Task Types - Zou (Kitsu API)

Introduction

Task types categorize production work into specific domains like modeling, animation, compositing, etc. Each task type belongs to a department and defines the kind of work to be done. Task types control which entities they apply to (assets, shots, etc.) and manage priority ordering in production views.

Task Type Structure

Model Fields

{
  "id": "a24a6ea4-ce75-4665-a070-57453082c25",
  "name": "Animation",
  "short_name": "anim",
  "description": "Character and object animation",
  "color": "#FF5733",
  "priority": 3,
  "for_entity": "Shot",
  "allow_timelog": true,
  "archived": false,
  "department_id": "b24a6ea4-ce75-4665-a070-57453082c25",
  "shotgun_id": null,
  "created_at": "2024-01-10T09:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-10T09:00:00Z"
}

Field Descriptions

name: Display name (e.g., “Modeling”, “Animation”, “Compositing”)
short_name: Abbreviated code for UI (e.g., “mdl”, “anim”, “comp”)
description: Detailed explanation of the task type’s purpose
color: Hex color for visual identification in UI (#RRGGBB format)
priority: Display order (1 = highest priority, shown first)
for_entity: Entity type this task applies to (“Asset”, “Shot”, “Edit”, “Sequence”, “Episode”, “Concept”)
allow_timelog: Whether time tracking is enabled for this task type
archived: Hidden from active use when true
department_id: Department that owns this task type

Common Task Types

Asset Task Types

Typical asset production tasks:

Modeling: 3D model creation
Texturing: Surface materials and textures
Rigging: Character/prop setup for animation
Grooming: Hair, fur, and vegetation
Shading: Material setup and look development
Concept: Initial design and ideation

Shot Task Types

Typical shot production tasks:

Layout: Camera and blocking
Animation: Character performance
FX: Visual effects and simulations
Lighting: Scene lighting and rendering
Compositing: Final image assembly

Edit Task Types

Typical editorial tasks:

Editing: Sequence assembly
Sound Design: Audio work
Color Grading: Final color correction

Managing Task Types

Create or Get Task Type

Use the service method to create task types programmatically:

from zou.app.services import tasks_service

task_type = tasks_service.get_or_create_task_type(
    department={"id": "dept-uuid"},
    name="Animation",
    color="#FF5733",
    priority=3,
    for_entity="Shot",
    short_name="anim"
)

This creates a new task type or returns the existing one if it already exists with the same name and entity type.

List All Task Types

Retrieve all task types:

task_types = tasks_service.get_task_types()

Or use the REST API through the generic CRUD endpoints:

GET /api/data/task-types

Get Task Type Details

Retrieve a specific task type:

task_type = tasks_service.get_task_type(task_type_id)

Or via REST:

GET /api/data/task-types/{task_type_id}

Update Task Type

Update task type fields:

PUT /api/data/task-types/{task_type_id}

{
  "priority": 2,
  "color": "#3498db",
  "description": "Updated description"
}

Archive Task Type

Archive instead of deleting to preserve historical data:

{
  "archived": true
}

Task Type Filtering

Get Task Types for Project

Find all task types used in a project:

task_types = tasks_service.get_task_types_for_project(project_id)

Returns only task types that have at least one task in the project.

Get Task Types for Entity

Find task types for a specific entity:

task_types = tasks_service.get_task_types_for_entity(entity_id)

Also available for specific entity types:

get_task_types_for_asset(asset_id)
get_task_types_for_shot(shot_id)
get_task_types_for_sequence(sequence_id)
get_task_types_for_episode(episode_id)
get_task_types_for_scene(scene_id)
get_task_types_for_edit(edit_id)
get_task_types_for_concept(concept_id)

Departments

Task types are organized by departments. Departments group related task types and control access permissions.

Department Structure

{
  "id": "a24a6ea4-ce75-4665-a070-57453082c25",
  "name": "Animation",
  "color": "#FF5733",
  "created_at": "2024-01-10T09:00:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-10T09:00:00Z"
}

Common Departments

Modeling: 3D model creation and sculpture
Animation: Character animation and motion
FX: Effects and simulations
Lighting: Scene lighting and rendering
Compositing: Final image assembly
Layout: Camera work and blocking
Concept: Design and pre-production
Editorial: Editing and post-production

Create or Get Department

from zou.app.services import tasks_service

department = tasks_service.get_or_create_department(
    name="Animation",
    color="#FF5733"
)

List All Departments

departments = tasks_service.get_departments()

Or via REST:

GET /api/data/departments

Entity Type Mapping

Task types use the for_entity field to specify which entity types they apply to:

Valid Values

Asset: For asset-based tasks (modeling, texturing, rigging)
Shot: For shot-based tasks (animation, lighting, compositing)
Edit: For editorial tasks
Sequence: For sequence-level tasks
Episode: For episode-level tasks
Concept: For concept and pre-production tasks

Example Configuration

[
  {
    "name": "Modeling",
    "for_entity": "Asset",
    "department_id": "modeling-dept-id"
  },
  {
    "name": "Animation",
    "for_entity": "Shot",
    "department_id": "animation-dept-id"
  },
  {
    "name": "Editing",
    "for_entity": "Edit",
    "department_id": "editorial-dept-id"
  }
]

Priority and Ordering

Task types use the priority field to control display order:

Lower numbers appear first (1 = highest priority)
Used in UI to order task columns and filters
Helps organize production pipeline stages

Example Priority Setup

[
  {"name": "Modeling", "priority": 1},
  {"name": "Rigging", "priority": 2},
  {"name": "Texturing", "priority": 3},
  {"name": "Shading", "priority": 4}
]

Creating Tasks from Task Types

Once task types are configured, create tasks in bulk:

Create Tasks for Assets

POST /api/actions/projects/{project_id}/task-types/{task_type_id}/assets/create-tasks

Create Tasks for Shots

POST /api/actions/projects/{project_id}/task-types/{task_type_id}/shots/create-tasks

Create Tasks for Edits

POST /api/actions/projects/{project_id}/task-types/{task_type_id}/edits/create-tasks

Create Tasks for Generic Entity Type

POST /api/actions/projects/{project_id}/task-types/{task_type_id}/create-tasks/{entity_type}/

Time Logging

The allow_timelog field controls whether time tracking is enabled:

When true: Artists can log time spents on tasks of this type
When false: Time logging is disabled
Useful for administrative or non-production tasks

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

name: Use full descriptive names (“Animation”, “Compositing”)
short_name: Use 2-5 character abbreviations (“anim”, “comp”)
Keep naming consistent across projects

Color Selection

Use distinct colors for different departments
Maintain visual consistency with studio branding
Ensure colors have enough contrast for readability
Common color schemes:
- Blue tones: Technical tasks (rigging, fx)
- Warm tones: Creative tasks (animation, modeling)
- Green tones: Final tasks (compositing, rendering)

Priority Organization

Order task types by production pipeline flow
Group related task types with similar priorities
Lower priorities for administrative/optional tasks

Department Structure

Align departments with studio organization
Use departments for access control
Keep department count manageable (typically 5-10)

Deletion and Archiving

When to Archive

Task type no longer used in new projects
Want to hide from active selection but preserve history
Temporary disable during workflow changes

When to Delete

Task type created by mistake with no tasks
Use the delete tasks endpoint first:

DELETE /api/actions/projects/{project_id}/task-types/{task_type_id}/delete-tasks

Then delete the task type through the generic CRUD endpoint.

Tasks Overview - Task lifecycle and workflow
Task Status - Status configuration
Departments API - Department management

Authentication

Projects

Assets

Shots & Sequences

Tasks

Files & Previews

People & Teams

Comments & Playlists

Events & Notifications

Documentation Index

​Introduction

​Task Type Structure

​Model Fields

​Field Descriptions

​Common Task Types

​Asset Task Types

​Shot Task Types

​Edit Task Types

​Managing Task Types

​Create or Get Task Type

​List All Task Types

​Get Task Type Details

​Update Task Type

​Archive Task Type

​Task Type Filtering

​Get Task Types for Project

​Get Task Types for Entity

​Departments

​Department Structure

​Common Departments

​Create or Get Department

​List All Departments

​Entity Type Mapping

​Valid Values

​Example Configuration

​Priority and Ordering

​Example Priority Setup

​Creating Tasks from Task Types

​Create Tasks for Assets

​Create Tasks for Shots

​Create Tasks for Edits

​Create Tasks for Generic Entity Type

​Time Logging

​Best Practices

​Naming Conventions

​Color Selection

​Priority Organization

​Department Structure

​Deletion and Archiving

​When to Archive

​When to Delete

​Related Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Introduction

Task Type Structure

Model Fields

Field Descriptions

Common Task Types

Asset Task Types

Shot Task Types

Edit Task Types

Managing Task Types

Create or Get Task Type

List All Task Types

Get Task Type Details

Update Task Type

Archive Task Type

Task Type Filtering

Get Task Types for Project

Get Task Types for Entity

Departments

Department Structure

Common Departments

Create or Get Department

List All Departments

Entity Type Mapping

Valid Values

Example Configuration

Priority and Ordering

Example Priority Setup

Creating Tasks from Task Types

Create Tasks for Assets

Create Tasks for Shots

Create Tasks for Edits

Create Tasks for Generic Entity Type

Time Logging

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Color Selection

Priority Organization

Department Structure

Deletion and Archiving

When to Archive

When to Delete

Related Resources