Foundry is back again with one more exciting webinar in the series of Foundry Live. By this time, they are focusing on the powerful 3D system and the integration of USD. This one is powered by Intel, Dell and NVidia.
But, before going into the details on the online training session, let’s understand what is Nuke and how it benefits the entire VFX industry.
What is Nuke VFX Software?
To talk about history, it is not created by Foundry. It was created as an in-house Compositing package at Digital Domain. Foundry acquired it and named it ‘Nuke’.
Nuke is a very powerful and node based VFX software. It is majorly used in films, high end television shows and web series and other media production which requires highest quality output. It is widely used by professional post-production and animation studios across the world.
It is not an entry level software for Visual Effects artists. As it is node based, it is very much productive. It caters to a complex and very technical workflow and pipeline. Nuke provides a wide range of tools and features for artists to create complex VFX shots, including roto, paint, green screen and blue screen keying, tracking, rotoscoping, 3D integration, and much more.
Benefits of using Nuke VFX Software
Now-a-days, Nuke has become the industry standard software for any kind of VFX work. From freelancers to large scale post production studios, all are using it, with their own set of in-house tools and plugins. The major benefits of Nuke in VFX compositing are as follows.
Node based architecture
It gives an immense level of flexibility and productivity. In this architecture, everything (stock footage, live action plate, effects, tools, cg renders, macros, gizmos) is represented as a node. The tree structure and open flowgraph shows all the elements at one point of a time.
Let’s take an example. There is a scene of chroma shot. To accomplish it, you will need following tools (or more than these, as per the requirement of the output)
- Green / blue screen footage
- One or two keying tool
- Roto, paint and tracking nodes (for fine tuning the character and clothe edges, hair details, removing any unnecessary element)
- Background plate (live action shoot or 3D render)
- Supporting tools like blur, defocus, cc etc.
- Particle effects, if required
So, as you can see, there are so many nodes. But, because of node based architecture, you can access it all in a flexible manner. At any given point of time, you can see the entire flow – from scratch to the final output. With such a smooth and streamlined workflow, Nuke makes it easy to tackle any kind of shot.
Professional level visuals
Nuke enables all the artists to create high-end visuals with its extensive set of tools and features. From the very beginning, it was written as a highly professional VFX software. Such core approach is retained with each and every update. Nuke provides studios the flexibility to customize their workflow to suit their particular needs.
To address all critical need to film shooting, it is compatible with a wide range of file formats. It allows to work with various film formats from different sources, without having need to convert them. Such seamless workflow allows for more flexibility and control over the compositing process, making it easier to make changes and adjustments later on.
Robust workflow with huge support to third party plugins
Nuke can easily handle large amounts of data. VFX shots often involve a huge number of individual elements, such as live-action footage, CGI assets, and special effects nodes. Nuke can handle all of this data efficiently, allowing artists to work with multiple high-resolution plates and assets in a single project. This is particularly important for complex shots that require multiple iterations and revisions.
At the same time, it also allows integration of various third party plugins. Some of the most advanced are:
- KeenTools (3D tracking of objects and human faces)
- Rotobot (Automatic roto tool)
- mamoworld (Various Animation tools)
- Eddy (Volumetric renderer and fluid solver)
3D integration
The 3D tools of Nuke is becoming more and more powerful with every new version. Nuke’s 3D integration tools make it possible to add computer-generated characters or environments to live-action footage. The software can create a virtual camera that matches the movement and perspective of the live-action camera, allowing for seamless integration of 3D elements into the scene.
The non destructive workflow allows artists to make changes and adjustments without affecting the original footage. This makes it possible to experiment and iterate without the risk of losing important data. At any given point of time, an artist can see the original 2D footage and manipulated 3D effects on it. So, even if an artist changes the 2D footage, the workflow will get updated accordingly.
Support
Foundry gives an exceptional support system to all the artists worldwide. Whenever they stuck with Nuke, they can approach for online or offline help. The company is always engaged with all leading post production houses. They listen to their problems and provides new tools or upgrades accordingly.
Foundry always regular road shows and webinars. Such close interaction with artists and studios make them one of the most preferred software for VFX and all its needs.
Nuke 14’s 3D system
In the latest version of Nuke 14, there has been an addition of beta USD-based 3D system.
The full form of USD for VFX is ‘Universal Scene Description‘. This open source software is developed by non another than Pixar. It can contain all assets and animations hat can be used in collaborative environment. Such flexibility increases productivity and can handle multiple iterations very efficiently.
The webinar will focus on how Nuke can use this system for powerful 3D operations. It can open new possibilities for Compositing artists. Do join the webinar to know more about it.
Date: 28th February, Tuesday 2023
Time: 11:30 pm (IST)
Duration: 1 hour
Foundry speakers:
- Jonathan Egstad – Senior Product Innovation Manager
- Chris Wetherly – Product Manager for Compositing & Finishing
Webinar registration link: https://app.livestorm.co/foundry/foundry-live-nuke-session
The webinar is free, but seats are limited. Kindly book book your seat asap.