​Foundry’s Nuke Indie aims to cater to solo VFX artists


Foundry, developer of creative software for the media and entertainment industries recently released Nuke Indie – the latest addition to the Nuke family of products, an accessible version of Nuke Studio for eligible solo artists.

Nuke Indie combines the industry-leading node-based compositing toolset of NukeX with the conform, editorial and review capabilities in Nuke Studio

This release builds on the themes of the prior Nuke 12 releases, with an emphasis on streamlining data flow into comp and extending review workflows in Nuke Studio and Hiero. Nuke 12.2 includes updates for pipelines, teams, and individuals while facilitating flexibility and collaboration for teams working remotely.

HIghlights of Nuke 12.2 include:

  • USD ingest support. Nuke’s ReadGeo node now supports reading geometry contained in USD data. Extensions to ReadGeo will be open sourced, allowing studios to customise the node to suit their USD workflows. 

  • Introduction of SyncReview. Multiple users can run collaborative review sessions in Nuke Studio, Hiero and HieroPlayer. While this initial implementation is being released as a beta feature, SyncReview already provides valuable functionality to teams collaborating while working remotely. Alongside SyncReview, Hiero’s Python API has been extended to allow even greater customization and flexibility. 

  • Support for RLM License roaming. Users can ‘check out’ floating licenses for use offline for up to 30 days – great for when taking Nuke on set, or for artists working remotely.  

Foundry director of product compositing & finishing Christy Anzelmo comments: “Our goal with Nuke Indie is to strengthen Nuke’s user base and uplift artist skills across the VFX industry. Nuke Indie puts the Nuke family within reach of a whole new segment of artists, from freelance VFX generalists to compositors starting out on their own.

She adds, “Nuke Indie is a much-anticipated offering and we understand the need to make Nuke more accessible for solo artists looking to use the industry-leading compositing toolset on professional projects. We’re excited to see artists around the globe amplify their artistry with Nuke Indie.” 

Now more than ever, digital solutions and remote workstations demand software that can answer all the workflow woes of the post-production studios. 

The ecosystem is witnessing a spate of software developments that are focused on providing solutions to the current problems that afflict the pandemic-stricken world.