Nuke 15

Nuke 15.0 is a major version release of the industry-standard visual effects (VFX) software developed by Foundry. It is a powerful, node-based compositing application used in film and television production to create and combine images for visual effects. Here are the key features and updates in the Nuke 15.0 release (released in October 2023):

Key Highlights of Nuke 15.0

• Native Apple Silicon Support: Nuke 15.0 introduced native support for Apple Silicon processors (like M1 and M2 chips), leading to up to 20% faster general processing speeds on macOS.

• VFX Reference Platform 2023: It fully adopted the VFX Reference Platform 2023, ensuring compatibility and seamless integration with other updated software packages in modern studio pipelines.

• Faster CopyCat Training (NukeX): The machine learning tool, CopyCat, received significant speed improvements with new features like:

  • Distributed Training: Share the training load across multiple machines using render farm applications.

  • Multi-resolution Training: Automatically lowers image resolution in early stages to speed up training times by up to 50%.

• 3D System Enhancements (Beta): The USD-based 3D compositing system continued its evolution with:

  • New 3D Viewer Selection Tools and a dedicated 3D toolbar for more precise control when working with complex scenes.

  • Updates to the GeoMerge node with new modes (Merge Layers, Duplicate Prims, etc.) for better control over geometry and USD layers.

• Extended High-Resolution Support: It expanded support for certain planar operations (like CaraVR nodes and Lens Distortions) on images up to 64K, which is crucial for large-scale installations and virtual production.

In short, Nuke 15.0 is the version that focuses on major pipeline, performance, and compatibility updates, particularly for modern Mac hardware and evolving industry standards like USD.