# Getting started

> Launch Oink, find your way around, and build a first comp.

Oink is a node-based compositor. You build a comp by connecting nodes: images come in through Read nodes, pass through colour, merge, filter and transform nodes, and leave through Write nodes. Everything works in 32-bit float, scene-linear colour, on the GPU.

If you have used Nuke, most of this will be familiar: the nodes, knobs, keyboard shortcuts and .nk scripts are the same. See [Switching to Oink](/docs/nuke-users).

1. [Install and launch](/docs/install): `./launch_opencomp.sh` from the repository folder.
2. [The interface](/docs/getting-started/interface): the Viewer, Node Graph, Properties and the node toolbar.
3. [Your first comp](/docs/getting-started/first-comp): Read, Grade, Viewer, Write, render.

Want to see finished comps first? **Help › Examples…** opens small example comps that use shipped sample media. A node's **?** button in the Properties panel lists the examples that use it.

You can also start with a file: `./launch_opencomp.sh comp.oink` (or a `.nk` script) opens it once the app is ready. Double-clicking a comp in your file manager does the same, and opens a new copy of the app each time. The installer registers the comp file icons and types.

Three things worth knowing early:

- Each Viewer node gets its own tab in the Viewer pane (Viewer1, Viewer2 …). A new Viewer (Ctrl+I) adds a tab; deleting the node removes it.
- **Workspace › Jobs** lists every background job (AI, renders, imports) next to Background Renders. Its *Services* view shows the helper processes the app started, with GPU and memory use per row.
- The highlight colour is Nuke orange by default. Change it in *Preferences › Appearance › UI Colors*.


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Sources: launch_opencomp.sh, opencomp_electron/src/components/dockview/DockviewLayout.tsx, opencomp_electron/src/components/Toolbar.tsx