"SideFX Houdini-Style" copy/paste.
Copy/paste tools for Nuke that preserve and restore node input connections.
Copy/Paste with input tracking
First submitted: 15 March 2026
Author: Daniel Harkness
Website: https://www.danielharkness.com
Compatible Nuke versions: 9.0 or later
Compatibility: Source
Installation
Move the file ``copypaste_with_inpute_tracking.py`` to a python path in your pipeline (or .nuke etc)
Add to a ``menu.py`` that will be read during pipeline loading.
import copypaste_with_input_trackingThe Nukepedia version may not always be the most up-to-date version. Latest version can be found at:
https://gist.github.com/artandmath/22d9bf83128c7a73cca3136506c4d559
How it works
When copying with input restore, input connection metadata is written to a temporary ``.nk`` file alongside the standard node data. The system clipboard receives the normal (unmodified) node text with a single comment prepended:
# copy_with_input_restore: /path/to/temp.nk
Nuke treats lines beginning with ``#`` as comments and ignores them, so the clipboard is valid for ordinary paste on any installation.
When pasting with input restore, the first clipboard line is inspected. If the header is present the temp file is loaded into the clipboard, nodes are pasted, and original input connections are re-established from the embedded metadata.
The clipboard is then restored to its previous state (header + normal .nk text).
If no header is present the clipboard is pasted as-is with no extra processing.
Menu integration overrides ``Ctrl+X`` with the tracking cut, ``Ctrl+C`` with the tracking copy, and ``Ctrl+V`` with :func:`paste_without_input_restore` (strips knobs, no reconnection). Additional paste variants are grouped under
``Edit > Paste Special``:
- ``Paste and Restore Inputs`` (Alt+Shift+V) — paste and reconnect original inputs.
- ``Paste to Selected`` (Ctrl+Shift+V) — pastes the clipboard once per
originally-selected node, connecting the pasted nodes to each target in turn.
- ``Paste to Selected and Restore Inputs`` (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V) — same as above
but also restores original input connections after each individual paste.
This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain.
Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or
distribute this software, either in source code form or as a compiled
binary, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and by any
means.
In jurisdictions that recognize copyright laws, the author or authors
of this software dedicate any and all copyright interest in the
software to the public domain. We make this dedication for the benefit
of the public at large and to the detriment of our heirs and
successors. We intend this dedication to be an overt act of
relinquishment in perpetuity of all present and future rights to this
software under copyright law.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR
OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE,
ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
For more information, please refer to <https://unlicense.org/>
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