Foundry releases Nuke Stage- simplifying virtual producti...

Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-camera visual effects (ICVFX), Nuke Stage has advanced greatly over the past 12 months, informed directly by customer feedback from the first uses in production, including the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios feature film The Thomas Crown Affair.

Enabling real-time playback of photoreal environments onto LED walls, the hardware-agnostic solution features enhanced metadata tracking to ensure every on-set creative decision is recorded, and now includes support for NotchLC playback and Gaussian Splat rendering.

Aligned with the updates in the recent Nuke 17.0 release, Nuke Stage takes advantage of the new 3D workflows in Nuke, allowing artists to work natively with USD in both tools. Artists can easily create assets in Nuke and import the USD scenes into Nuke Stage, providing them with full control to edit and override in real time, adding extra flexibility in production meaning creative decisions can be made earlier and quicker.

Our goal with Nuke Stage has always been to break down the barriers between on-set production and post-production to make it easier to refine assets across stages of production, rather than start over. The tremendous engagement from studios since the initial launch has been guiding the ongoing development of Nuke Stage and the wider Nuke family, creating a more iterative and interconnected pipeline, says Christy Anzelmo, Chief Product Officer.

Nuke Stage is really exciting because its a product designed from the ground up for virtual production. It takes the best of what we see in plates, which is fidelity and high quality playback, as well as a degree of flexibility that we see with game engines, and puts them together into one package, shared Christopher Simcock, Founding Director of Sensel Studio, which specializes in live events, immersive experiences, and virtual production. Using Nuke Stage, we can set up scenes in half the time.

A key principle of Nuke Stage is the ability to run on standard hardware, removing the need for proprietary infrastructure or specialized expertise. With shorter setup times and repeatable processes, the focus remains on the storytelling.

Through the pipeline centric approach of Nuke Stage, VFX artists can create, refine, and deliver content that transitions seamlessly from pre-production through real-time iteration on set and into post production. Core features include a shared color management system; support for open file formats like OpenUSD, OpenEXR, and OpenColorIO, and a Node Graph-based compositing environment that mirrors the familiar workflows and interface of Foundry's compositing toolset, Nuke.

This latest version includes an enhanced sequencer and one-click key framing, enabling virtual production operators to quickly build the story they want to tell, and respond iteratively to creative requests on-set. An accessible design language means everyone from compositors to media server operators have the ability to pick up and successfully use Nuke Stage in a live production environment quickly and efficiently.

Key Nuke Stage features include:

NotchLC support: Productions can seamlessly harness the efficient GPU-powered video codec's playback capabilities to run high-resolution, high-fidelity environments on LED walls. Studios can generate, prepare, and validate NotchLC media directly within existing Nuke workflows across Windows and Linux.

Live metadata capture: Scene data, camera tracking, lens metadata, timecode, scene settings, and color decisions are automatically logged and preserved in the Vault, ensuring all the critical information is available in post.

Gaussian Splat support: Native integration with 3D Gaussian Splats enables productions to more easily integrate captured content and deploy it as a photorealistic virtual environment on LED walls.

Standard hardware to scale with your needs: A single machine can drive multiple LED wall sections while remaining fully genlocked, reducing the total number of nodes needed on set and creating cost efficiencies.

Improved operator functionality: An enhanced Sequencer and a new Media Gallery simplifies show programming and Feed Mapping functionality gives greater control of the content on screen.

Expanded Python capability: External devices can hook into Nuke Stage, allowing on-set control to be given to relevant production teams.

To learn more about Nuke Stage, visit https://www.foundry.com/products/nukestage

About Foundry

Foundry has a 30-year heritage in developing creative software for the Media and Entertainment industry, and a portfolio of award-winning products. It advances the art and technology of visual experience with creative leaders around the globe, including major feature film studios and post-production houses such as ILM, DNEG, Walt Disney Animation Studios, W t FX, Pixar, Marvel, Netflix, Framestore and Skydance Animation.

In partnership with these companies, Foundry solves complex visualization challenges to turn incredible ideas into reality. Its products are used to create breathtaking visual effects and animation on a wide range of feature films, episodic content, and commercials.

Foundry software was integral in the making of every VFX Academy Award-winning film since 2007. The company has been recognized and honored at the highest level in the industry, including four Academy Sci-Tech Awards for Mari, Katana, Nuke and Furnace, two HPA Engineering Excellence awards for Flix and Nuke respectively, and an Engineering Emmy for Nuke.

Founded in 1996, Foundry is headquartered in London, with over 275 people worldwide.

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