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o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 1 c g w 7 V I E W P O I N T In our example, the studio, limited by Unreal's rendering architecture, used a string of UnrealReader Nodes and employed a technique called subtractive rendering. Instead of generating the desired image, the team generated a sequence of images that weren't wanted, but that contained the element that was. They then subtracted the sequences until le with the desired information, getting exactly what they wanted. This was all accomplished thanks to Nuke's powerful compositing tools, while also benefiting from the rendering efficiency of Unreal. Ultimately, the team were able to get passes out of Unreal that it was otherwise completely incapable of rendering, by using math inside of Nuke. The whole experiment is testament to the Unreal Reader's versatility; it provides a level of flexibility over Unreal that people yearn for when they're working just with Unreal and subse- quently hampered by the limitations of a game engine. Two Tools, One Workflow I was fortunate enough to host the artists, experts, and studios involved in the above use cases as part of Foundry Live's recent Research and Innovation Showcase. In this session, each speaker expands on the aforementioned examples and how they've been using the UnrealReader Node so far, and how they've been putting real-time technology to work on recent projects. One common theme emerged from the panel: The beauty of Unreal Reader is its promise of connecting two disparate tools and workflows. This is especially true for burgeoning artists new to the tech. It allows for artists to learn both Nuke and Unreal in conjunction with each other, rather than independently, safe in the knowledge that anything rendered in Unreal can seamlessly transfer into Nuke. The ability to use Unreal as part of a post-production workflow reflects Foundry's wider belief that real-time tools like game engines are going to be a part of everybody's tool kit moving forward. The reason we're hard at work on things like Unreal Reader is to ensure that people who work with Foundry products can get the best out of everything else they work with in their pipeline. Whatever process or technique they're using, we want to have the tools that compliment, accelerate, and improve the quality of what they're trying to do. If a piece of technology is here to stay, our long-term research plans begin to orient around it, much like they have for cloud and machine learning. In the case of game engines, real-time rendering, and virtual production, the question for us becomes: How do we make this something that's sustainable and pipelineable for years to come? The UnrealReader Node is just the start, and Foundry is currently forging a future that promises more in this space. For more insights into other related topics, visit Foundry's Insights Hub on www.foundry.com. Mathieu Mazerolle is director of Product – New Technology at Foundry. FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CONTACT MARI KOHN, DIR. OF SALES | 818. 291.1153 | mkohn@copcomm.com LISA NEELY, MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES EXEC. 818.660.5828 | lneely@copcomm.com WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE, PRESIDENT/CEO 818. 291.1111 | brittwage@copcomm.com next issue THESE ARE SOME OF THE EXCITING TOPICS THAT WILL BE COVERED IN THE JANUARY•FEBRUARY•MARCH 2022 ISSUE OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD: ¢ Coverage continuation of potential award-winning films. ¢ Highlighting streaming animation projects. ¢ A look at what's new in the CAD industry. ¢ Raising the bar in visual effects. ¢ The rise of animation. ¢ The creation of photorealistic digital humans and why you should care. ¢ VR/AR/XR — The reality of this growing segment. JANUARY•FEBRUARY•MARCH 2022