r/vfx • u/R3animatr • 12h ago
Showreel / Critique VFX Showreel 2026 | Igor Sandimirov
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Hi everyone! I’d like to share a short preview of my showreel. You can watch the full reel on YouTube here.
r/vfx • u/ZiggyisStarman • Apr 30 '26
News / Article VES launches On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide
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Hey fellow Visual Effects community stoked to share what we have been working on for the past year over at he VES Technology Committee call it a playbook and usage guide to map key data from on-set capture to delivery.
FYI I am one of the co-authors of the Guide. If you have questions or feedback make sure to reach out.
You can find the guide here : https://ves-on-set-data.org/dashboard/?tab=Introduction
Here is the full information on the release :
The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honorary society, today released its VES On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide. Developed over the past year by the VES Technology Committee, this practical on-set resource maps key data sets and capture workflows – giving productions, vendors, and technology teams a shared playbook for using and capturing on‑set data more effectively.
The Guide was designed to establish a common language between on‑set VFX, production, VFX facilities, and technology teams, ultimately enabling clearer communication, smoother handoffs, and better-aligned expectations across departments. This comprehensive Guide explains the major on‑set data sets, their capture methods, their practical applications, and their intended stakeholders, so that every participant across the production understands what information exists and how it can support their work.
In addition to defining data sets, the Guide documents both current and emerging on‑set data capture workflows. This aims to inform stakeholders about potential data sources and to highlight how these choices impact production pipelines, timelines, and budgets, while also laying the groundwork for future efforts around data hierarchies, database development, and workflow automation.
The Guide also underscores that this data has significant value for every department on a production. It supports collaboration, optimizes workflows, and enables better-informed creative and operational decisions. By advocating for open access and visibility for these data sets, the Guide encourages all teams to engage with and benefit from this shared knowledge, strengthening collective outcomes and overall production efficiency.
“Our intent with this Guide is to streamline the filmmaking process by enabling every department to be more well-informed,” said Sheena Duggal, the Guide’s lead author and member of the VES Technology Committee. “Multiple departments can utilize the same data – for instance, the VFX team’s LiDAR scans can be repurposed across departments to support set construction, stunt planning, and other production needs. It’s just a matter of educating and communicating clearly so that everyone can benefit.”
“In today’s hybrid of real-time virtual production, AI, and traditional pipelines, the VFX department is responsible for not just post, but on-set data capture, continuity, and asset integrity from pre-production through final delivery,” explained Jim Geduldick, contributing author to the Guide. “That framework was the key lens that we used in thinking through these workflows and how they relate to each department.”
The Guide was created for the VES Technology Committee by Sheena Duggal, with contributions from Sam Richards, Jim Geduldick, and Jake Morrison, and technical support from Jean-Francois Panisset. It is licensed under the Creative Commons CC‑BY 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, provided appropriate credit is given to the creator.
To view the Guide, visit: https://ves-on-set-data.org/
Join the VES for a webinar on May 12 to explore the Guide with some of its creators: https://vesglobal.org/event/webinar-introduction-to-ves-on-set-vfx-data-collection-and-usage-guide-online/
r/vfx • u/axiomatic- • Mar 15 '25
Subreddit Discussion Advice for Potential Students and Newcomers to the VFX Industry in 2025
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We've been getting a lot of posts asking about the state of the industry. This post is designed to give you some quick information about that topic which the mods hope will help reduce the number of queries the sub receives on this specific topic.
As of early 2025, the VFX industry has been through a very rough 18-24 months where there has been a large contraction in the volume of work and this in turn has impacted hiring through-out the industry.
Here's why the industry is where it is:
- There was a Streaming Boom in the late 2010s and early 2020s that lead to a rapid growth in the VFX industry as a lot of streaming companies emerged and pumped money into that sector, this was exacerbated by COVID and us all being at home watching media.
- In 2023 there were big strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA which led to a massive halt in production of Hollywood films and series for about 8 months. After that was resolved there was the threat of another strike in 2024 when more union contracts were to be negotiated. The result of this was an almost complete stop to productions in late 2023 and a large portion of 2024. Many shows were not greenlit to start until late 2024
- During this time, and partly as a result of these strikes, there was a slow down in content and big shake ups among the streaming services. As part of this market correction a number of them closed, others were folded into existing services, and some sold up.
- A bunch of other market forces made speculation in the VFX business even more shaky, things like: the rise of AI, general market instability, changes in distribution split (Cinemas vs. Streaming) and these sorts of things basically mean that there's a lot of change in most media industries which scared people.
The combination of all of this resulted in a loss of a lot of VFX jobs, the closing of a number of VFX facilities and large shifts in work throughout the industry.
The question is, what does this mean for you?
Here's my thoughts on what you should know if you're considering a long term career in VFX:
Work in the VFX Industry is still valid optional to choose as a career path but there are some caveats.
- The future of the VFX industry is under some degree of threat, like many other industries are. I don't think we're in more danger of disappearing than your average game developer, programmer, accountant, lawyer or even box packing factory work. The fact is that technology is changing how we do work and market forces are really hard to predict. I know there will be change in the specifics of what we do, there will be new AI tools and new ways of making movies. But at the same time people still want to watch movies and streaming shows and companies still want to advertise. All that content needs to be made and viewed and refined and polished and adapted. While new AI tools might mean individuals in the future can do more, but those people will likely be VFX artists. As long as media is made and people care about the art of telling stories visually I think VFX artists will be needed.
Before you jump in, you should know that VFX is likely to be a very competitive and difficult industry to break into for the foreseeable future.
- From about 2013 to 2021 there was this huge boom in VFX that meant almost any student could eventually land a job in VFX working on cool films. Before then though VFX was actually really hard to get into because the industry was smaller and places were limited, you had to be really good to get a seat in a high end facility. The current market is tight; there's a lot of experience artists looking for work and while companies will still want juniors, they are likely going to be more juniors for the next few years than there are jobs.
If you're interested in any highly competitive career then you have to really want it, and it would also be a smart move to diversify your education so you have flexibility while you work to make your dream happen.
- Broad computer and technical skills are useful, as are broader art skills. Being able to move between other types of media than just VFX could be helpful. In general I think you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket too early unless you're really deadest that this is the only thing you want to do. I also think you should learn about new tools like AI and really be able to understand how those tools work. It'll be something future employers likely care about.
While some people find nice stable jobs a lot of VFX professionals don't find easy stability like some careers.
- Freelance and Contract work are common. And because of how international rebates work, you may find it necessary to move locations to land that first job, or to continue in your career. This is historically how film has always been; it's rarely as simple as a 9-5 job. Some people thrive on that, some people dislike that. And there are some places that manage to achieve more stability than others. But fair warning that VFX is a fickle master and can be tough to navigate at times.
Because a future career in VFX is both competitive and pretty unstable, I think you should be wary of spending lots of money on expensive specialty schools.
- If you're dead set on this, then sure you can jump in if that's what you want. But for most students I would advise, as above, to be broader in your education early on especially if it's very expensive. Much of what we do in VFX can be self taught and if you're motivated (and you'll need to be!) then you can access that info and make great work. But please take your time before committed to big loans or spending on an education in something you don't know if you really want.
With all of that said VFX can be a wonderful career.
It's full of amazing people and really challenging work. It has elements of technical, artistic, creative and problem solving work, which can make it engaging and fulfilling. And it generally pays pretty well precisely because it's not easy. It's taken me all over the world and had me meet amazing, wonderful, people (and a lot of arseholes too!) I love the industry and am thankful for all my experiences in it!
But it will challenge you. It will, at times, be extremely stressful. And there will be days you hate it and question why you ever wanted to do this to begin with! I think most jobs are a bit like that though.
In closing I'd just like to say my intent here is to give you both an optimistic and also restrained view of the industry. It is not for everyone and it is absolutely going to change in the future.
Some people will tell you AI is going to replace all of us, or that the industry will stangle itself and all the work will end up being done by sweat shops in South East Asia. And while I think those people are mostly wrong it's not like I can actually see the future.
Ultimately I just believe that if you're young, you're passionate, and you want to make movies or be paid to make amazing digital art, then you should start doing that while keeping your eye on this industry. If it works out, then great because it can be a cool career. And if it doesn't then you will need to transition to something else. That's something that's happened to many people in many industries for many reasons through-out history. The future is not a nice straight line road for most people. But if you start driving you can end up in some amazing places.
Feel free to post questions below.
r/vfx • u/jaanshen • 3h ago
Question / Discussion sensor system for recording camera height throughout shoot day
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I do a lot of greenscreen work for microbudget narrative feature work. The majority of the greenscreen shots are locked off (for economy) and don't show the floor. I'm trying to figure out a way to record the sensor/camera height that's faster than a laser/tape measure for each setup (every minute saved on set matters).
Is there some kind of two device system, where one is on the floor somewhere nearby, and one mounted on the camera rig, that will record the height distance at intervals like every two minutes? Matching up the height reading via time and TOD timecode later is no big deal for me.
I know there's the option of wide angle witness camera off to the side, but I'm hoping there's something simpler.
Hoping someone else has already implemented a system like this or knows of such a device.
TIA
r/vfx • u/Empty_Mango_4317 • 19h ago
Question / Discussion Aspiring VFX Artist/Animator. Parents think it’s a "$2 hobby" and demand a non-mandatory diploma. Need industry pros for a reality check on salaries and portfolios.
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Hi everyone, I downloaded Blender exactly a year ago (late August 2025) and posted my first animation 3 months later. Since then, I’ve been practicing every single day, researching the industry for hours, and I recently expanded into Unreal Engine 4.27.2. I am fully committed to becoming a 3D Designer, Animator, or VFX artist when I grow up. Here is my dilemma: My parents are heavily against this path. They literally think it is just "sitting on a computer, making a quick animation, and getting paid $2." They don't believe it's a sustainable career. They are completely fixated on me getting a traditional university diploma—even though it isn't legally mandatory where we live and won't teach me these digital skills. I have tried explaining the industry to them for a year, but they won't listen to a teenager. I am writing this post specifically to show them your replies. Could working industry professionals please answer these three questions for my parents? 1. The Financial Reality: Is VFX/3D animation a real, viable, high-paying career? What does a typical starting or mid-level salary actually look like in this industry? 2. The Portfolio vs. Diploma Truth: If you are hiring an animator or artist, do you care about a university degree, or do you strictly look at their portfolio/showreel? 3. Your Advice: What would you say to parents who are terrified that their kid is wasting time on software like Blender and Unreal Engine? Thank you so much. Your comments are going to directly shape a major conversation with my family.
r/vfx • u/Choppedman6969 • 14h ago
Question / Discussion Never dabbled in Vfx or CGI. However, I watched lanterns and found the constructs cool. Can you guys help me with how to recreate said effects. What tools do I use ?
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r/vfx • u/Official_PopcornFX • 8h ago
Showreel / Critique PopcornFX's Godot plugin (meet the team at GodotFest)
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r/vfx • u/IndianVFXSchool • 1d ago
Breakdown / BTS Large Scale Tornado Simulation
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I still remember watching those amazing Tornado Simulations by Martin Mirola which inspired me to do FX simulations.
Here's my Tornado Sim which is a part of Houdini Hollywood and this Module is completely FREE for everyone. Love giving back to community especially which inspired me so much!
The tornado Sim in this module can be setup in very easy ways and re-creating it barely takes 15-20 mins, everyone can feel free to watch the module and find out for themseves and can also fill their curosity if our methods are original or copied from tutorials ;)
The whole setup was built simply and the issues were tackled mostly with creative problem solving rather than going too techinical.
I used simple shape made from curve to emit smoke and then added some rotational velocities made from same shape to rotate the smoke.
The whole sim was split into 4 different pyro setups to make it feasible withut crashing the sim.
The top cloud lightning part was just sphere with noise.
The house was slowly activated from sleeping and added forces with threshold to break at certain impacts.
The trees were simulated in Vellum and instanced as USD in solaris.
The grass was faked with simple movement and scatter in solaris using instancer.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rendered in XPU - (2-3 mins) each frame
Max Ram Utilisation - Under 64GB
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Register here for FREE module releasing on 18th November 2026.
www.HoudiniHollywood.com
r/vfx • u/ThatDevilCrowley • 1d ago
Breakdown / BTS Been putting this animated pilot off for years. Finally making it.
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The pilot is called Blackstar Lullaby. Still figuring plenty of it out, but I'm finally getting closer to how I pictured it.
Heres one shot broken down a little. Thought it might be interesting to show the screens and the layers that go into them.
r/vfx • u/Clean-Try-3067 • 15h ago
Question / Discussion What do you guys think?
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So tried getting automated splines out, not just a matte.
The goal was simple: get clean, editable splines out of AI roto instead of just a matte.
The splines are fully automated and generated by AI. You type a prompt (man) and set a frame range, and AI builds the roto as closed cubic B-splines. Nobody draws or places a single point by hand.
It splits the subject into parts (face, nose, head, torso, arms), each on its own layer.
For this 117-frame shot, generation took about 2 minutes.
Tried hard to keep the keyframes sparse. Each shape has only two to four keys, and everything in between is interpolated. That means no per-frame keys and very little chatter.
Also wanted the points to stay put. Every key has the same number of control points in the same order, and each point follows the same feature through the shot, so the shape doesn't boil or swim.
It's not perfect, and there's still plenty to improve.
If you have roto experience, We'd really value your thoughts on what works, what doesn't, and what you'd want next.
r/vfx • u/Imaginary-Sun1350 • 1d ago
Question / Discussion Im curious, how would gaussian splatting work with flourescent clothing?
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r/vfx • u/Vast-Manufacturer457 • 1d ago
Question / Discussion VFX artists, what is the most simple but complicated looking visual you have ever done for a movie or tv show?
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r/vfx • u/CorruptedSciencep • 1d ago
Question / Discussion Hardware makes making atlases incredibly difficult
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I have a GT 1030 (DDR4 variant) and am working on a 40v40 war game. The biggest problem is VFX. There are only a handful of high quality flame/smoke/explosion textures online, and it ends there. I looked into how games actually get their atlases and they don't rely on "realistic fire flipbook" online every time, they make it with EmberGen or Houdini/Blender whatever. The problem is my hardware, it makes doing it so incredibly difficult, and because of it my VFX looks like absolute garbage. What even are my options anymore? Should I just bite it and spend extra time rendering since it'll only be done once? (I really hate how long it takes, but that seems like the only option)
If it is, I'll do it. No other way I can currently think of.
Question / Discussion Help I have Vfx shooting tomorrow but I feel like I’m under equipped
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I only have 360 camera and tracking markers and color chart and a lense grid for lense distortion abd measurement tools PLEASE tell me I DONT need the balls I hate the balls they won’t arrive in time the chrome and grey
r/vfx • u/AniketBhatkar • 1d ago
Question / Discussion I've been working on a motion blur tool for automotive CGI — here's the HDRI workflow
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Hey everyone,
I'm an automotive CGI artist, and I've built a tool called CurvEngine for creating motion blur on photographic backplates and 360° HDRI panoramas.
I wanted more control over curved motion paths while keeping the workflow as simple as possible, especially for automotive CGI.
One part I'm particularly happy with is the HDRI workflow. It only takes a couple of clicks to generate the panorama blur, without having to manually set up motion paths.
I've attached a short video showing the process and the results.
The software is complete, and I'm currently wrapping up the licensing system before release.
I'd be interested to hear how other automotive CGI artists handle HDRI motion blur and what you think of the results.
r/vfx • u/That-Boat-4441 • 2d ago
Question / Discussion How to do this microphone VFX shot?
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15
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Hey everyone-
I'm a videographer/editor who is trying to learn 3D/VFX and integrate it into my videos. There's a lot of filmmakers that do a fantastic job of this and this is a clip of one that I'm a big fan of. Does anyone know how this was executed? Was it a 3D render of a macro shot of the mic blended in with real footage? If I wanted to make something like this is it worth learning 3D? After Effects? Appreciate anyones feedback!
r/vfx • u/AnalysisEquivalent92 • 2d ago
News / Article Nicolas Cage Says He’s ‘Probably Not’ Working With Amazon Again After Refusing to Sign AI Waiver for ‘Spider-Noir,’ 11 Emmy nominations, cancelled after 1 Season.
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Nicolas Cage is speaking out against Amazon after the company, which developed “Spider-Noir” for Prime Video, allegedly asked him to sign an AI waiver.
“Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI,” Cage said Saturday during a panel on the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con. “I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots! I’m not a member of their club. I didn’t sign the waiver to let him use AI on ‘Spider Noir.’ I’m probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that’s okay.”
Amazon canceled the superhero series after just one season last month, days before the first weekend of the Emmy Awards, where it had earned 11 nominations (the most of any Prime Video program this year). The cancellation was a shocker to many in the industry, considering the series amassed 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks and earned praise from critics and audiences alike.
Cage went on to tell the Comic-Con audience that he hopes to work with the rising class of Gen-Z filmmakers, praising “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons, who parlayed his YouTube fame into a Hollywood career. The horror film dethroned “Marty Supreme” as the highest-grossing release in A24’s history.
“I got to get with these young directors who are Gen Z, and they’re going at it their own way, whether it’s through the YouTube culture or whatever it is,” Cage said. “They’re doing it from scratch and by hand. I want to get with that.”
Cage also expressed interest in doing more television after starring in “Spider-Noir,” which marked his first leading role in a TV series. He then slipped the news that his next project will be a season of HBO’s “True Detective.”
“My agent’s out there somewhere listening,” Cage quipped. “That’s okay that I’m the first to announce that, right?”
r/vfx • u/Eastern_Selection335 • 2d ago
Question / Discussion VFX compositor in other industries?
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Hello!
I've been a vfx compositor for over 20 years and worked in the biggest vfx housed on blockbuster films, commercials and tv shows. I'm looking to make a change due to burnout, salaries not being great and not wanting to become a supervisor and work 24/7.
Has any compositor here ever made a shift to work in a different industry like gaming or tech? What are the pros and cons and what did you need to learn or do in order to make the shift?
Thanks!
r/vfx • u/N0v4kD3ad • 2d ago
Question / Discussion Mimicking the visual style of "Kane & Lynch 2"?
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I am a hobbyist editor and I wish to edit a video and give it a visual style similar to the video game "Kane & Lynch 2 Dog Days". It is a very peculiar style that I have not seen before, I think it is supposed to be reminiscent of online videos around 2005 when HD wasn't a thing yet on the internet. You can see that the developpers have added digital artefacts that you would see when the connection wasn't to good while trying to watch a video.
I have no idea what is the name of this style, if it even has one, are there any tutorials available online to help me mimick it? The editing software I use is Kdenlive, and I use audacity when I need to modify the audio, I only use free and open source tools for my video editing hobbies.
Here are some exemples :
r/vfx • u/andromedanpixels • 1d ago
Question / Discussion I've been having doubts on the purpose of masks and I need help to be more informed
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Hi, I am basically a beginner in the VFX field and I've been having many doubts about masks because it's one of the things that I have used before but I do also want more information and case scenarios because my knowledge at this moment is very limited.
From what I have experimented and observed up to this point you have this option to use geometric figures, text or use the pen tool to create a mask and then once said mask is created and in contact with the background or silhoutte the person wants it to have contact with then that's how multiple effects can be applied.
In my case I have use it before for applying colors, creating frames, adding footage/images to someone's sunglasses to try to make it seem like the footage is happening in front of the person wearing them and the sunglasses are reflecting it, duplicating a person, adding shadows and blur to somewhere in particular. I don't know what other uses there are for masks but I would like to gain more information on it because I have to admit that for such a long time I've been seeing people use them and have been applying them to my projects arbitrarily without being extremely informed.
r/vfx • u/Low_Garlic_8668 • 2d ago
Question / Discussion What is this type of sci-fi mechanical device called?
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r/vfx • u/Lenscowboy • 2d ago
News / Article H3 local air-gapped training now in LINK
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r/vfx • u/DaveySea • 3d ago
Question / Discussion Enhancing a prop using VFX
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Hi folks,
Short film director here with a question. I'm working on a short psychological thriller. We've shot already and I'm very happy with most of the footage. I'm reaching out here though as I wanted to get advice on commissioning a vfx artist to enhance some shots.
The main antagonist in the film is a heron which we had a prop made for. Unfortunately the eye mechanism didn't really look believable and we didn't do enough set dressing on a crash sequence (in part because we didn't want to get the prop bloody/dirty as we still had scenes to shoot.)
I'd like to try and enhance a couple of these shots. It would be great if we could animate the eye, but the most important thing is to make shots of the heron post-crash more believable. I think it could use some blood scattered feathers, but am open to suggestions.
I've never worked with any kind of vfx before. Our budget would be a couple of hundred euro so I don't know if this is reasonable for this kind of work, or what I could ask/expect from a vfx artist.
Right now I'm just trying to understand what might be possible for our budget, and any prep or things I need to think about before approaching an artist.
Any input or advice much appreciated!
Showreel / Critique Barad Dur - The entarance
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Hi Guys,
I need some critical eyes here, figured I'll post where Im currently at and get your feedbacks.
I am working on a massive 60 seconds 1-shot of Sauron's fortress - Barad Dur.
The shot starts from bottom all the way to the top.
I already finalized the first 15 seconds of the shot, for those interested - you can see it here -
https://www.instagram.com/p/DePL4yOjBwW/?img_index=1
I am now focusing on this segment where the camera goes through the bottom where the entrance bridge is located before going upwards all the way to the top.
The render is finalized already, I am now at the Post work stage. I already added lots of volumetric layers and I intend to add much more plus a lightning or two for this segment.
I would appreciate feedback for this segment (changing camera or geometry at this point are not relevant as i have 100s of rendered layers in post)- what works, what might be better hidden (darkened), color grading, stuff to add in post etc' etc'