Chaos

What are you looking for?

podcast banner

Jonathan Egstad

412_Jonathan_Egstad_Full.png

Jonathan Egstad knows Nuke like few others. He started working with the compositing software at Digital Domain, where he developed a 3D subsystem and bagged an Academy Award, before moving to the pioneering animation studio Image Movers. Subsequently, he joined Dreamworks Animation (formerly PDI) to help integrate Nuke into its compositing pipeline.

In this podcast, Jonathan demonstrates the rare combination of artistic and technical talents that have made him one of the most respected names in the CG industry. He discusses his first jobs at DD on Apollo 13, how the company upgraded Nuke to handle Titanic’s epic shots, and he reminisces with Chris about faking ray tracing for I, Robot. He wraps up with details on his new role at Foundry and what’s in store for Nuke.


Links:

Jonathan Egstad on IMDb >

Jonathan Egstad on Wikipedia >


412_Jonathan_Egstad_YouTube.png412_Jonathan_Egstad_YouTube.png

0:04:30 Animatronic dreams

0:09:20 The emergence of CG

0:14:14 Digital Domain gets Nuke

0:20:00 Shake, Flame, Nuke, and "Titanic"

0:24:48 Faking ray tracing for "I, Robot"

0:30:48 Developing Nuke and understanding lighting

0:34:30 Moving to Image Movers

0:40:20 The importance of eye reflections

0:44:52 Writing a renderer for Nuke

0:48:40 Joining Foundry; what's new in Nuke

0:54:06 Does Nuke make an awesome viewport

0:59:58 Hydra and Nuke

1:04:57 Machine learning and the future of Nuke

IMG_h96auu.jpg
About the author

Christopher Nichols

Chris is a CG industry veteran and Director of Chaos Labs. He can also be heard regularly as the host of the CG Garage podcast which attracts 20,000 weekly listeners. With a background in both VFX and Design, Chris has worked for Gensler, Digital Domain, Imageworks and Method Studios. His credits include Maleficent, Oblivion and Tron: Legacy.

Originally published: February 6, 2023.
© Škoda Design

Subscribe to our blog.

Get the latest news, artist spotlight stories, tips and tricks delivered to your inbox.

By submitting your information you are agreeing to receive marketing messages from Chaos. You can opt-out at any time. Privacy Policy.

Chaos
© 2024 Chaos Software EOOD. All Rights reserved. Chaos®, V-Ray® and Phoenix FD® are registered trademarks of Chaos Software EOOD in Bulgaria and/or other countries.