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ASCII For Nuke

Ascii is a native OpenFX image effect for Nuke. It converts footage into a stable character grid and gives artists direct control over glyph selection, density, color, background, scale, rotation, transform, and mask-driven variation. It renders a normal raster result, so it works naturally inside existing compositing pipelines.

MacOS Apple Silicon only.

(Windows coming soon.)

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  $25.00
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Description
[ ASCII ] Native OpenFX image effect for Nuke
New in 1.1
New looks and setups, ready to edit.
Choose one of 12 starting looks on a single ASCII node, or add a complete multi-node setup. Adjust the result in Nuke, then save your own setup to use again.
Five bundled ASCII setup styles, including layered color portraits and glitch looks
Five more bundled ASCII setup styles, from data patterns to colorful portrait effects
ASCII For Nuke 1.1 properties panel with organized tabs
Updated properties panel
Example layered multi-node ASCII setup in Nuke
Layered node setup
Example masked multi-node ASCII setup in Nuke
Masked node setup
What changed in 1.1
A quicker start, with all the controls still there.
Use a look as a starting point, insert a complete graph, or keep building from a blank ASCII node. The presets are editable, not flattened results.
12 one-click looks
Switch the starting look directly on the node, then adjust the grid, glyphs, colors, and analysis controls to suit your shot.
10 bundled multi-node setups
Bring in complete Nuke graphs with ASCII nodes, masks, grades, and merges. The connections and individual nodes remain editable.
Save your own setups
Select the nodes that make up a look, save them from the Setups tab, and load that graph again in another script.
Clearer properties
Find the main controls under ASCII, with dedicated tabs for transforms, analysis, masks, licensing, and setups. Sections are separated for easier scanning.
Native X/Y scale controls
Grid scale, glyph scale, and mask maximum scale stay linked by default. Reveal separate axes when you want to stretch or squeeze a look.
Smoother rotated glyphs
Improved antialiasing keeps character edges cleaner when glyphs are rotated, especially in motion or at larger scales.
Simpler installation
The aescripts Manager installs the Nuke interface and bundled setups without asking you to edit Nuke startup files manually.
Existing projects stay compatible
The 1.0 OpenFX identity and saved-script behavior are preserved, so existing ASCII nodes can continue to load in your projects.
ASCII rendering for Nuke
Create and animate ASCII-style graphics directly in Nuke.
Ascii is an OpenFX node that maps image values to font glyphs or procedural shapes, with controls for the grid, tone, color, transforms, masks, and alpha.
Video examples ↓
01 / Amazon · 16:9
02 / Architecture · 9:16
Grid and image analysis
Set the grid, then control how the source is sampled.
Choose a column count or character height and keep the result stable across the shot.
Grid setup
Columns or character height, grid offset, native grid X/Y scale linked by default, and natural font proportions.
Source analysis
Luminance, RGB channels, alpha, maximum RGB, or average RGB, followed by black point, white point, gamma, contrast, inversion, and levels.
Dithering and output
Ordered dithering, antialiased or hard glyphs, solid or sampled colors, transparent or filled backgrounds, and normal RGBA output.
03 / Model · 16:9
Glyph transforms and masks
Animate scale, rotation, and position independently.
Apply a base transform to every glyph, then add local variation through three optional mask inputs.
Base transform
Separate glyph X/Y scale, rotation, X/Y transform, and six selectable scale–rotate–transform orders.
Three mask inputs
Mask luminance controls scale and rotation; red and green control X and Y transform. Amount and pivot controls define each response.
Clean enlargement
Large glyphs are rendered again from the font, can overlap adjacent cells, and do not change the character selected for the source brightness.
04 / Digit · 9:16
05 / Bloom · 16:9
06 / Angel · 1:1
Glyph sets and fonts
Choose a preset or enter your own characters.
Auto-rank glyphs by rendered density, or order a manual ramp from dark to bright.
Text presets
ASCII, alphanumeric, punctuation, binary, Unicode blocks, Hiragana, Katakana, Kana, Japanese punctuation, and Grade 1 Kanji.
Procedural sets
Halftones, strokes, glitch tiles, soft cells, bars, circuit grids, geometric shapes, Braille, lines, circles, and mosaic blocks.
Fonts
JetBrains Mono and M PLUS 1 Code are included, or load a custom TTF/OTF file.
Setup styles
Start with a look. Make it yours.
Ten bundled multi-node setups show different ways to combine glyphs, colors, and layers. Add one to your script, then adjust the nodes to fit your footage.
Looping slideshow of ten bundled ASCII For Nuke setups
Glyph sets
Compare different glyph styles — or add your own.
See all 24 included presets on the same animated source, then build custom glyph ramps with your own characters.
Animated horse rendered with the Minimal ASCII glyph set
Minimal ASCII
Animated horse rendered with the Detailed ASCII glyph set
Detailed ASCII
Animated horse rendered with the Alphanumeric glyph set
Alphanumeric
Animated horse rendered with the Punctuation glyph set
Punctuation
Animated horse rendered with the Unicode Blocks glyph set
Unicode Blocks
Animated horse rendered with the Hiragana glyph set
Hiragana
Animated horse rendered with the Katakana glyph set
Katakana
Animated horse rendered with the Kana Mixed glyph set
Kana Mixed
Animated horse rendered with the Japanese Punctuation glyph set
Japanese Punctuation
Animated horse rendered with the Kanji Grade 1 glyph set
Kanji: Grade 1 (80)
Animated horse rendered with the Japanese Mixed glyph set
Japanese Mixed
Animated horse rendered with the Square Halftone glyph set
Square Halftone
Animated horse rendered with the Strokes glyph set
Strokes
Animated horse rendered with the Glitch Tiles glyph set
Glitch Tiles
Animated horse rendered with the Circle Halftone glyph set
Circle Halftone
Animated horse rendered with the Soft Cells glyph set
Soft Cells
Animated horse rendered with the Bars glyph set
Bars
Animated horse rendered with the Circuit Grid glyph set
Circuit Grid
Animated horse rendered with the Geometric Shapes glyph set
Geometric Shapes
Animated horse rendered with the Braille Matrix glyph set
Braille Matrix
Animated horse rendered with the Lines and Circles glyph set
Lines & Circles
Animated horse rendered with the Mosaic Blocks glyph set
Mosaic Blocks
Animated horse rendered with the Binary glyph set
Binary
Animated horse rendered with the Heavy ASCII glyph set
Heavy ASCII
Output examples
Different glyph sets, colors, and grid sizes = Different styles.
These examples use the same node with different source analysis, glyph sets, fonts, colors, backgrounds, transforms, and masks.
Color cityscape rendered from ASCII characters
City / detailed ASCII
Warm portrait rendered through layered glyphs
Portrait / glyph color
Flower rendered with a custom character ramp
Flower / custom ramp
Flower exploding into transformed glyphs
Flower / transform masks
Figure rendered from Japanese characters and Kanji
Figure / Kanji
High-key portrait rendered with an ASCII luminance ramp
Portrait / luminance
Dark skull rendered from custom glyphs
Skull / custom set
Vertical landscape rendered from outlined Unicode blocks
Trees / Unicode blocks
Updated Ascii 1.1 node properties panel in Nuke
Nuke properties / updated controls
How it works
A standard Nuke image effect.
[ 01 / ANALYZE ]
Sample the source image.
Choose luminance, RGB, alpha, maximum RGB, or average RGB, then adjust the tonal response.
[ 02 / DRAW ]
Choose and render glyphs.
Use a built-in text or procedural set, bundled monospace fonts, or load a custom TrueType or OpenType font.
[ 03 / ANIMATE ]
Adjust or animate the result.
Animate the grid and base transforms, or modulate scale, rotation, and movement with separate masks.
Ascii stays inside the normal Nuke image pipeline. It does not make subject-isolation decisions; use source alpha or masks when you want empty cells around a subject, then continue compositing the RGBA result like any other image.
Ascii for Nuke
Character-based image rendering, directly in Nuke.
Use it for portraits, title design, terminal-style graphics, music videos, and experimental compositing while keeping the result adjustable inside the shot.
Nuke 16 and 17  •  macOS  •  Apple Silicon  •  Native OpenFX  •  RGBA raster output
  • 0:00 Intro
  • 0:07 Product Presentation
  • 0:17 Grid and Characters
  • 0:28 Tonal Controls
  • 0:41 Glyphs Sets
  • 0:51 Glyph Ordering
  • 1:03 Color and Background Options
  • 1:17 Stock Fonts and Custom Fonts
  • 1:31 Glyphs Position, Rotation and Scale
  • 1:58 Conclusion

Discussions

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Head over to r/aescripts to chat with fellow users about this product.

Need Support?

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Version History

1.1.0 -

Sep 27, 2026

- Added 12 one-click look presets. Each remains fully editable after selection.
- Added 10 bundled multi-node setups, with controls to save and load your own setups.
- Reorganized the Nuke controls into clearer tabs and sections.
- Added native X/Y controls for grid scale, glyph scale, and mask maximum scale.
- Improved glyph antialiasing, particularly when characters are rotated.
- Made the Nuke interface self-contained in the Aescripts Manager installation; no manual changes to Nuke startup files are required.
- Preserved compatibility with existing ASCII For Nuke scripts and licenses.

1.0.0 -

Sep 10, 2026

- Native OpenFX image effect for generating ASCII-style imagery directly in Nuke.
- Includes 24 preset glyph sets plus custom glyph ramps and custom font support.
- Supports Latin, Unicode, Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, procedural shapes, halftones, and more.
- Adjustable grid density, glyph scale, rotation, position, colors, backgrounds, and tonal mapping.
- Independent mask inputs for glyph scale, rotation, and transform.
- Seven-day trial and integrated aescripts licensing.
- Supports Nuke 17 on Apple Silicon macOS.

Compatibility

Nuke/NukeX

17.0, 16.0

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Updated: Oct 21, 2025 1:35 AM

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