I watched and was astonished by how close a real time gaming engine was coming to generating photo-real renders. I had fiddled around with Unreal Engine from time to time and had a little familiarity with it. So I decided it was time to do a deep dive and find out what this was all about. I needed to know if it was hype or something real that could help my production pipeline.
I’ve had an amazing path through visual effects these past couple of decades. Below are some of the many mistakes I made and lessons I learned along the way. I have also noticed they are mistakes common to many junior (new) VFX artists and T.D.s. If you are (or are about to become) a junior working in film, animation or any other digital media field, hopefully this will be of use. These are the five most common of many junior mistakes I see all the time.
CG and visual effects artists need to understand cameras and camera movement. Why? Because the best CG and VFX shots should mimic what real-world cameras can do. Otherwise, audiences can easily be taken out of what they’re watching. Since they already ‘inherently’ know that the shot could not be achieved for real. Understanding cameras means understanding authenticity.
The second in our new series of blogs by visual effects and animation journalist Ian Failes for his site befores & afters. Ian is an experienced freelance writer and also the publisher of vfxblog.com. We approached Ian to write a blog about CG Masters and the job skills training we offer to our students. Ian will be crafting a few more blogs for CG Masters including tutorials, profiles on past students and tips and tricks for getting a head start to working at a VFX or animation studio.
A common issue raised by animation and visual effects studios when they are recruiting is that although new artists do tend to know the software, what these artists don’t always know is how to work at a studio production level.
Nick explains that a part of the recipe of their success is a willingness and ability to stay ahead of the technology curve rather than being reactive to industry. He goes on to explain what about Katana appeals to the industry such as a node-based interface, total procedural workflow and more.
Getting to know the various kinds of visual effects and animation will help you better understand the level of training and the skill sets required to get a job in the prospective field. At CG Masters School of 3D Animation & VFX, we want to help you gain the skills and confidence needed to work in the film, TV, or video game industries. That is why we offer comprehensive visual effects and animation programs.
I am very excited to announce that, due to popular demand, CG Masters has added a new animation & VFX training program called “3D Foundations”. This short program was developed around discussions with hundreds of potential students who we met at events and trade shows or who just stopped by the school.
I am very pleased to announce that CG Masters is adopting Katana into its production workflow beginning May 2019.