//dousen/compare — Dousen compared free studio beta

The asset pipeline built for games.
On the Jira, Perforce and Unreal you already run.

A Jira task opens a Perforce changelist. The asset is checked inside Maya, Blender, 3ds Max, Houdini or Substance (the DCC) before it leaves, then imported into Unreal Engine with the right name and folder. Jira moves when the changelist is submitted. AYON, Prism, Kitsu, Flow Production Tracking and ftrack were built around film and animation production; Anchorpoint around Git. Dousen was built for this.

For indie and AA game studios on Perforce, Jira Cloud and Unreal Engine 5.7 or 5.8, with Windows artist workstations. Not a tracker: no review, dailies or scheduling.

Request early access Read the docs

//dousen/built-for-games

What a game asset pipeline has to do

Dousen is built around four steps, from the Jira task to the submitted changelist.

on_task

One changelist per Jira task

The Open changelist button in DousenDesktop creates a numbered changelist for the task and keeps the Jira key in its description. The DCC panel shows Locked by <user> (CL n), and a publish stops before it exports if another user has locked a file it would write.

HBR-142 → CL 28471 · Locked by maria (CL 28466)

pre_export

Validation tuned for real-time

Validators check triangle budgets, n-gons, non-manifold geometry, lightmap UV overlap, applied transforms, rigs and animation, with Nanite and NonNanite categories. An error blocks the export. A project admin (whoever owns the studio’s pipeline rules) sets them per asset type in the web portal. In Houdini, validation is the manual Dousen: Validate shelf tool.

mesh.poly_count 48,210 / 50,000 ✓ · uvs.no_overlap_lightmap ✓

on_publish

Import into Unreal, named by your conventions

Unreal imports the export with Interchange. The asset name and Content Browser folder come from the project conventions, and a reimport keeps existing asset paths. Review instance topology approves new members, and a material catalog with an Allow Nanite flag covers materials.

SM_CargoCrate_01.fbx → /Game/Props/Cargo/SM_CargoCrate_01

on_submit

Jira moves when the changelist submits

Submit changes runs p4 submit on the task’s changelist. When the project admin has set jira.on_submit_transition, the linked Jira issue moves forward. Artists use their own Jira credentials.

CL 28471 submitted → HBR-142 In Review

The alternatives are built around animation and VFX shots (AYON, Prism), production tracking and review (Kitsu, Flow Production Tracking, ftrack) and Git version control (Anchorpoint). Each is described in its own words below.

//dousen/no-migration

Nothing to migrate, nothing to build around

With Dousen you add

  • DousenDesktop, a Windows app that ships the DCC addons (DCC addons)
  • The DousenUE plugin in your Unreal project
  • DousenCore, hosted at dousen.io or self-hosted with Docker Compose on Linux (self-hosted install)

You keep Jira as the tracker, the Perforce depot as the source of truth and your Unreal project layout.

What the alternatives add

  • AYON: a server database, anatomy templates and the Launcher app (anatomy, backend)
  • Prism: its project folder tree, 00_Pipeline to 04_Resources (folder structure)
  • Kitsu: the Zou API, web UI, PostgreSQL, Redis and the Publisher app (self-hosted, Publisher)
  • Flow Production Tracking: a hosted entity database, Toolkit, a desktop app and an sg-jira-bridge that you host (tk-core, sg-jira-bridge)
  • ftrack: an entity database, the Connect app and per-DCC plugins (on-premise guide)
  • Anchorpoint: a Git repository with LFS in place of Perforce (anchorpoint.app)

Dousen stores no asset files and no tasks. If you stop using it, everything is where it already was.

//dousen/checklist

Side by side

Ten things a game asset pipeline does, and what each product documents about them. Scroll sideways on a narrow screen.

Dousen is a Perforce, Jira and Unreal specialist. The other columns were built from each product’s public documentation only, checked 6 October 2026. “Not in public docs” means we found no mention, not that the feature is missing; tell us at [email protected] if we missed it.

DousenAYONPrismKitsuFlow PTftrackAnchorpoint
One Perforce changelist per Jira taskNumbered changelist per Jira task (Perforce)p4 sync; can commit published versions[1]Not a replacement for Perforce[2]Not in public docsToolkit Perforce components archived 2024[3]Perforce location plugin publishes versions[4]Git with LFS, or Lore[5]
Shows who has a file locked before you work on itLocked by <user> (CL n); publish stops (file locks)Syncs and commits; checkout via P4V per its README[1]Not in public docsNot in public docsNot in public docsNot in public docsUnreal plugin shows locked files[6]
Unreal Engine 5.7/5.8 import through Interchange, named from conventions; reimport keeps the asset pathInterchange import, names from conventions (Unreal)/Content/AYON/ mirror, version folders[7]Imports FBX; Interchange not described[2]Publisher sends previews; no import[8]tk-unreal; Interchange not described[9]Imports Alembic, FBX; listed Deprecated[10]Version control only; no import described[6]
Jira Cloud as the task system (artists’ own credentials, transition on submit)Jira Cloud, personal credentials, transition on submit (Jira)Own tracker; Jira addon is one-way[11]Own backend; Jira not mentioned[12]Own tracker; Jira is a feature request[13]Own tracker; sg-jira-bridge you host[14]Not in public docsPython Jira integration syncs Epics[15]
Naming enforced in every DCC and on Unreal import, from one YAML/Lua documentOne YAML or Lua document (conventions)Anatomy templates set paths[16]Folder Structure templates, Python expressions[17]Not in public docstemplates.yml tokens, folder schema[18]Not in public docsName templates applied at creation[19]
Real-time validation before export (triangle budgets, lightmap UVs, Nanite categories)Ready-made checks, set in the portal (validation)Pyblish; all validators must pass[20]Pre-publish hooks possible[21]Not in public docspublish2 validate gate; studio hooks[22]Not in public docsNot in public docs
What the tool adds that you then work aroundFiles stay in Perforce, tasks in Jira (self-hosted)Own server database[16]Fixed project folder tree[17]Own entity database[30]Hosted entity database[18]Own entity database[31]A Git or Lore repository[32]

Competitor cells quote each product’s public documentation, checked 6 October 2026; numbers link to Sources below. Corrections: [email protected].

//dousen/alternatives

The alternatives, in their own words

AYON

AYON keeps projects, folders, tasks, products and versions in its own server database, with anatomy templates for workfile and publish paths (anatomy). Its Perforce addon syncs with p4 sync and commits published versions; its README says artists check out with P4V or the Unreal Perforce plugin, and it does not describe file locks (ayon-perforce). The Unreal addon creates a /Content/AYON/ mirror with {product_name}_{version} folders (Unreal addon), and the Jira addon is one-way from AYON to Jira (ayon-jira).

AYON is built for animation and VFX pipelines: Pyblish validation stops a publish until all validators pass (pipeline), and its pricing page addresses animation and VFX studios (pricing).

Prism Pipeline

Prism stores a project as a file-based folder tree with no server or database (installation), laid out from 00_Pipeline to 04_Resources (folder structure). Its Unreal page says Prism is not a replacement for Perforce; the plugin imports Alembic, USD, FBX and OBJ and brings shots into Sequencer, and naming of imports and Interchange are not described (Unreal Engine). Tasks use a built-in backend or ftrack, Kitsu or ShotGrid (project management).

Prism is built for animation and VFX projects (docs); its core and ten plugins are LGPL v3, and it runs as a desktop app on Windows, Linux and macOS (licensing).

Kitsu

Kitsu keeps projects, assets, shots, tasks and previews in its own entity database, served by the Zou API (kitsu.cg-wire.com). Kitsu Publisher sends previews from the tools, including from Unreal on UE 5 and later; no asset import is described (Publisher). Its documentation does not describe version control, and the REST API, webhooks and gazu client are the route for custom integration (custom integration). A Jira integration is a feature request on its Canny board (Canny).

Kitsu is built for production tracking: it is an open-source tracker under AGPL-3.0 with review and scheduling, and it names game studios on its homepage (cg-wire.com).

Flow Production Tracking

Flow, formerly ShotGrid, keeps projects and entities in a hosted database, and Toolkit’s templates.yml and folder schema map file paths to them (tk-core). The Toolkit Perforce components were archived on GitHub in September 2024 (tk-framework-perforce). tk-unreal exposes publish2 and loader components in the editor; Interchange and naming of imports are not described (tk-unreal). sg-jira-bridge adds two-way Jira sync that you host as a web app, an event daemon and a Jira webhook (sg-jira-bridge).

Flow is built for production tracking across VFX, animation and games (autodesk.com), and its publish2 validate stage disallows publishing when validate() returns False, with the checks defined by the studio’s hooks (publish2).

ftrack

ftrack stores AssetVersion, Component and ComponentLocation records in an entity database (publishing files). A Perforce Helix Core location plugin publishes ftrack versions into Perforce; changelist and checkout behaviour are not described in the pages cited (ftrack-perforce-location). ftrack-connect-unreal-engine imports Alembic and FBX published from other DCCs, on Windows 10 with UE 5 and later (Unreal docs), and the help centre lists the integration under Deprecated (help centre).

ftrack is built for production tracking in film, animation and games (press release), and runs as hosted SaaS or on-premise (on-premise guide).

Anchorpoint

Anchorpoint organises a project folder backed by a Git repository or Lore, with attributes and tags on files (docs). Version control goes through GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps or Gitea with LFS and file locking; it documents Perforce-to-Git migration (anchorpoint.app, blog). Its Unreal plugin shows locked, modified and obsolete files, submits from the editor and resolves conflicts (Unreal docs). A Jira integration syncs Jira Epics with folders (jira-integration).

Anchorpoint is built for Git version control for game developers: artist-friendly Git with locking, an in-editor Unreal plugin, and no server of its own (anchorpoint.app).

//dousen/scope

What Dousen doesn’t do

  • No review or dailies tools, no playlists and no media annotation.
  • No scheduling or resource planning.
  • No shot or sequence tracking.
  • No render management.

Dousen is the automation between the DCC, Perforce, Jira and Unreal; studios keep their tracker for everything else.

//dousen/faq

Questions studios ask

Is Dousen a ShotGrid or Flow Production Tracking alternative?

Not a tracker replacement. If your studio already tracks tasks in Jira, Dousen is the pipeline layer around them: one changelist per task, validation before export, import into Unreal, the issue moved on submit. It does no review, scheduling or shot tracking, so a studio that needs those keeps its tracker and runs Dousen next to it.

Does Dousen replace Jira, Perforce or Unreal’s own tools?

No. Dousen drives them: it opens the changelist in Perforce, reads the task from Jira Cloud and imports through Unreal’s Interchange framework. Tasks stay in Jira, files in the depot and assets in the Unreal project.

Can we run Dousen alongside any of these tools?

Dousen has no integration with AYON, Prism Pipeline, Kitsu, Flow Production Tracking, ftrack or Anchorpoint, and shares no data with them. It reads tasks from Jira Cloud and changelists from Perforce, so the two can run side by side without exchanging anything.

Which DCCs and engine versions does Dousen support?

Addons for Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini, Substance Painter and Substance Designer (DCC addons), and the DousenUE plugin for Unreal Engine 5.7 and 5.8 (Unreal Engine).

What does it cost?

Free during the studio beta, access by request. Free forever for teams of up to 5 users; pricing for larger teams has not been announced.

//dousen/early-access

Request early access

Dousen is in free beta for pilot studios, built by one founder who works directly with each of them. Your assets stay in Perforce and your tasks in Jira, so you can remove Dousen at any point without losing anything. Keep Jira and Perforce; add the pipeline. Email [email protected] or request access.

Request early access Download DousenDesktop

//dousen/sources

AYON, Prism Pipeline, Kitsu, Flow Production Tracking, ShotGrid, ftrack and Anchorpoint are trademarks of their respective owners. Dousen is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them; their names are used only to identify the products compared.

Product details come from each product’s public documentation as of 6 October 2026; check its site for current information. Pages cited:

  1. AYON: github.com/ynput/ayon-perforce
  2. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/plugins/Unreal%20Engine/
  3. github.com/shotgunsoftware/tk-framework-perforce
  4. ftrack: ftrack-perforce-location.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
  5. Anchorpoint: www.anchorpoint.app/
  6. Anchorpoint: docs.anchorpoint.app/git/unreal/
  7. AYON: help.ayon.app/articles/0086198-about-unreal-addon
  8. Kitsu: github.com/cgwire/kitsu-publisher-next
  9. github.com/shotgunsoftware/tk-unreal
  10. ftrack: help.ftrack-studio.backlight.co/hc/en-us/articles/13130003888023-Unreal-Deprecated
  11. AYON: github.com/ynput/ayon-jira
  12. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/plugins/Project%20Management/
  13. Kitsu: cgwire.canny.io/integration
  14. Flow Production Tracking: developers.shotgridsoftware.com/sg-jira-bridge/
  15. Anchorpoint: github.com/Anchorpoint-Software/jira-integration
  16. AYON: help.ayon.app/articles/3815114-project-anatomy
  17. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/general/folderStructure/
  18. Flow Production Tracking: developers.shotgridsoftware.com/tk-core/core.html
  19. Anchorpoint: docs.anchorpoint.app/docs/asset-management/templates/
  20. AYON: help.ayon.app/articles/7070980-about-ayon-pipeline
  21. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/gettingStarted/insideDCCs/
  22. Flow Production Tracking: developers.shotgridsoftware.com/tk-multi-publish2/customizing.html
  23. AYON: help.ayon.app/
  24. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/general/licensing/
  25. ftrack: github.com/ftrackhq/integrations
  26. AYON: github.com/ynput/ayon-backend
  27. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/general/installation/
  28. Kitsu: kitsu.cloud/self-hosted/
  29. ftrack: help.ftrack-studio.backlight.co/hc/en-us/articles/13129804449303-Introduction-to-On-Premise
  30. Kitsu: kitsu.cg-wire.com/
  31. ftrack: developer.ftrack.com/publishing-files/publish/index.html
  32. Anchorpoint: docs.anchorpoint.app/
  33. AYON: ynput.io/ayon/pricing/
  34. Prism Pipeline: prism-pipeline.com/docs/latest/
  35. Kitsu: www.cg-wire.com/faq/custom-integration/
  36. Kitsu: www.cg-wire.com/kitsu/
  37. Flow Production Tracking: www.autodesk.com/campaigns/film-tv
  38. ftrack: ftrack-connect-unreal-engine.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
  39. ftrack: www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/perforce-and-ftrack-partner-to-accelerate-creative-production-workflows-in-film-animation-and-video-game-industries-301106503.html
  40. Anchorpoint: www.anchorpoint.app/blog/perforce-alternative-for-game-development