ImageRef by AnimStarter

If you have ever tried to bring a reference video into Maya, you know how much of a faff it is. Create a plane, find the file, connect the node, tick “use image sequence”, set the frame offset, line it up to your camera. By the time you are done you have already lost your animation flow. AS_ImageRef by AnimStarter is the tool that takes that whole headache and reduces it to one click. Select your video file, and that is it. The script handles the rest. It auto detects image sequences and syncs them to your timeline, so the reference plays back in sync with your work. It constrains the reference straight to your camera, so it stays exactly where you need it instead of sliding around the scene. And if your reference does not start on frame one, you can adjust the start frame directly from the UI without going anywhere near the attribute editor. What I really appreciate about this one is that it comes from someone who genuinely needs it. AnimStarter built AS_ImageRef because they wanted a robust solution for their own daily work on feature films. So every detail in here exists because it solves a real problem they were running into themselves, not because it sounded like a good feature on paper. Whether you are studying mechanics, blocking out an acting beat from a video reference, or just trying to keep your stuff lined up with a master plate, this tool gives you back the time you would normally lose to setup. And honestly, anything that lets you spend more time animating and less time clicking through menus is worth having on your shelf. Installation is the same drag and drop setup as the rest of the AnimStarter range. Drop INSTALL_AS_ImageRef.mel into Maya, restart, and your new tool lives inside the AnimStarter shelf ready to go. Plugin by AnimStarter.