ColorWays Script

ColorWays Demonstration

To support 3D asset integration within Microsoft Office products such as Word and PowerPoint, our team was tasked with delivering a library of simple primitives and alphanumeric models in multiple color variations. What began as a request for flat gray assets quickly expanded into the need for scalable color options. To eliminate manual duplication and prevent bottlenecks, I developed the Colorways Creator, a Python-based tool that allowed team members to convert a single asset or entire directory of models into any selected color with minimal effort. By automating texture adjustments and repackaging assets efficiently, the tool significantly reduced turnaround time and enabled rapid, self-service generation of consistent, color-accurate 3D content.

  • Written in Python
    Built using Python to ensure flexibility, maintainability, and seamless integration with existing pipeline tools.
  • Tkinter GUI
    Designed with a lightweight Tkinter interface to provide an accessible, user-friendly experience for non-technical team members.
  • Integrated Color Picker
    Included a built-in color picker that allowed users to select precise color values quickly and intuitively.
  • Progress Bar & Status Log
    Implemented real-time progress tracking and detailed logging to provide transparency and confidence during batch processing.

To the right is a video that shows a demonstration of the Colorways Creator being used. In the Details of Colorways Creator section below, you will find some additional information about this specific script.

ColorWays Script
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Details of Colorways Creator


RGB color picker within Colorways Creator

Intuitive Color Selection

Color variation requests expanded quickly beyond the original gray asset requirement. Rather than relying on manual texture editing, the Colorways Creator provided a clean, lightweight interface that allowed any team member to define a new target color and apply it instantly.

The integrated color picker removed technical friction from the process. Users didn’t need to understand texture pipelines, file structures, or material assignments — they simply chose a color and executed the conversion. This shifted color generation from a specialized task into a self-service workflow.

  • Integrated RGB color picker
  • One-click execution
  • Works on single files or full directories


TRANSPARENT BATCH PROCESSING

Automation only works if people trust it.

Because the tool was often used to process entire directories of assets, visibility into what was happening under the hood was essential. A real-time progress bar and scrolling status log provided continuous feedback, showing exactly which files were being opened, processed, and repackaged.

This transparency reduced uncertainty, improved reliability, and made large-scale color generation safe and repeatable for the entire team.

Progress and output of the Colorways Creator


Automatic FBX color shift

AUTOMATED FBX PIPELINE

Under the hood, the Colorways Creator leveraged the Autodesk FBX SDK to operate directly on 3D assets at the file level. Instead of duplicating geometry or manually editing materials, the tool programmatically opened each FBX file, accessed its material data, and modified the diffuse texture to reflect the selected color.

Core technical steps included:

  • Opening and parsing FBX scene data programmatically
  • Extracting and modifying diffuse texture maps
  • Applying hue and saturation adjustments
  • Repackaging the model with updated material assignments
  • Saving consistent, properly named output files

By performing transformations directly within the FBX structure, the tool preserved asset integrity while enabling scalable color generation. This approach ensured consistency across the content library, reduced human error, and allowed rapid delivery of color-accurate assets without duplicating geometry or fragmenting the pipeline.