Quick Start¶

Create a BlinkScript node from the Other menu. Alternatively, you can press the Tab key in the node graph and enter "BlinkScript" in the box that appears.

_images/bs-menu.png — Under **Other** in the left hand options menu¶

_images/bs-tab-key.png — Press the Tab key in the node graph and search for BlinkScript.¶

When a BlinkScript node is created, it will automatically load the Swirlomatic example kernel, which takes a single input.
Read in your favourite footage or create a standard image such as the Checkerboard and then connect this to the BlinkScript node’s input.
Add a Viewer and connect this to the BlinkScript node’s output. You should see a swirl effect.
Open the Kernel Parameters tab. This kernel has three parameters, Amount, Radius, and Centre. Adjust these to see how the swirlomatic effect changes.

_images/blinkscript-nuke.png — A BlinkScript node in Nuke’s Node Graph.¶

BlinkScript Tab¶

This tab allows you to edit the kernel that will be be built and run.

Bake

This button Bakes the blinkscript node and caches all of the library files with it in a human readable format.

Introduced in Nuke 16.0

Make Live

This button makes a Baked blinkscript live again. This will make the BlinkScript stop using the cached Blink library files and instead use the files live from disk. When coming from a Baked state the user will be given the opportunity to export the cached Blink library files to disk.

Introduced in Nuke 16.0

Protect

This button makes a new BlinkScript node with no editor. on the new BlinkScript node the Kernel and all library files are cached and encrypted.

Introduced in Nuke 16.0

You can see more about BlinkScript states here.

Kernel File: This allows you to select a file from which to load the kernel, or specify a file to save it to.
Load: Loads a kernel from the file specified in Kernel File and recompiles it.
Save: Writes the kernel source to the file specified in Kernel File.
Clear: Clears all the text in the Kernel Source editor.
Recompile: Trigger a recompile of the kernel in Kernel Source.
Kernel Source: This displays the current kernel and allows you to edit it. The Swirlomatic kernel is loaded by default.

Kernel Parameters Tab¶

This tab allows you to control how the kernel will be used for image processing within Nuke.

Local GPU

This is the name of the GPU that can be used to run the kernel. If you have more than one GPU available and wish to use a different one, you can change the GPU selected by editing the GPU Device in your Nuke Preferences.

Use GPU if available

Select this to run your kernel on the GPU whenever a local GPU is available.

Vectorize on CPU

Select this to use SIMD acceleration, where possible, in the code generated for the CPU.

Safety Rails

Select this to instrument the generated code with safety checks to prevent out-of-bounds memory accesses. See Kernel Debugging for more information.

Introduced in Nuke 16.0

Inputs

If your BlinkScript contains Images with the eRead qualifier, these will be treated as input images and displayed here. Each input image can have up to four components, which can be chosen from the layers and channels of the connected inputs.

Introduced in Nuke 15.1

Kernel Parameters

If your kernel contains parameters that can be controlled by the user, these will be displayed here. When the node is first created, it has the three Swirlomatic parameters: Amount, Radius and Centre. For more information about the types of parameters that can be used, see Parameters and Knobs.

Outputs

BlinkScripts allow for a single output image, specified with the eWrite qualifier. This will be displayed here, where you can set which channels will be written to.

Introduced in Nuke 15.1

Specify output format

By default, the bounds of the Blink node’s output will be the union of the bounds of all its inputs. This allows you to specify the output format manually using the Format dropdown below.

Format

When Specify output format is enabled, this enables you to choose the format for the Blink node’s output.

You can find out more about the Kernel knobs here.

Library Files Tab¶

This tab allows you to manage Blink library files for the BlinkScript node.

Introduced in Nuke 16.0

Files: The list of Blink library files already added to the node and the status of each file.
File Path: Inserting a path here will allow you to add a Blink library file at the specified path. Paths can be relative to the Blink library folder preference path or the project directory and can contain tcl notation for using environment variables etc. Otherwise paths are expected to be absolute.
Add: Once a Blink library file path has been given to the File Path knob this button will add that library to the node.

You can find out more about how to use Blink library files here.