Back in February, after I attended a NUKE Master Class in Brooklyn, I posted an article about the new planar tracker and other features coming in NUKE 6.3. Today, The Foundry started shipping the new version of its compositing software, which is quickly becoming an industry standard in visual effects studios here in the U.S. and abroad.

The Foundry’s quick to point out that this upgrade isn’t only for its core effects customers. Some of NUKE’s expanded features directly address The Foundry‘s widening market beyond visual effects for film. Newer NUKE customers include smaller shops that primarily work in commercial production. The new 3D particle system, several presets and an audio scratch track, in fact, were specifically designed to help those working on short-form projects save time under tighter and more frequent deadlines.

NUKE customer MPC (The Moving Picture Company) created this spot for Cadbury:

NUKE 6.3 is available on Mac, Linux and Windows for $3,800 (£2,300). The pro version, NUKEX lists for $6,600 (£4,000). But if you’ve already got an earlier version of NUKE installed and your subscription term hasn’t run out, the upgrade to 6.3 is absolutely free. There’s also a 15-day trial and the option to rent. Find out more on The Foundry’s product page, here.