AOVGuard

Summary

AOVGuard 2.0 is a modular EXR and AOV validation tool developed for VFX lighting, rendering, compositing and pipeline workflows. It was created to help artists and technical directors identify structural and numerical problems in rendered EXR files before they move further through production.

The application automatically inspects the internal structure of an EXR instead of requiring the user to choose manually between simple and multilayer processing modes. It discovers named channels and AOVs, classifies them as colour, scalar, vector, depth, mask or unknown data, and applies appropriate validation rules according to their category.

AOVGuard can analyse individual EXR files, folders and numbered render sequences. Its validation system detects missing channels and AOVs, empty or nearly empty passes, NaN and infinite values, inconsistent resolutions and changes in AOV structure between frames. Colour AOVs receive configurable brightness analysis using Rec.709, Rec.601 or custom RGB weights, while technical passes such as normals, position and depth are diagnosed independently.

The project provides both a command-line interface and a PySide6 graphical interface using the same shared analysis backend. Results can be exported as structured JSON reports or readable HTML reports and compared against previous baseline reports.

Testing with a real Maya and Arnold sequence processed 61 of 61 EXR frames successfully, with no failed reads, missing frames or duplicate frames. The sequence contained 51 channels and 18 inferred AOV descriptors. The project also includes automated tests, branch-aware coverage measurement and a controlled benchmark of its frame-first processing architecture.

Thesis: AOVGuard: A Modular EXR and AOV Validation Framework

Contact

Joshua Alexander Medina Gracia
+44 7788997262
joshalexmedina@hotmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-alexander-medina-gracia-3561981a3/