If you’re working with USD in Nuke 17, you’ll hear the word Xform everywhere. But what does it actually mean, and why does it matter for your compositing work? In simple terms, an Xform in USD is a transform node a way of positioning, rotating, or scaling something in 3D space. But the story behind…
Ben Affleck on AI and VFX Ben Affleck’s take on AI in VFX is interesting mainly because it says the quiet part out loud. Yes, some AI tools will replace parts of CGI work, mostly the repetitive and background stuff, and yes, the reason is money and speed. That is already happening. What makes the…
If you have ever used the default Noise node in Nuke for skies, domes, environment maps, or full frame textures, you already know the issue. The noise looks fine in the middle, but as soon as it wraps horizontally, you get a sharp visible seam. That seam instantly breaks realism, especially in lat-long or spherical…
A Scope is similar to an Xform, but with one key difference:👉 it cannot be transformed. Scopes are used purely for organisation. They help keep your Scene Graph clean without affecting position, rotation, or scale. Example: If you want to group all lights together: Scopes are perfect for:• Grouping lights• Organising props• Separating departments• Keeping…
Awards Season Officially Begins! Awards season is officially coming up with the Golden Globe Awards landing on January 11, followed by the Grammy Awards in February and the Academy Awards in March. For VFX artists, the real calendar event is January 13, when nominations for the Visual Effects Society Awards are announced across 25 categories…
If you open a USD scene in Nuke 17 and feel overwhelmed by the Scene Graph, here’s the secret: everything you are looking at is a Prim. A Prim, short for primitive, is the most basic building block in USD. If something exists in your 3D scene, it is a Prim. Geometry, cameras, lights, materials,…
