SOFTWARE: NUKE | UNREAL ENGINE 5
Epic Games’ Unreal Engine has become the dominant tool in real-time content creation, whether for games, or increasingly for cinematic and linear content. With the increase in the power of computing tools and the rise in advanced toolsets that are challenging to find in other applications – such as MetaHuman and Quixel content – and the addition of AI-powered creation tools on the horizon, Unreal is a tool that needs to be considered by all content creators.
But how does Unreal work with existing tools that a content creator may have?
Many 3D artists may look to it to replace or augment their 3D workflow. With a range of editing options available within Unreal, it’s possible to think of it as the ‘do-it-all’ application.
While undoubtedly powerful, Unreal can produce better-looking content working with other post tools. Recently, Foundry has released a plugin that enables the streaming of Unreal content directly into Nuke; the company’s own compositing software.
Why would an artist want this workflow? Well, Nuke is one of the premiere workflow tools for standalone artists and the world’s leading VFX houses. Having an easy-to-use system that allows artists skilled in Unreal to provide live content directly to Nuke means that Unreal, with a single node, becomes a powerful 3D engine that can also make games, all from the same content.
Typically, video game cinematics would be completed by artists using more traditional 3D toolsets and render engines. This would require hero figure assets of a game, for example, to be remastered for a cinematic, needing more details than the game-optimised hero figure. The increasing power of game engines such as Unreal, as well as the increased capabilities of graphics cards in terms of speed and RAM, mean a hero asset for a game is equally suitable for a cinematic. Using Unreal to create game and cinematic animations means a more efficient workflow for artists looking to maximise their creative opportunities in real-time and linear cinematic content.
This tutorial is designed for artists new to Nuke and Unreal, and will show how to set up the Nuke UnrealReader plugin link.
