Ben's Comp Newsletter: Issue 013

Hey,

I've noticed a trend in the global Compositing community, which has gained momentum over the past couple years -- artists proclaiming: "I want to learn Python". This month, I've put a lot of thought towards designing a course: "Python Fundamentals for Compositors", aimed towards those who have little-to-no prior programming experience.

In the research phase of this project, I discovered there are already a couple people who have graciously released some incredible resources online within the last month! Rather than re-inventing the wheel myself, I instead want to share these lessons from others with you.

PYTHON SCRIPTING FOR SMART AND CURIOUS COMPOSITORS
Gianluca Dentici appears to have learned python a similar way to myself: rather than going through the long and arduous process of learning a new programming language from scratch, he's identified that it's more-efficient to learn Python within the context & confines of Nuke itself.

In his first lesson, Gianluca does a great job at providing clear & concise explanations for the basics of Python in Nuke, with an added splash of humour to spice things up! This is a great place to start if you've always wanted to learn Python, but haven't found a place to begin.

Click here to visit Gianluca's "Python Scripting for Smart and Curious Compositors course page, or Click here to download Lesson 1 directly!

PYTHON AND TCL: TIPS AND TRICKS FOR NUKE
Up to speed with the basics of Python for Nuke? Andrea Geremia just released a huge resource, along with links for further reading & context, on his website! Andrea's resource is a natural progression from Gianluca's tutorial (above), providing a different approach to teaching Python, by supplying the code with thorough commenting throughout.

If you enjoy copy/pasting snippets of useful code, this one is for you!

Click here to view Andrea's Python & TCL Tips and Tricks article. If that's not enough, he has also created a gizmo to help you learn, which you can Download on Nukepedia!

YOUR FIRST STEPS WITH PYTHON
Now that you've got the basics of Python covered, I'd highly recommend thinking about ways you can automate your workflow. If you're stuck, a great place to start is by personalizing Nuke to work the way you like to work! If you're after quick code resulting in efficiency that pays off exponentially over time, this is the one thing you should do!

I've written a couple articles on Python in the past, which will help you get started:

What's a menu.py, and why should I have one? covers how you can customize Nuke's node defaults to values you use most-often, how to set custom keyboard shortcuts, etc.
Create simple Python Scripts to Speed up your Workflow is an introduction to functions, and simple if/else statements -- both are core fundamentals to coding with Python.

AUTONOMOUS ROBOT STUNT DOUBLES
Step aside Boston Dynamics, the team at Disney Imagineering has created some impressive stunt robots! Whilst it seems these stunt bots were created for park attractions, there are certainly implications regarding improving human safety on a film set. Look forward to comping face replacements on robots in the near-future!

Click here to watch the video, or Click here to read more about the technology.

Reply to this email, or use my website's Contact Form to share it with me! I'd love to implement it in my own day-to-day work, and share your creation with this community!

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