UIManager has been disabled in Resolve Free in v19.1

Hi,
I don't see it discussed in software developper forum, so I open a thread here.

It isn't mention in Resolve changelog, but since v19.1, if you are trying to run a script which requires UIManager, you will have a prompt telling you need Studio version.

For eg, with YouTube chapter Plus script:



You will get this:



I have seen this discuss on reddit and fusion forum, and also on Reaktor forum.

• Reddit: 19.1 - Broken Scripts Megathread

Most answers are individualist and user-centered, meaning that the answer is always "just buy studio".

I open a thread here to discuss the implication it has on developers side, meaning, on people who are sharing and maintaining scripts for other users, most of time for free and open source.
These developers, who have successful build a user base and even a community, will know face angrey user feedbacks, and take the blame for it, as if they were responsible.



We understand that BM is a company which need profit, and to keep some top features for Studio make sense for sure. AI stuffs, Planar tracking, 4k+ resolution... All good. What I think is damageable is to remove something which was available for all users, who build workflows around these, which help to grow a community of DaVinci Resolve enthusiasts, happy to "give back" for a software they surely once (or still) use for free by also sharing free scripts and documentation. (and we can only thank BM for this, and be amazed by the DR history which leads to the free version).

I recently just created a Resolve Script page, on my free time and for free, precisely to promote and encourage user made creations. As it has quite some success, I was about to continue participating into this stimulating community and open side of Resolve by making a doc for the UIManager, when I realized it was removed. This definitely is at the opposite of what I thought Resolve Scripting meant for BM. The fact it was removed without mention in the changelog take all devs and user scripts by surprise (in a bad way), and really question why it wasn't announced.

If UIManager can be brought back to Resolve Free, it will be very appreciated.

In the spirit of what the Resolve Product page claims:

The best creative tools shouldn’t be limited to Hollywood. That’s why there’s a free version of DaVinci Resolve, so you can learn how to use the same tools that professional Hollywood artists use. DaVinci Resolve is designed to inspire creativity so you can focus on doing your best work.

Thanks for your consideration

I agree

I’m genuinely confused why this topic isn’t getting more visibility. I agree with the concern—while I have access to paid versions of Resolve at the office, I often use my personal laptop for testing purposes when I’m on the move. This allows me to validate scripts before distributing them, which is critical to avoid unintentionally sharing something that could cause issues.

It would be fantastic if scripting support—even in a limited or sandboxed form—were available in the free version. That would go a long way in helping developers and technical artists test and build responsibly.

When I do pay for the Studio version, I want to feel confident that those dollars are supporting the continued growth and development of the API—because that’s exactly why I’m using Resolve in the first place. The API is powerful foundation, but it could be so much better, and I’d love to see it evolve into something even more robust—much like what Autodesk has accomplished with Flame’s extensive API.

I agree too.
I have studio, but I'm afraid that we will see unfortunately less plugins in the future because of this, which is unfortunate when we need to compete with Adobe Premiere thar have ton of plugins.

Does anyone know if this was resolved in Davinci Resolve 20?

Unless there is some intention to further limit scripts in the future, this seems bizarre. Creating a UI is hardly a limiting factor when there are a plethora of ways to communicate with external applications/hosts within scripts.

Why introduce a moot limitation at the cost of the good will of users?