Foundry has officially released the Nuke 17 Open Beta, marking another step in their ongoing journey toward a USD-based workflow something they’ve been teasing since Nuke 14.
The new version get refinements, better 3D organization,Some of the key highlights include:
Improved USD and Scene Graph supportGeo stacking, path masking, and pruning
New snapping and constraint tools
Updated ScanlineRender v2
Overhauled timeline annotation system for clearer feedback
Variable system for smoother pipeline connections
On paper, it all sounds great the ability to access assets directly from the same USD pipeline as 3D and animation departments.
But many compositors are asking a simple question: who exactly asked for this?
After four years of beta testing and tweaks, the new 3D system feels… over-engineered for minimal benefit.
Most compositors still rely on 3D in Nuke mainly for projections, relighting, and camera work not full scene rendering.
So why push a Pixar-style USD workflow when 90% of Nuke users just want better tools for what they already do?
Imagine if Nuke introduced:
Real-time raytraced soft shadows or fake GI for bounce light.
Volumetric rays directly in 3D space instead of 2D cheats.
Better projection tools like tri-planar mapping or 3D scatter nodes.Faster UV unwrapping
Even a fast preview renderer like Blender’s Eevee for comp-level 3D.
That’s the kind of innovation that would make compositors excited again. Instead, it feels like
Foundry keeps building tools for a problem that doesn’t exist, while real workflow pain points remain untouched.
Expensive, Slow, and Ignoring the AI Wave
Let’s be honest: each new version of Nuke feels like a small patch sold as a big upgrade.
Every year, the subscription cost goes up, but the actual improvements most artists feel in production are minimal.
And while the rest of the world is racing ahead with AI-assisted tools, ComfyUI-style node workflows, and real-time generative integration, Nuke still feels stuck in the past.
No built-in AI upscaling, cleanup, roto helpers, or even simple inpainting tools things that are now standard in many free or low-cost tools.
It’s ironic: Nuke remains the most expensive compositor on the market, yet the innovation gap between it and open tools like ComfyUI or Blender is shrinking fast.
Foundry seems more interested in maintaining the pipeline for studios than empowering the artists actually using Nuke every day.
Nuke 17 Open Beta right now, it feels like a missed opportunity.
As AI workflows rapidly evolve, it’s time for Foundry to stop polishing the same old 3D system and start building the next generation of compositing tools the ones that actually help artists create faster, smarter, and with more creative freedom.
Until then, the price tag feels harder and harder to justify
