to quickly switch focus, narrow, or expand their view with a few clicks. For example, Scopes can be used if you have work divided over several teams around the world and want a quick way to view the work performed by a specific team. 

Sequence

Part of the ftrack project hierachy. Refers to a series of shots that, placed together, form a flowing section of creative content in a project. 

An ftrack project can consist of several episodes, which in turn can consist of several sequences, shots, and tasks. ftrack project hierarchies tend to follow this order – you can learn more about each definition in this glossary: Project > Episode > Sequence > Shot > Task

Server location

The ftrack server location, ftrack.server, is the location where all files that are Uploaded or Published to the ftrack instance are kept. A Component in this location is not directly accessible with a file system path but can be downloaded from the ftrack Web interface or transferred to other locations. 

Shot

Part of the ftrack project hierachy. Refers to a single section of creative content without edits.

An ftrack project can consist of several episodes, which in turn can consist of several sequences, shots, and tasks. ftrack project hierarchies tend to follow this order – you can learn more about each definition in this glossary: Project > Episode > Sequence > Shot > Task

Sidebar

The panel that slides in from the right side when you click on a blue link in ftrack. It contains more specific information about that object and its related historical activity. 

socket.io
An API / “protocol” for real time communication over WebSocket. 

SSO

Single sign-on (SSO). Enables users to sign in to ftrack by authenticating via one of the many identity providers that support authentication using SAML. With SSO, users don’t need to remember usernames and passwords and can sign in to all supported cloud applications after signing-in one time for all services. SSO is useful for Administrators as all services and accounts can be managed in one central location. Learn more about SSO


Storage scenario

Defines where files should be stored when using ftrack integrated applications like ftrack Connect and other integrations. This typically relates to the publishing and importing of a component attached to an asset version. 

Storage scenario (centralized)

This is the default storage scenario that is available in ftrack. The centralised storage scenario describes how files are stored on your central storage, where it is mounted on different platforms (Linux, Windows or OS X) and how paths are generated. 

Tasks

Activities that define work required on a specific aspect of a project. Tasks are assigned to creative teams so they know the work that they need to complete. 

ftrack project hierarchies tend to follow this order – you can learn more about each definition in this glossary: Project > Episode > Sequence > Shot > Task

Task board

A Kanban/scrum board that visualises current workload and tasks. Tasks are represented in columns and can be drag-and-dropped from one to the next. Traditionally, this approach was created in real-world environments using post-it notes on physical walls. ftrack replicates this approach in a digital environment. Learn more about using task boards

Tasks spreadsheet

The main project view that displays the full hierarchy of a project with objects and their tasks. 

Types

Used to specify the category/classification of object or task it refers to and/or the manner of work that should be completed (e.g. "character" or "prop" for Asset Build object type and "animation" or "lighting" for Task type). See Object for more information on types of Object. Learn more about managing types

Unity

A cross-platform game engine, with which ftrack integrates. Learn more about our integration with Unity

Unreal Engine

A suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, animations, and visualizations, with which ftrack integrates. Learn more about our integration with Unreal Engine

UUID

Universally Unique Identifier. A unique value (typically in human readable form) that is often used for primary keys in entities. Learn more about working with entities

Version

A specific adaptation of data for an asset. An asset version can contain multiple components. Users can update assets with new versions, which is called "versioning". 

Web Interface

The main ftrack interface accessed and utilized by users of ftrack. 

WebSocket

A protocol for bidirectional communication over a single connection. This is used in ftrack for the event system. See "Events". Learn more about WebSockets

Workday length

The amount of hours in a full work day at your studio. This value can be set in System settings ‣ Scheduling ‣ Settings. 

Workflow

The flow of work through a project pipeline, unique to each studio setup. See: Pipeline

Workflows

A method for ftrack users to customize project structures/hierarchies to mirror the terminology of their domain without having to rewrite code. Learn more about Workflows

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