Compositors who’ve wanted to try generative tools usually end up bouncing frames out to another app and back again. Foundry’s answer is starting to take shape. Nuke 18.0, which CG Channel reported as being in open beta on October 27, adds a node that brings those AI workflows into the node graph itself.

What changed

The new Griptape node connects Nuke to Griptape, the AI orchestration platform Foundry bought earlier this year. Griptape strings third-party models for images, video, 3D, and audio into repeatable, node-based workflows, and it can work with models from companies like Google, OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Runway, and Topaz Labs.

According to CG Channel, here’s how the Nuke side works:

  • The node runs single-file image and video AI workflows.
  • It connects to a Griptape engine that’s already running, so Griptape is a separate piece of setup.
  • It reads the active workflow and exposes controls like prompts, models, seeds, and aspect ratio inside Nuke.

The suggested jobs are the familiar compositing chores: keying, masking, inpainting, and clean plates, plus making new elements such as dust.

The beta also brings better handling of 3D Gaussian Splats, including ways to trade fidelity for viewport speed, and support for more camera formats. There’s no final release date yet, though CG Channel notes that major Nuke versions have typically taken about three months to get from beta to release.

Why it matters for designers

For VFX artists, the interesting part is where the controls live. If a prompt and seed sit in the script alongside the rest of the comp, an AI step can be something you can see in the graph and go back to, not a mystery file that showed up from somewhere else.

It’s also worth noticing the approach. Foundry isn’t tying this to one house model. Griptape is model-agnostic, so the idea is that you pick the model that suits the shot and can change it later.

What to watch out for

This is a beta, so features can change, and Foundry strongly recommends not using it in production. Its beta page lists the Griptape connection as a feature under test, but the details of how the node works come from CG Channel’s report, and nobody we read has independently tested it. CG Channel doesn’t spell out what counts as a single-file workflow, so try a small one before planning around it.

Plan for two separate bills: Nuke itself, and whatever your models use through Griptape. The sidebar has the numbers. To try the beta you need a current Nuke, NukeX, or Nuke Studio license, or Foundry’s free 30-day trial. Indie isn’t on that list, and we couldn’t confirm whether the node will work there in the final release.

The bigger questions are about the models. Griptape’s menu mixes commercial and non-commercial licenses, and availability and third-party terms can change. Foundry recommends having security and legal teams review the policies of every model in a pipeline. Foundry’s pricing tables list on-premises deployment only under Enterprise, while its FAQ says Griptape can run in the cloud or on-premises without mentioning a plan. If a client’s security rules won’t let footage leave your network, ask Foundry which setup qualifies before you commit.