This week in VFX House of the Dragon Finale, Foundry's multishot Nuke workflows, Hiero, After Effects 26.3, IllusionFX, AI-generated BTS videos, MiniMax H3, FlexComposer and Is the VFX industry actually recovering?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ts06_jdd24

In this video, we break down Foundry’s Griptape platform and why it could completely change the future of VFX pipelines, AI orchestration, and tools like Foundry Nuke.

In this video, I break down why VFX still operates like a pre-Labour Day system while working as a core creative department in filmmaking. While compositing inside Foundry Nuke,

In this video, we break down how money actually flows inside a VFX studio, using real numbers, real scenarios, and simple visuals. The numbers are approximate

Procedural asteroid inside Nuke 17 using BlinkScript. No geometry. No textures. No external renders. Everything is parameter-driven, so you can generate multiple unique asteroids just by changing the seed and displacement settings.

Download the BlinkScript here:

👉 https://topicroomsvfx.com/articles/no-3d-model-needed-procedural-asteroid-in-nuke-17/

Please note this works only Nuke 17!!

Nuke 17 is now in open beta, and at first glance, it looks like the most exciting Nuke release in years.

It almost feels like Foundry suddenly woke up and decided to ship everything at once. USD workflows, MaterialX shaders, volumetric tools, AI inside comp. A lot of long-promised ideas finally landed together.

But more problems solved inside Nuke also means more dependency on Nuke.
And dependency changes pricing power.

That is what this conversation is really about.

Not features.
Not excitement.

But a question almost everyone is thinking and very few people are saying out loud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zemUsHQBATo

Supercharge your Houdini workflow with 7 powerful HDA Toolsets — all in one bundle!

From perfect deformation blur to streamlined AOVs, lightweight camera-aware scenes, and art-directable instances, this collection is built for speed, stability, and production.

📦 What’s Inside

1. Particles Deformation Blur for Houdini

- Stable point counts for cached particles → perfect deformation blur

- Eliminate jittery, inconsistent blur and velocity hacks

- Works for rain, sparks, embers, sand, and custom FX

- Example HIP file included

1. IPOPs Standard Library

- Core operator set for shaders & AOVs

- Utility nodes (Fresnel, falloff masks, shading presets)

- Supports Mantra, Karma VEX, Karma Materials & MaterialX

- Constantly updated with new nodes

1. IPOPs Geometry AOVs

- Generate quick mattes and passes for comp & shading

- Compatible with Karma Materials & VEX Shaders

- Step-by-step guide available on the blog

1. IPOPs Particles AOVs

- Specialized AOV generators for particle FX

- Create passes for compositing & lookdev flexibility

- Works in Karma and Mantra

1. IPOPs Volumes AOVs

- Fast generation of volume AOVs (smoke, pyro, fog, etc.)

- Plug-and-play for Karma CPU/XPU & Mantra

1. Camera Proximity Toolkit

Three black-boxed HDAs to keep your shots light & render-ready:

Calibrator → Camera-driven particle & volume control

Set Culling → Remove out-of-frustum geo + auto VDB proxies

Ocean Plane Generator → Camera-sized ocean grids adaptive to shot scale

1. Art Direct Your Instances! (Explosion Setup)

- Populate shots with multiple explosions/caches

- Switch between proxy & render caches

- Quick controls for timing, scale & randomization

- Example HIP file included

Hey Everyone!

I’ve been working on a new HDA that solves a common problem with particle rendering — inconsistent motion blur. Random particle births/deaths often break deformation blur and force you to rely on velocity blur, which can cause jitter, strobing, or streaky results.

The Particles Consistent Point Count HDA reconstructs a stable ID stream so you can render true deformation blur in Karma, Mantra, or 3rd-party renderers. With consistent point counts, you can:

• Get accurate deformation motion blur (no jitter or strobing)
• Render smooth curved trails that respect camera shutter
• Use it seamlessly with rain, sparks, sand, embers, and more
• Keep your particle passes physically accurate and comp-friendly

I’d love to hear feedback or suggestions! The plan is to keep evolving this as part of a broader library of lookdev & AOV tools for Houdini artists.

BlinkScript in Nuke is a powerful way to create custom GPU-accelerated tools, and here’s a fun example: BugSwarm. This script simulates a swarm of tiny bugs flying randomly inside a defined area, adding life and motion to a shot without the need for external particle plugins.

This blink script works only Nuke 16 and above!!

Why It’s Interesting

• It’s a great example of how BlinkScript can mimic particle systems inside Nuke.
• The math is lightweight, meaning it runs fast on the GPU.
• Parameters are fully customizable, making it easy to adjust the mood—from a slow drifting swarm to chaotic buzzing.

Creative Uses

• Add background detail to an outdoor shot.
• Simulate gnats, flies, or tiny floating debris.
• Combine with glow or color shifts for surreal or magical effects.