mh_rename v1.3.0 — File Sequence Renamer

Free batch file renamer built for VFX artists and animators. Renames image sequences, replaces text in filenames, renumbers frame counters, and previews every change before anything touches disk.

Latest release: github.com/MHeigan/mh_rename/releases More tools: anti-matter-3d.com/tools

---

Features

• Live side-by-side preview — updates automatically as you type; no Preview button
• VFX-native wildcard filter — *, ?, and # (one digit); type name.####.exr directly
• Multiple patterns — *.exr *.dpx or bare extensions exr dpx
• Replace text — find/replace in filename stems, case-sensitive option
• Prefix and suffix — add text before or after the stem
• Renumber sequences — configurable start, step, padding, and separator (dot default)
• Change extension — bulk relabel without file conversion
• Natural sort — file_9.exr before file_10.exr, always
• Conflict detection — Commit is disabled until all target names are unique
• Two modes — in-place rename or copy to output directory (originals preserved)
• Undo last batch — reverts the most recent commit instantly
• No installation — self-contained exe, no Python required

---

Download

mh_rename_v1_3_0.zip — extract and run.

Also available from anti-matter-3d.com/tools.

Archive contents

mh_rename_v1_3_0.zip
├── mh_rename_Win_x64_v1_3_0.exe    signed executable
├── _internal\                       bundled runtime (required)
├── README.txt                       quick start and feature reference
├── License.txt                      CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 summary
└── License_Agreement.pdf            full licence agreement

Manifest and checksum files are included alongside the archive on the release page.

---

System Requirements

OS	Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
Runtime	Bundled — no Python required
RAM	~80 MB
Disk	~120 MB

---

Quick Start

1. Extract the zip — keep _internal\ in the same folder as the exe
2. Double-click mh_rename_Win_x64_v1_3_0.exe
3. Browse to your input directory
4. Set your rename operations — preview updates live
5. Click Commit when the New Name column looks correct

---

Wildcard Filter Examples

Pattern	Matches
name.####.exr	4-digit VFX sequences — name.1001.exr, name.1240.exr
*.exr	All EXR files
*.exr *.dpx	All EXR and DPX files
shot_01_*.exr	EXR files starting with shot_01_
(blank)	All files in the directory

# matches exactly one digit (0–9) — the VFX naming convention character.

---

Rename Operation Order

When multiple operations are active they are applied in this fixed order:

1. Replace Text  →  2. Prefix  →  3. Suffix  →  4. Renumber  →  5. Change Extension

---

Security

The executable is signed with a Certum code signing certificate, RFC 3161 timestamped. It was submitted to Microsoft WDSI and scanned on VirusTotal prior to release.

Verify the signature:

Get-AuthenticodeSignature mh_rename_Win_x64_v1_3_0.exe

On false positives: a small number of heuristic scanners flag Python-packaged executables generically, based on the packaging method rather than anything in the program itself. This is a known characteristic of PyInstaller and Nuitka output across the industry. mh_rename performs no network access, writes no registry keys, and only touches files in the directories you explicitly select.

---

Licence

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 — free to share with attribution, no commercial use, no modified distributions.

See License.md for the summary and License_Agreement.pdf in the release archive for the full agreement.

© 2026 Martin P. Heigan · anti-matter-3d.com