Foundry has released Nuke Stage, a standalone software solution for virtual production and in-camera visual effects (ICVFX). It is designed to integrate pre-production, on-set workflows, and post-production, providing real-time playback of photorealistic content onto LED walls, live compositing, and compatibility with OpenUSD, OpenEXR, and OpenColorIO.
Virtual Production Without Additional Dependencies
Nuke Stage functions as a standalone application, eliminating the need for game engines, specialist media servers, or proprietary hardware. It operates independently on existing hardware setups and supports synchronization across render node clusters, making it adaptable to different stage sizes.
Real-Time Compositing with a Node-Based System
The software includes a node-graph-based compositing toolkit, similar to Nuke, allowing for real-time manipulation of physical and virtual elements. It supports playback of 2D, 2.5D, and 3D imagery on LED walls, ensuring that on-set visuals align with production requirements.
Color Pipeline and Format Support
Nuke Stage integrates OpenColorIO and HDR, maintaining a linear color pipeline to ensure consistency across pre-production, on-set visualization, and post-production. The software’s file format support includes OpenUSD and OpenEXR, aligning with industry standards for VFX production.
Industry Reactions
Industry professionals have commented on Nuke Stage’s potential applications. Dan Hall (80six) highlights its role in improving communication between VFX and virtual production teams. Sam Kemp (Garden Studios) notes the benefits of incorporating compositing tools into real-time workflows, while Connor Ling (Framestore) points out that integration with Nuke’s existing workflow could help maintain consistency between on-set visuals and final VFX outputs.
Integrated Workflow for Virtual Production
Nuke Stage provides a single pipeline that supports asset consistency from pre-production through post-production. By centralizing creative control, it aims to reduce iteration time and the risk of rework.
Availability
Nuke Stage is available for early access. More details and registration information can be found on Foundry’s website. As with any new tool, testing is recommended before deployment in production workflows. And yes, having that the day after April first makes us a little suspicious, but… NAB is on the Horizon.
