Vonk Ultra
Vonk Ultra provides a wide range of "data node" fuses that allow you to create efficient node graphs in Fusion that directly work with text, numbers, CSV spreadsheets, JSON, XML, YAML, and many other types of data using modifier nodes. Vonk Ultra can be installed via the Reactor package manager. More information can be read in the Vonk Ultra documentation. See also the Vonk Ultra Learning Resources.
Introduction¶
Vonk Ultra is a collection of data nodes for Blackmagic Design Resolve/Fusion. Vonk can be thought of as node-based modifiers that live in the flow. These node-based operations provide a no-code alternative to using expressions or custom scripts. Data nodes are tools that allow you to interconnect nodes together by supporting more data types for the input and output connections such as numbers, text, spreadsheets, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, metadata, arrays, matrices, and more.
These data node-based techniques encourage a more seamless interchange of information between DCC tools by reducing the loss of important metadata, removing manual data entry steps that can be error-prone, and keep data flowing through a pipeline in a more organized and consistent way.
The long-term hope of Vonk's developers is to help encourage artists and TDs to adopt "data node" concepts across a full production pipeline. These approaches are beneficial for teams working on cutting-edge projects in the motion graphics, VFX, XR, computer vision, machine learning, video/photogrammetry, and digital production/VP space.
Vonk's wide range of nodes include the newly added "vFileSystem" fuses which make it possible for a comp/pipeline TD to port the conceptual ideas found in a typical pipeline shell-script (.bat/.sh) into a fully node-based "Visual Shell Scripting'' paradigm that can run cross-platform inside of Resolve/Fusion/Fusion Render Node. This is effective if it's late at night, your brain focus is fading fast, and you need to quickly whip up in 15 minutes or less a general purpose data processing tool to solve an immediate production challenge.
If you would like to provide feedback on the evolution of the Vonk data nodes, please check out the development thread on the Steakunderwater forum.
The Vonk Ultra visual scripting nodes are installed using the Fusion community created Reactor Package Manager. There is a separate Vonk GitLab repository if you need to quickly grab a resource.
The Vonk Ultra documentation (you are reading now) is accessible on Google Docs. Local PDF formatted Vonk documentation can be read on disk at the following PathMap location:
Reactor:/Deploy/Docs/Kartaverse/Vonk Ultra/Vonk Ultra Data Nodes.pdf
If you enjoy the Vonk data nodes, you might also like to check out a companion guide that explains how to automate Fusion and Resolve workflows with the help of Houdini's TOPS task operators.