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Nuke 18.0 open beta: Griptape AI workflows inside the node graph
Foundry put Nuke 18.0 into open beta on 26 Oct 2026. The headline is a Griptape node, so an AI workflow built in Griptape, Foundry's node-based tool for chaining image, video and 3D models, now runs from inside the Nuke node graph instead of in a separate app. The beta also detects cut points in a reference QuickTime and gives more control over Gaussian splats. Foundry has reset its free trials, so anyone can try Nuke and the beta for 30 days.
What changed
Until now a generated element meant leaving Nuke, running a model somewhere else, downloading the result and reading it back in. With the Griptape node the workflow runs from the comp and the result comes back into the graph. Griptape's own docs add that a finished workflow can be published as a versioned gizmo and picked from a Griptape menu inside Nuke.
Who it's for
Compositors and small VFX teams already in Nuke who want generated plates, passes or elements without another round trip. Griptape's docs say you need a local Nuke install and licence, and the trial covers that while the beta runs.
What it means for a cut
Cut detection is the quieter win: drop in a reference QuickTime and Nuke marks where the shots change, which saves a chore when a turnover arrives as one flat file. It's a beta, so keep it on test shots rather than a delivery.
Tags: nuke, foundry, griptape, compositing, vfx, beta
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