AYON Studio adds planning and scheduling for animation and VFX production
Planner brings milestones, phases, scenario planning, and task scheduling into a single production platform
Production teams often end up planning in one place and managing delivery in another. Planner brings forward planning and scheduling into AYON, so Producers and the wider studio can stay aligned on a single source of truth from early planning through to delivery.
Key highlights
- Built for animation and VFX studios, led by production needs
- Phase Planner for high-level timelines with phases and milestones
- Scheduler to apply dates directly to production tasks in AYON
- Scenario planning to explore options and commit when ready
- Complements the AYON Reports add-on to report on due dates and schedule performance
- Included in AYON Studio, optional add-on for AYON Pro (€3 per user per month)
Ynput today announced the release of Planner to AYON Studio, bringing extensive planning and scheduling capabilities to animation and VFX studios. Planner gives Producers and production leaders a clearer way to map a project forward, and translate plans into day-to-day schedules without relying on disconnected spreadsheets.
Studios have traditionally planned in Excel or similar tools, which are manual, static, and often quickly out of date. As a result, key changes can fail to reach the right departments in time. Bottlenecks are discovered late, availability conflicts appear too close to deadlines, and teams end up reacting under pressure rather than planning with confidence.
Planner addresses this by bringing forward planning and scheduling into the same platform teams already use to manage production work, giving studios a more connected workflow from early planning through to delivery.
“Planning should not live in a spreadsheet or a separate scheduling tool, it should live where production work is actually managed,” said Milan Kolar, CEO at Ynput. “Planner gives Producers and Production Managers a way to build scenarios early, schedule work directly against real tasks, and keep everyone aligned in one place. We’ve built this closely with animation and VFX studios of different sizes, and we will keep listening as we expand Planner into deeper resource management, time tracking and production budgeting workflows.”
Planning and scheduling, designed for real production workflows
The Planner includes two connected views built for different production needs:
Phase Planner, for forward planning
- Plan high-level timelines using phases and milestones, even before every asset or shot is fully defined.
- Map work across departments or sequences, and shift plans quickly when priorities change.
- Build and compare plans as production evolves, without losing the bigger picture.
Scheduler, for delivery scheduling
- Turn plans into schedules by applying dates directly to production tasks inside AYON.
- Assign work to artists and teams, and keep schedules aligned with the project structure.
- Break work down further with subtasks for more granular scheduling where needed.
Planner also supports scenario planning so Production Managers can explore options ahead of time and commit a plan when they are ready. The result is better predictability, fewer surprises, and more efficient use of available resources, helping teams avoid underutilisation and reduce the risk of crunch.
A single source of truth for production teams
By living inside AYON, Planner reduces tool switching and helps studios keep plans connected to the work itself. Production leaders can see what is ahead, supervisors can understand upcoming pressure points, and artists gain clarity on how their work contributes to the larger schedule.
Planner also complements the AYON Reports add-on, allowing studios to report on task due dates and schedule performance over time. With due dates set on tasks through scheduling, production teams can use Reports to understand whether delivery is on track, where timelines slip, and how reliably targets are being met.
Built with the industry, with more to come
Over the last year, AYON has expanded its production tracking capabilities. Planner is the next step in that progression, responding to growing demand from Producers and Production Managers for robust planning tools inside the same platform.
Ynput is also actively working on deeper resource management capabilities, including bookings for rooms, workstations, software licences, and additional tools to support budgeting and production forecasting.
Availability and pricing
The Planner is available now. It is included in AYON Studio at no extra cost, and available as an optional add-on for AYON Pro for only €3 per user per month.
A free live demo is available on AYON Playground.
