Nuke to Natron transition guide

This document is an very incomplete stage.

Natron and Nuke are very similar. We will focus here on the differences between them.

Nodes names

Many nodes have similar names in Natron and Nuke. Here are the the ones thar are different

Nuke	Natron
CurveTool	ImageStatistics
Copy	Shuffle

Cloning node groups and pyplugs is possible. This is very powerful as it mean you can apply the same complex process to different images without constantly copy / pasting when you change parameters. Beware that the nodes connexions must not be changed. Only the node parameters are be updated, not their connexions.
Cloning roto nodes.
Hide the unmodified parameters of a node. In Natron, click on the 4th icon from the right in the properties panel. This will make the window far more readable and help you focus on what you’re working on.

Mainly 3D functions are not implemented. But Natron is very good for compositing 3D images from other software. For example multi pass EXR generated by Blender or other 3D software.
Some missing features can be filled by adding OpenFX plugins from other software vendors.

Note

Tip: CommunityScripts have a tool named PMCard3D and PMcamera that bring minimal 3D functionality.

To get the value of a pixel in Natron, use the ImageStatistics node with a 1x1 rectangle, and retrieve the pixel value from the statMean parameter.