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.

The Munich-based team behind Das Element has announced version 2.2 of its production-grade asset library, describing it as a strengthening of core capabilities with deeper 3D workflow support, expanded permission controls and new customisation features. The update targets environments where assets are increasingly complex and multi-file. Version 2.2 delivers a “more complete solution” for teams managing multi-file assets, offering tighter integration and automation options. The update allows studios to tailor their setup through permission-based access, Python hooks and CLI-driven automation.

Deeper 3D Pipeline Integration

Version 2.2 puts heavy emphasis on 3D library support. Entire folder structures can now be ingested (Including “The Folder where the big USD-scene lives”), displayed and managed as native assets, simplifying the handling of complex 3D project layouts that include models, materials and textures. Depending on you project, you can get Thumbnails and Turntable Renderings for the Lighting / Rendering you need in this project, without having to manually do anything or re-render previews and assets.

Artists can now treat full scenes, shader libraries and texture packages as unified entities, reducing the overhead of tracking separate dependencies. UDIM sequences are now recognised as a dedicated media type, while a new media type for 3D materials enhances compatibility with USD and texture-intensive workflows.

3D assets can now reach ANY level of complexity, covering large-scale environments, intricate material setups and multi-layered texture networks. No performance benchmarks or asset size limits are specified, so users should evaluate system performance within their own pipeline before wide deployment.

Stronger Control with Permissions

Element-level permission settings are one of the most notable additions. Studios can now define who can view, use or manage each asset directly within the library. Access can be controlled dynamically through Python hook files, enabling production-specific logic such as permissions by show, client or department. This flexibility means studios can maintain strict separation between sensitive projects or share common assets selectively without duplicating data.

Permissions can also be configured to limit access to certain user groups or workflows, a feature relevant for facilities handling client-restricted material or confidential IP. The documentation does not detail how permissions cascade across nested structures or whether change histories are logged, so studios should verify these aspects in production testing.

Customisation Through Action Hooks

Das Element 2.2 introduces action hooks: custom UI buttons that can execute Python scripts directly from the interface. Studios can extend the toolset by creating buttons that trigger scripted actions, such as sending assets to an external DCC tool, launching a review session, exporting a collection, or performing batch tagging. Or whatever else you need. Hooks can be applied to single assets or groups of elements, offering a way to embed custom behaviour without waiting for vendor updates.

This feature allows technical directors to align the library closely with studio-specific workflows, automating repetitive tasks directly from the interface.

Pipeline Integration via the command line

Version 2.2 expands command-line functionality to simplify automation and deployment. A new CLI can now create complete libraries, configurations and databases directly from the command line, making it easier to integrate Das Element into existing studio automation systems.

This feature supports full setup scripting for new productions, allowing facilities to initialise new project libraries, apply permissions, and define folder templates without manual GUI interaction. For pipeline engineers, this reduces setup time and aligns with automated provisioning workflows already common in render-farm and build systems. The press release does not specify supported operating systems or whether the CLI includes migration commands for existing libraries.

Simplified Licence Management

Licence handling receives a complete overhaul. The new built-in License Manager supports both individual and network setups, allowing users to activate via local licence files or through a central licence server. This streamlines activation, reduces reliance on technical support and speeds up onboarding. The system aims to make setup frictionless for both freelancers and multi-site studios. Details on concurrent-seat management and offline activation are not specified, so studios should review licence documentation before rollout.

Improved Gallery and Ingest Workflows

Das Element 2.2 also refines user interaction with the library. Gallery navigation is faster, supported by local image caching, clearer visual indicators and improved filter controls. Transparent regions in image previews now display against a checkerboard background, matching standard compositing conventions. During ingest, metadata can be applied dynamically as path values, ensuring imported assets follow correct naming and folder patterns automatically. Users can now assign colourspace and media type for additional files, bringing ingest metadata closer to on-set data standards. A new option lets users delete only proxies without affecting original files, providing greater safety when cleaning up preview material. Together, these refinements improve day-to-day efficiency, especially in studios that handle large libraries or multi-departmental access.

Designed for VFX and Animation Studios

Das Element was first released in 2021 and developed in Munich for professional production use. It is designed for VFX and animation studios requiring secure, offline-capable asset management. The software is used worldwide across more than 50 studios, ranging from small boutiques to large multi-facility companies. Its emphasis on stability, offline operation and flexibility makes it applicable to visual effects, commercials, games and architectural visualisation. Version 2.2 continues that direction, adding practical upgrades without altering the system’s offline-first philosophy.

Real-World Application and Outlook

Das Element 2.2 appears to mark a steady evolution rather than a radical redesign. The improvements across 3D handling, permission control, scripting, CLI and ingest workflows together form a cohesive update for studios running structured production environments. For artists, the practical benefits lie in more responsive asset browsing and simpler ingest; pipeline engineers will enjoy automation and control; supervisors thrive on better permission and access granularity; and for administrators, reduced setup complexity. The software remains modular, adaptable and focused on the real-world requirements of production facilities rather than marketing trends.

In Our Own Archive

Here at Digital Production, we rely on Das Element to run our internal archive, the Digital Production Asset Library (My long suffering drive full of various, miscellaneous and confusing stuff from a decade of tests, trials and confusion) and have done so for several years. Its offline-capable architecture, stable metadata management and flexible automation make it a practical tool for managing production data across departments. Version 2.2 strengthens that foundation. While we remain mindful of testing every new feature before adopting it in production, this release demonstrates steady and meaningful progress for this elementary toolbox!

The post Das Element 2.2: Major Step Forward for Asset Management first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Mercenaries Engineering has released Rumba 2.0, their latest update to the Maya-compatible character animation tool. This Parisian software house promises that Rumba 2.0 is “the most significant update yet,” but what exactly has changed—apart from the version number?

Real-Time, Really

Rumba 2.0 doubles down on real-time performance. Animators get immediate feedback and fast playback, even in heavily populated or complex scenes. This reduces the ritualistic waiting for previews and renders—no more staring at spinning wheels and wondering about your life choices.

Layers, Layers, Layers

The non-destructive animation layer workflow means users can revise and experiment with less anxiety. Teams can work on different animation layers at the same time, without stepping on each other’s toes or corrupting original data. For anyone who has lost hours untangling overwritten animation, this is less a feature than a minor miracle.

Direct Manipulation and Smarter Tools

Rumba 2.0 gives animators direct manipulation of geometry for posing, including pose mirroring and onion skinning. Onion skinning offers a visual ghost of previous and next frames, making timing and staging less of a guessing game. Other tweaks—like reversing keyframes or switching rotation order—are designed to make animation editing less tedious and more precise.

Sculpt Deformer and Dynamics

A standout: the sculpt deformer tool. This lets artists push geometry around directly in the viewport to fix deformations or tweak silhouettes, sidestepping the usual trip back to rigging or modeling. Animators also get dynamic controller behavior for FK chains—think tails, ropes, and secondary motion—allowing for physically plausible, overlapping motion without laborious manual keyframing.

New Scene Management: Sequencer and Outliner

The new Sequencer tool enables loading and editing of multiple documents at once, providing scene-wide management and a bird’s-eye view of continuity and pacing. The redesigned Outliner is promised to be more intuitive, making complex scene structures less opaque.

Pipeline: Plug and (Actually) Play

Pipeline compatibility is a major design focus. Rumba 2.0 supports USD, Alembic, and FBX. Users can import USD and Alembic assets with improved speed and support for animation and sculpt data. FBX camera animation is fully supported, including editable curves. Exporting animation in USD or Alembic is supported, and keyframed animation curves can make a round-trip back to Maya rigs—no loss of fidelity, no headaches.

There’s also improved support for Maya nodes via the mtorba plugin, and a more capable library that accepts ZIP-based asset bundles.

Two Hours to Learn, Days to Master

Mercenaries Engineering claims that a 2–3 hour training session is enough for animators to be productive with Rumba 2.0, aiming to keep onboarding costs (and staff grumbling) low.

In Production: WooD

For those who want proof, the short film “WooD” provides a recent production example. Rumba handled all animation, with Maya for rigging and Guerilla Render for final look development. A group of students from Creative Seeds handled rig conversion, with environment and compositing tasks also carried out in the academic setting—useful for benchmarking the tool in real-world, team-based scenarios.

Pricing and Availability

Rumba 2.0 is available now to registered users via Mercenaries Engineering’s download portal.

Test Before You Trust

As always, professionals are encouraged to test all new features in their actual production environment before updating mission-critical pipelines. Not every workflow fits every shop—and no feature is worth a missed deadline.

The post Rumba 2.0: No More Animators’ Elbow first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.