Lightmap Labs: Octane for Nuke / Frame Buffer

We have been doing some R&D recently with Octane for Nuke plug-in developer. This has led to a really cool new feature we are exploring – a Frame Buffer in the HDR Light Studio interface. This is not available in our release software yet and is something we are still developing and evaluating.

In this video skip to 6 minutes 30 seconds to see this in action.

The concept is simple. When using HDR Light Studio via a connection, the Frame Buffer for the interactive rendering is shared by Octane for Nuke with HDR Light Studio and this image is then used as the interface to position lighting. The benefits are:

• No need to load the 3D model into HDR Light Studio – saving resources.
• Saves on screen space. The HDR Light Studio interface can fill your display. No need to leave Nuke interface visible whilst lighting the shot.
• Make lighting judgements looking at the final shot rendered in the final renderer. Literally painting the shot with light sources.

Additionally the Octane for Nuke plugin now supports both the HDRI Environment Map and Area Lights – all created and controlled on the fly in HDR Light Studio.

So if you are a Nuke artist using the Octane for Nuke plug-in, and you want to try this frame buffer feature for yourself, please do get in touch through our contact page. We can provide you with the special HDR Light Studio build and would love your feedback on this workflow.