Thinkbox Software has released a beta version of the XMesh loader for NUKE, supporting versions 7 and up of The Foundry’s NUKE.
XMesh is a geometry caching plug-in designed to streamline animation and visual effects pipelines that is currently available off-the-shelf for Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya. The XMesh NUKE loader allows NUKE users to load saved XMesh data from 3ds Max or Maya into NUKE for rendering.
XMesh saves animated scene geometry in a compressed format, yielding smaller files for faster loading, manipulation, and sharing across departments and facilities. By externalizing geometry assets and caching out frames as a single mesh, XMesh files load faster than original scenes and eliminate the need to re-calculate complex animation rigs, particles or body simulations in every frame during rendering. Compounded across multiple workstations or render nodes, XMesh saves significant time and storage space. The cross-platform and cross-tool compatible plug-in is easy-to-use and makes for a powerful addition to digital workflows. Only the XMesh saver requires a license.