Foundry Nuke 15.0 Top 5 features

If you are a visual effects artist, you probably know what Foundry Nuke is. It is a powerful software for compositing and editing that has been used in many blockbuster movies and TV shows. Nuke allows you to create stunning visuals by combining multiple layers of images, videos, 3D elements, and effects.

But did you know that Nuke 15.0 is the latest version and has many new features that make it even better? In this article, we will explore the top 5 features of Nuke 15.0 that will boost your productivity, creativity, and quality.

Feature 1: Native support of Apple Silicon chips in Nuke 15

One of the most exciting features of Nuke 15.0 is that it supports Apple Silicon chips natively. Apple Silicon chips are the new generation of processors that power the latest Mac devices, such as the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro. These chips are designed to deliver high performance, efficiency, and security.

What does this mean for Nuke users? It means that Nuke 15.0 can run faster and smoother on Apple Silicon devices, without the need for emulation or translation. This means that you can enjoy faster rendering, playback, and interactivity, as well as lower power consumption and heat generation.

For example, according to Foundry’s benchmarks, Nuke 15.0 runs up to 2.5 times faster on an Apple M1 chip than on an Intel Core i9 chip when performing common tasks such as reading EXR files, applying color correction nodes, or using the RotoPaint node. This can save you a lot of time and frustration when working on complex projects.

Feature 2: Experimental adoption of the OpenAssetIO standard

Another feature that Nuke 15.0 introduces is the experimental adoption of the OpenAssetIO standard. OpenAssetIO is a new open-source standard that aims to simplify asset management across different tools and workflows. It allows you to access, browse, import, export, and manipulate assets from various sources and destinations without leaving your application.

How does this benefit Nuke users? It means that Nuke 15.0 can integrate with other tools and workflows more easily and seamlessly using OpenAssetIO. For example, you can use OpenAssetIO to connect Nuke with Maya, Houdini, Unreal Engine, Blender, or any other tool that supports it. You can also use OpenAssetIO to link Nuke with your own custom asset management system or pipeline.

Feature 3: Revamped 3D features

Nuke 15.0 also brings a major overhaul of its 3D features, making them more powerful and flexible than ever. Nuke 15.0 uses USD (Universal Scene Description) as its core 3D format, allowing you to import, export, and manipulate 3D assets from various sources and applications. USD is a widely used standard that enables interoperability and collaboration among different tools and studios.

Nuke 15.0 also introduces a dedicated scene graph for managing 3D scenes and objects. The scene graph is a hierarchical structure that organizes and displays the 3D elements in your scene, such as geometry, lights, cameras, materials, and animations. You can use the scene graph to:

• View and edit the properties and attributes of each element
• Add, remove, reorder, group, and parent elements
• Apply transformations, modifiers, and effects to elements
• Create and edit materials and shaders for elements
• Animate elements using keyframes and curves
• Render elements using ray tracing or scanline engines

With these revamped 3D features, Nuke 15.0 can handle complex 3D scenes and effects with ease. For example, you can use Nuke 15.0 to:

• Import and export USD files from Maya, Houdini, Unreal Engine, Blender, or any other tool that supports USD
• Create realistic lighting and shadows using area lights, environment lights, and occlusion nodes
• Generate procedural geometry using noise, fractal, or particle nodes
• Apply advanced materials and textures using PBR (Physically Based Rendering) nodes
• Simulate physics and dynamics using rigid body, cloth, or fluid nodes
• Create stunning volumetric effects using fog, smoke, fire, or cloud nodes

Feature 4: AI advancements in NukeX and Nuke Studio

If you are a NukeX or Nuke Studio user, you will be happy to know that Nuke 15.0 also improves its AI features with AIR (Artificial Intelligence Renderer), CopyCat, and Inference nodes. These nodes use machine learning to automate tasks and generate high-quality results.

AIR is a new node that uses AI to render photorealistic images from sketches or drawings. You can use AIR to create backgrounds, matte paintings, concept art, or previsualization images in minutes. AIR can also generate images based on text descriptions or keywords.

CopyCat is a node that uses AI to copy the style of one image to another. You can use CopyCat to create stylized effects, color grading, or artistic filters in seconds. CopyCat can also learn from multiple images or videos to create custom styles.

Inference is a node that uses AI to perform various tasks such as object detection, segmentation, classification, or face recognition. You can use Inference to automate tasks such as rotoscoping, tracking, masking, or keying in seconds. Inference can also work with custom models or datasets to perform specific tasks.

With these AI advancements, NukeX and Nuke Studio can help you save time and effort while creating amazing composites and edits. For example, you can use NukeX and Nuke Studio to:

• Render realistic landscapes from sketches using AIR
• Apply cartoon effects to videos using CopyCat
• Remove unwanted objects from images using Inference

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Feature 5: Bokeh node now free within all active licenses

The last feature that we will discuss is the Bokeh node, which is now free within all active licenses of Nuke 15.0. The Bokeh node is a node that creates realistic depth of field effects based on the properties of a camera lens. You can use the Bokeh node to:

• Simulate the aperture shape, size, and rotation of a lens
• Control the amount, quality, and color of the blur
• Add chromatic aberration, vignetting, and distortion effects
• Apply bokeh to deep data or other inputs

The Bokeh node was previously available only in NukeX and Nuke Studio, but now it is also included in Nuke and Nuke Indie. This means that you can enjoy this feature regardless of your license type or budget. The Bokeh node can help you create more realistic and cinematic composites with depth of field effects.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored the top 5 features of Nuke 15.0, the latest version of Foundry’s compositing and editing software. These features are:

• Native support of Apple Silicon chips
• Experimental adoption of the OpenAssetIO standard
• Revamped 3D features
• AI advancements in NukeX and Nuke Studio
• Bokeh node now free within all active licenses

We have seen how these features can boost your productivity, creativity, and quality when working on visual effects projects. Nuke 15.0 is a powerful and innovative tool that can help you create stunning visuals with ease and efficiency.

If you are interested in trying out Nuke 15.0 for yourself, you can download a free trial or buy a license from Foundry’s official website. You can also learn more about Nuke 15.0 and its features from Foundry’s documentation, blog, and YouTube channel.

We hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.