For those who don’t know the tool: Autodesk Flame is the finishing suite that lives between conform, comp, and delivery, with companion stations like Flare and render muscle via Burn for facilities that enjoy sleeping sometimes.

The big three: metadata, scribbles, depth

Flame Family 2027 puts a spotlight on three things that tend to break at the worst possible moment: clip metadata, frame-level notes, and depth workflows. The metadata work targets frame-based metadata keys and keeps them intact from import through export. Annotations land as a practical review tool. Flame Family 2027 can add annotations to frames in the Player or in a Viewport, and it can also display the list of annotations on the current frame. Machine learning shows up as a Depth map feature. Flame Family 2027 can generate a Depth map using internal or external machine learning models.

Metadata that survives the trip

Flame Family 2027 treats metadata as something that should survive real production, not just an import dialogue. In Batch, a Metadata node can view and modify the metadata of a clip. Open Clip can define metadata keys and values to be ignored or modified on a per-feed basis, which gives facilities a way to standardise what comes in and how it gets normalised before it spreads everywhere.

Tokens get a larger role in that same cleanup story. Flame Family 2027 can define Custom Tokens and also limit the display of resolved tokens to a chosen number of characters. Preferences can set Custom Tokens to be used throughout the application, and Centralised Components can deploy system-based Custom Tokens across a facility using a dedicated workflow. That combination aims straight at consistency: one naming plan, one token vocabulary, fewer surprises at export time.

There are also Python API additions tied to the new metadata workflow, aimed at facilities that build glue code around ingest, naming, and publishing. The exact scope of those additions is not specified anywhere I could find it.

One detail worth calling out for day-to-day operators: Flame Family 2027 adds context-menu copy and paste for characters in text fields, including Copy Text, Cut, Paste Text, and Delete, plus a Paste Text option when nothing is selected. Dialogs with multiple text fields can also use Tab and Shift + Tab to move between fields, as long as one field is already in editing mode. None of this sells a subscription, but all of it reduces small daily friction that adds up.

About a third of the way in, the mteadata story boils down to this: fewer per-shot fixes and fewer one-off scripts to keep identifiers, flags, and frame-level tags from vanishing mid-pipeline.

Annotations that behave like a real tool

Annotations in Flame Family 2027 are not limited to a single panel or a single kind of workflow. Artists can add annotations to frames in the Player or in a Viewport. Explorer can access a list of Markers and can also display the list of annotations on the current frame. Snapshot can include annotations, which helps when review happens outside the application and you still want the note to travel with the image. Also: They are somewhat accessible via Python, but so far only “<PyMarker>.has_annotations” and “<PyMarker>.clear_annotations()“. That is a start, but not a full integration into the overarching pipline that keeps the added Memes from Prep intact until delivery.

Effects also gets marker support: Markers and Segment Markers can be added from the Effects environment. That is a quiet workflow bridge between building looks and keeping editorial or review signposts in sync.

Keyboard shortcuts shift a bit to accommodate the new annotation layer. In the Flame keyboard shortcut profile, Delete or Backspace is assigned to Delete. Tracking shortcuts change too: Tracking Delete Current KeyFrame and Go To Previous in Action, GMask Tracer, and Image move from Delete or Backspace to Shift + Delete or Backspace. Search also changes: F12 no longer opens Search; it now opens Toggle Annotations Display instead. Space + Tab still opens Search, and F16 can be used on macOS.

Tangent panel users get new mapper functions for annotations. Tangent Mapper adds Annotations control for toggling the Annotations layer display, plus navigation functions for previous and next annotation. Data management functions are also added, including Clear Unreferenced Cache for the current project and all projects.

Depth maps, now with fewer excuses

Depth maps via machine learning arrive as a production feature in Flame Family 2027.

A Depth map can be generated using internal or external machine learning models. The Tools workflow can generate a Depth Map using a machine learning model, then create a matte from that Depth Map inside a Selective. This positions depth as an artist-facing selection primitive, not just a technical curiosity.

Let’s quote the documentation: New machine-learning-based models are available as Analysis Type options to generate depth data. ML Depth Indoor and ML Depth Outdoor are internal machine learning models, while Load Model allows an external ONNX depth extraction model to be loaded.

The Documentation does not specify which machine learning models exactly are included (or at least, I couldn’t find it), which external model formats are supported, or what hardware constraints apply. Even without those details, the intended use is clear: build depth, turn it into mattes, and iterate quickly.

Like any ML feature, you will still want to test it on your own footage, your own lens mess, and your own deliverables before trusting it in production. That includes checking edges, temporal stability, and failure cases on smoke, hair, reflections, and anything else that enjoys humiliating clever algorithms.

Conform, color, and the rest of the plumbing

Flame Family 2027 also invests in pipeline plumbing, the kind that keeps facilities from inventing new swear words. Conform can import OTIO files in the Conform environment, via OpenTimelineIO. That gives conform artists a more direct path for timeline interchange when the upstream system exports OTIO.

Color management updates land via OpenColorIO, updated to version 2.5.1. The Sources do not describe behavioral changes from that update, only the version number.

Project management adds OpenEXR uncompressed as a Cache and Renders format for floating-point content. For facilities that lean on float caches, this adds another option alongside existing cache formats.

Configuration and OS support expands to include Rocky Linux 9.7. DKU 21.0.0 is listed as Rocky Linux only and includes support for Rocky Linux 9.7 and an updated NVIDIA driver. The Sources do not specify the exact driver version.

Hardware I O support gets AVIO updates with updated AJA and Blackmagic Design drivers. Service Monitor gains new Diagnostics intended to help troubleshoot configuration.

User settings import changes affect Setup. User settings can be imported on a new system before the application is launched for the first time, and importing a user profile overwrites all existing user settings.

Backburner 2027.0 is a minor update with fixes and no visible changes for end users, via Autodesk Backburner. Burn can be installed on macOS workstations, which expands where that render companion can live.

As always, new features and new workflows deserve a proper test pass on real show material before they touch a live delivery schedule.

The post Autodesk Flame 2027: metadata and depth maps first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Foundry has opened public testing for the Nuke 17 Open Beta, the latest step in the long-running effort to modernise its compositing platform. The company highlights a reworked 3D system, an overhauled annotation interface, and a new Variable framework intended to strengthen data exchange across pipelines.

This release continues Foundry’s shift toward USD-based workflows, a direction the company has been exploring since Nuke 14. On paper, the new 3D system allows compositors to access the same assets and scene data used by other departments, aligning Nuke with 3D and animation tools in a shared pipeline.

The 3D rebuild: a long road

The official documentation (As far as it is currently available) lists updated projection and masking workflows, lighting controls, and new node structures within the 3D environment. There is also mention of a revised ScanlineRender v2, plus geo stacking and path masking. Foundry positions these as steps toward tighter scene organisation and smoother data exchange.

However, as Topic Rooms VFX notes in its opinion of the beta, many artists are questioning who this new system is really for. Most compositors still use Nuke’s 3D tools for projection, relighting, and camera mapping rather than full scene rendering. The publication points out that a USD-driven workflow may benefit pipeline engineers more than everyday artists.

What artists say they actually want from Nuke 17

According to the same commentary, artists would rather see practical improvements such as faster projection nodes, volumetric light tools, or even a lightweight preview renderer similar to Eevee. The argument is that Foundry continues to refine its 3D infrastructure while ignoring smaller quality-of-life updates that could immediately improve daily compositing work.

Annotations and variables

Beyond the 3D rebuild, Nuke 17 introduces a completely redesigned annotation workflow. The new Annotations Panel and Toolbar are meant to simplify feedback cycles, reducing the confusion that often arises in collaborative review sessions. The documentation describes this as a “whole new experience” for timeline annotation, suggesting a clearer, faster way to handle shot notes and client feedback.

The Variable system is another quiet but potentially important addition. It provides a framework for sharing and managing template data across nodes and scripts, effectively improving communication between compositors, pipeline engineers, and automation tools. If it works as intended, this could make complex setups more maintainable.

Still early days for Nuke 17

It’s worth emphasising that this is an early beta. Foundry has made it clear that the listed features are subject to change before the final release, and more updates are promised. The company provides a free sample script and assets to help testers explore the new 3D environment, along with detailed documentation on the updated node behaviour.

For now, users are invited to test, experiment, and submit feedback — but not to expect production-ready stability. As with any beta, it’s advisable to evaluate Nuke 17 in a controlled environment before integrating it into a live pipeline.

The Nuke 17 Open Beta is available for download from Foundry’s official site.

The post Foundry Opens Nuke 17 Beta: New 3D System, New Variables first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.