Foundry ships Nuke 12.1, NukeX 12.1, Nuke Studio 12.1
Foundry has released Nuke 12.1, the latest version of node-based compositing software, revamping the Shuffle node, and making it possible to use companion tool HieroPlayer as a flipbook viewer.
NukeX, the extended edition of the software, gets a new Blink-based particle node, more intuitive lens distortion workflow, and updates to the Grid Warp Tracker and Cara VR tools.
Nuke Studio, which adds a multi-track timeline for editorial work, gets a new version linking system.
Nuke 12.1: new Shuffle node, plus Hiero as a flipbook viewer
Nuke 12.1 adds a new Shuffle2 node, intended to replace the old Shuffle and Shuffle Copy nodes for selectively remapping or replacing colour channels within footage.
As well as supporting one or two inputs and up to eight channels per layer, Foundry describes it as providing a “more user-friendly UI” and better stability than its precursors.
Nuke users also get the option to use sister application HieroPlayer as a flipbook tool for comparing different versions of work.
HieroPlayer automatically detects the OpenColorIO configuration and viewer colour space coming from the Nuke script, and sets up the files being reviewed accordingly.
Launch times for HieroPlayer have been improved, with Foundry claiming that new instances now launch 1.2x faster on Windows and macOS, and “up to 1.5x” faster on Linux.
In addition, the UI now scales automatically to HiDPI monitors on Windows and Linux as well as macOS, and support for the DNxHR codecs and ArriRAW has been extended. Find full details via the links below.
NukeX 12.1: new Blink particle node; updates to lens distortion, tracking and Cara VR
As well as the new features in Nuke itself, NukeX 12.1 adds a new ParticleBlinkScript node.
It enables artists to use Nuke’s Blink scripting framework to control particle systems, or to write their own custom particle nodes. BlinkScript developers also get a new debug printout.
NukeX’s LensDistortion node, used for estimating and removing lens distortion from footage, gets a number of workflow improvements, shown in this video.
In particular, its default behaviour is now to undistort footage rather than to generate an STMap for use elsewhere in a Nuke script, or in other software.
The update also extends several of the major features added in NukeX 12.0, including new export options for the Grid Warp Tracker.
User can now export tracking data for an entire grid, a selection of grid points, or a single point; and can export to a Transform node or to a baked or linked Tracker
GPU performance of the Cara VR nodes – previously only available via the 360° compositing plugin of the same name – has been improved, although Foundry doesn’t quantify the speed boost.
In addition, the Cara VR versions of the SphericalTransform and Bilateral nodes have been merged with their Nuke counterparts. SphericalTransform also gets a new MirrorBall projection method.
Nuke Studio 12.1: new version linking system and surround sound support
Nuke Studio gets all of the features from Nuke 12.1 and NukeX 12.1, plus a new version linking system, making it possible to link versions of a source clip between a project bin and a sequence.
Changing the version of the clip in the bin automatically updates other instances of the clip elsewhere.
The update also introduces support for surround sound: multi-channel audio patching is now available via the timeline, and the audio output can be set up using the monitor out devices of audio cards.
Pricing and system requirements
Nuke 12.1, NukeX 12.1 and Nuke Studio 12.1 are available for 64-bit Windows 10, CentOS 7.4+ Linux, and macOS 10.14+.
Prices have risen since the 12.0 release, with node-locked and floating licences of Nuke now costing $4,988. NukeX costs $9,928 and Nuke Studio costs $10,758. Rental pricing is also available.
Read an overview of the new features in the Nuke 12.1 family on the product website
Read a full list of new features in the Nuke 12.1 family in Foundry’s online release notes