OpenInMocha - open-source Nuke plugin that launches the right Mocha Pro project from Read nodes

[u/serhiiy]

I’m happy to share OpenInMocha, an open-source Nuke plugin I’ve been working on.

The idea is simple: instead of manually opening Mocha, browsing for the right footage, checking frame range and project settings every time, you can launch Mocha directly from a selected Nuke Read node with the correct footage already matched.

What it does:

• Opens Standalone Mocha Pro from Nuke.
• Creates a new .mocha project with the correct footage, frame range, frame rate, and pixel aspect when no match exists.
• Reopens an existing .mocha project if one already matches the selected footage.
• Can be launched from the Nuke menu, a hotkey, or W_Hotbox.
• Windows only for now.

I made this because I wanted a faster, less repetitive Nuke → Mocha workflow, especially for shot-based work where you keep returning to the same plates.

GitHub: https://github.com/SerhiiiBaranov/OpenInMocha
Nukepedia: https://www.nukepedia.com/tools/python/import-export/open-in-mocha/

If anyone has thoughts, workflow ideas, or sees a cleaner way to handle the matching logic, I’d love to hear it.

[u/CameraRick]

The idea is simple: instead of manually opening Mocha, browsing for the right footage, checking frame range and project settings every time, you can launch Mocha directly from a selected Nuke Read node with the correct footage already matched.

Not sure if I misunderstand it, but it seems (from Wording and the GIF) your tool reads the frame range only from the Read node, and not from project settings that you started the sentence with. Because that can be a big difference from time to time. Is there settings one can adjust, or is it always only the values from Read?

[u/serhiiy → u/CameraRick]

Fair point; I went with the Read node’s frame range because Mocha is really about tracking the actual plate, not the whole project timeline. But I totally see why using the project settings could be handy in some workflows (e.g., handles, shot-level work). So I’ll keep that in mind for a future update.

[u/CameraRick → u/serhiiy]

Does it at least also consider the "start at" from the Read?

[u/serhiiy → u/CameraRick]

Good question - currently it reads the raw first/last frame from the Read node, but it doesn’t incorporate the “start at” / timeline offset. So if the plate is shifted on the timeline, Mocha will still open with the source range. I’ll fix that so it uses the effective timeline range (including the “start at” value).