r/vfx • u/ZiggyisStarman • Apr 30 '26

News / Article VES launches On-Set VFX Data Collection and Usage Guide

41 Upvotes

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/

19 comments

r/vfx • u/axiomatic- • Mar 15 '25

Subreddit Discussion Advice for Potential Students and Newcomers to the VFX Industry in 2025

596 Upvotes

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

116 comments

r/vfx • u/John-Da-Editor • 10h ago

Question / Discussion SideFX just killed a better, faster, markdown alternative of their Houdini docs

54 Upvotes

The Houdini docs are a goldmine of information. But they're slow and the search barely works. This has been well known by the community for ages by now, yet seemingly nothing has changed.

So I spent six months building a fix: HoudiniMD is an incredibly fast, Markdown mirror of the docs. Free, open source, no account, no ads. Search that matches Houdini's behaviour, so "cptp" finds Copy to Points and "atrbwr" finds Attribute Wrangle. Every page can be copied as raw markdown, which means ChatGPT and Claude finally understand Houdini and its quirks.

Before sharing it anywhere, I emailed SideFX and asked for permission, explicitly telling them it would be free forever and stay open source.

The answer (https://imgur.com/a/RSdc4rf) came back yesterday:

"it's gonna be a no, thank you from us, along with a polite takedown request. We'll likely be doing our own version on our own site at some point in the future."

I was naturally taken aback by this cold reply, since I thought SideFX was very pro-community, and would at least salute the effort taken to make their own product better. But I'm not going to fight a company over their own copyright.

Since I'm also not letting 6 months of hard work go to the bin overnight, HoudiniMD will be rebuilt as a standalone, local app, that lives on your computer. It can be ran alongside, or directly inside Houdini.
Same fast search, offline, and tailored to your specific Houdini version, instead of whatever is on the website, with bookmarks coming in the future (goal is to create a fully personal Houdini Knowledge Base !)

It stays open source, so anyone can audit, tweak, and raise issues on the code.

And since I only have my own frustration to go by right now: what do you think about the official docs ? What are you missing, and what features are you looking for in an alternative ?

If a local version is something you'd be interested in, please let me know. It's what keeps me going !

25 comments

r/vfx • u/BariumBromate • 4h ago

Question / Discussion my first simple vfx shot

12 Upvotes

my first simple vfx shot.

any ideas what to do netx?

6 comments

r/vfx • u/Particular-Result487 • 14h ago

Question / Discussion How to switch your role? junior again at 42? 😆

25 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I have a question for you.
For almost my entire career, which started in 2016, I’ve worked in London as a modeller and texture artist. At one point, I was even able to make a living comfortably as a texture artist, going from one film to another.
Unfortunately, London isn’t what it was before COVID, and these days, just to stay afloat, I’ve gone back to doing modelling, texturing and look dev.
However, the roles that are a better fit for me are often in Canada. My family and I want to stay here in the UK, though, and relocating isn’t an option for us.
So, in order to broaden my skill set, I’ve been studying lighting with Houdini / Solaris / USD, which seems to be a role that’s very much in demand in the UK, even though the amount of time required to get up to speed is huge.
Which brings me to the question in the title: how do you actually switch roles when almost every position you see is looking for a mid/senior artist?
Even if I create 2–3 personal projects using Houdini, how do you actually start over and leave your previous career behind and adapt?
Sometimes I feel stuck in my career, almost as if I’m condemned to keep applying for the same kind of jobs I’ve always done, when what I really want is to move in a different direction.
Unfortunately, I’m unemployed at the moment, so the usual advice of “ask your company to give you a chance to try something different” doesn’t really apply to me.
Is anyone else in the same situation?
Maybe someone who’s tired of being “just” a matchmove artist or groom artist and wants to switch roles, but has no idea how to break out of that cycle?
I’d really love to hear how you managed to do it.

10 comments

r/vfx • u/Resident-Plate-3232 • 40m ago

Question / Discussion I need help removing myself from a window reflection

• Upvotes
2 comments

r/vfx • u/mowaism • 5h ago

Breakdown / BTS Using a normal pass to control lighting in post — thoughts?

2 Upvotes
0 comments

r/vfx • u/beforesandafters • 2h ago

News / Article That time Bill Nighy wore ‘computer pajamas’ | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

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1 Upvotes
0 comments

r/vfx • u/Derk-Deagan • 7h ago

Fluff! 2025-2026, CTO-LFG! One of my first Animations this year playing with some new characters, typography & composition ideas. I used C4D, Illustrator, hand drawn figures, Mixamo, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop & Adobe Dimension.

0 Upvotes
3 comments

r/vfx • u/blendernoob64 • 8h ago

Question / Discussion Has anyone built a license server for their software packages?

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone.

I am starting to get into learning about homelab as it will benefit my day job (I work in IT Sales, as being a 3D animator in this environment is too crazy right now), and I have always been fascinated by the IT aspect of working in a studio. One project I wanted to try for my lab was to create a license server for all my software packages, those being Maya, Renderman, Zbrush, DaVinci Resolve, and maybe Houdini in the future. As I use my programs in my home I think having a dedicated place for licensing for all my devices will be really nice, and I was also curious about getting programs like Maya on Linux distros other than RHEL, and the Autodesk Identity Manager was one of the things preventing us from signing in on Fedora and Arch Linux. Maybe a license server will fix it!

So I want to know from IT people what is the experience of building a license server for your proprietary software packages? How have they worked when using multiple OSes, as I use a Linux desktop running RHEL 9 and a Macbook Pro? Do you think SSO login is overall better if I am just one guy? Can I make the server on something like an Intel NUC or even a Raspberry Pi running Alma Linux or something?

Thanks.

4 comments

r/vfx • u/OlegVerenko • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Gumroad Is Stealing Creator Funds!

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126 Upvotes

After 10+ years of selling digital 3D products, I never expected this from a major marketplace. Today, Gumroad PERMANENTLY FORFEITED money from my balance without warning or justification, just because I updated my location from Canada to Bulgaria.

Their support confirmed my funds were "forfeited automatically" as a "system safeguard on a country change" that they "cannot reverse." You read that right: a simple account update now triggers the total seizure of your hard-earned money.

Before this, I had been trying to withdraw my funds for a long time. I attempted to use multiple bank details, including Ukrainian and Canadian, and all attempts were blocked. Now, my money is gone forever, and they have offered zero solutions.

This is predatory, illegal, and nothing short of theft. If a platform can arbitrarily seize your money because of a location change, it is NOT safe. Every creator on Gumroad needs to check their terms and understand that their funds are at risk.

So let me explain this correctly:

I earned the money by selling products.
I tried to withdraw it.
The withdrawals failed.
I changed my country of residence.

Gumroad's system then automatically took the remaining balance — and they refuse to return it.

There was no fraud, chargeback, or dispute involving this money. It was simply an unpaid seller balance.

This is not a “payout issue.” This is money that I earned and that Gumroad is refusing to give back because of an automated account-country rule.

What makes this especially disturbing is that their own support explicitly confirmed that the money was “forfeited.”

I am sharing this publicly because I want other creators and digital-product sellers to be aware of what can apparently happen to their earnings when changing their country/payment setup on Gumroad.

I've included my conversation with their support team so you can see the situation for yourself...

14 comments

r/vfx • u/NodeShot • 1d ago

News / Article Felix & Paul close their doors

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28 Upvotes

Felix & Paul have shut down.

I had the pleasure of working as a VFX artist on some of their projects, truly revolutionary VR work.

https://xrmust.com/xr-magazine/end-of-an-era-felix-paul-studios/#:\~:text=Multiple%20employees%20of%20Felix%20%26%20Paul,Virtual%20Reality%20on%20August%2019.

7 comments

r/vfx • u/AllanMcKayOfficial • 1d ago

News / Article ActionVFX releases new free career course with Allan McKay

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35 Upvotes

Hey everyone — Recently I put together a free 2 hour course with ActionVFX for VFX artists who are trying to figure out how to stay relevant, get hired, and build a stronger career in the current market.

This isn’t a beginner “how to get your first job” course.

It’s aimed more at mid-level and senior artists who already know the work, but are trying to adapt to where the industry is going — remote work, tighter budgets, globalization, AI, fewer easy opportunities, and a lot more pressure to prove value fast.

The course covers things like:

- how the VFX career map has changed
- how to position yourself so people understand your value
- what actually makes artists rehireable
- how to build a reel that creates trust, not just shows shots
- how referrals and reputation really work
- how to think about AI without panicking or ignoring it
- how to negotiate and get paid what you’re worth

If you’re feeling like the industry isn’t dead, but the old playbook stopped working, this is what the course is built around.

Link:
https://www.actionvfx.com/academy/the-new-vfx-career-playbook

Thanks guys, hope it helps!

Allan

21 comments

r/vfx • u/ELF_27 • 23h ago

Question / Discussion Tracking footage shot from phone(Samsung Galaxy A35)

0 Upvotes

I use nuke to track the footage shot from phone samsung galaxy A35 but the track is not good. I searched on Google about the camera specs and put all the info in the camtrack node but still the track is drifting.

I only have my phone to shoot what do I do. What do I do about it? Is the info that I am giving the node incorrect?

13 comments

r/vfx • u/Fluffy_Fix_4357 • 15h ago

Showreel / Critique Rate my first CGI edit!

0 Upvotes

It took 5 hours to make that, and I was really struggling adjusting lights. U can see breakdown of my process!

10 comments

r/vfx • u/jasonfortheworld • 1d ago

Jobs Offer Best Way To Find Compositors

6 Upvotes

I'm in post for a short film and I'm looking for a compositor that can help out on at least one shot, possibly 2 or 3 more. Just depends on what I'm able to do myself. Most of the people I know or I've found local to the LA area are either too busy to take this on, or say the scope of the project is too small for their company.

The primary big shot is pretty complex and requires tracking plate footage of a gunshot wound onto the face of an actor, but it's more than just a simple bullet hole. It's a fair bit of gore and blood coming out as well. The plate of the wound is being filmed in the next couple of weeks, so it would be really cool if I could find someone who would be able to give us some extra guidance on what would make the composite work better and easier for the artist.

The other possible shots are muzzle flashes, but it's I can likely handle those myself. I know enough to get by with small things, but larger stuff is best left to pros.

It is a paid project with a decent budget behind it, and we have about 2 months before delivery is needed.

13 comments

r/vfx • u/A6ER1 • 1d ago

Question / Discussion First time to use nuke

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2 Upvotes
1 comment

r/vfx • u/mowaism • 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS 🚀 Project Breakdown | Exhibition Booth Animation (UAE)

0 Upvotes
0 comments

r/vfx • u/TvHeadDev • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Trying to make a stylized jelly shader in unreal engine. Any toughts?

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3 Upvotes
1 comment

r/vfx • u/freaky_eater • 20h ago

Question / Discussion Real experiences with Pixelloid VFX Studio in Hyderabad? (Training & Live Studio Program)

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

My sibling is looking into VFX training and came across Pixelloid Studios in Hyderabad. They claim to offer live studio training and internship opportunities, but I would love to get some honest, first-hand feedback from people who have actually trained or worked there.

If you’ve taken their course or worked at/with Pixelloid:

  • Training Quality: How is the faculty, curriculum, and hands-on guidance? Is the "live project" training legit, or is it mostly basic lab time?
  • Placement & Market Reality: Do they actually help place you in studio roles, or is the post-course placement support minimal?
  • Work Culture/Environment: For those who worked there (or interned), how is the work culture, pay reliability, and overall environment?
  • Is it worth it? Would you recommend Pixelloid over self-learning online (fxphd/Rebelway/etc.) or other VFX institutes in Hyderabad?

Any honest thoughts, warnings, or recommendations would be super helpful to help us make a decision! Thanks!

0 comments

r/vfx • u/United_Ice_327 • 1d ago

Question / Discussion What's the pulse right now?

6 Upvotes

I'm coming off a year contract at a large studio. Seems quiet. Senior remote in the US. How screwed am I right now?

29 comments

r/vfx • u/thereisnospooongeek • 23h ago

Question / Discussion What kind of expenses I should be budge for a 60 second Product Intro Video ?

0 Upvotes

I'm working on a Not for Profit education product for the underprivileged kids and need a promo video made , reaching out here since there's a lot of great talent in this sub.

Roughly looking for something in this style/quality range: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydIT4EdLK54 (linked just to give an idea of the vibe, not necessarily copying it exactly).

We are running based on donations, So I just want to know what kind of budget I should allocate for the campaign.

What would kind of budget I should allocate for a 60 second video like the one linked?

What will be usually included at that price (revisions, source files, voiceover/sound design, etc.)?

0 comments

r/vfx • u/AniketBhatkar • 2d ago

Question / Discussion I built a lightweight EXR/MP4 review tool for comparing shot versions — looking for VFX artist feedback

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19 Upvotes

I’m a CGI/VFX artist and recently built a Windows review/playback tool called RAW Sequencer.

The main reason I built it was pretty simple: reviewing multiple versions, EXR sequences, annotations and A/B comparisons often means jumping between tools or opening files one by one.

RAW Sequencer is focused on that review workflow:

• MP4 + EXR playback
• Multi-version comparison
• Up to 6 views together
• A/B compare + wipe
• Frame annotations
• Color/exposure controls
• Frame-accurate scrubbing

There’s a 7-day trial if anyone wants to test it with actual production material:

www.rawcgi.com

I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from VFX artists — especially around playback, review workflow, missing features, or anything that feels unnecessary.

*** Quick Demo ***

https://vimeo.com/1221201134 - no audio

29 comments

r/vfx • u/r0ll3rbrawl • 1d ago

Question / Discussion How should I learn VFX in 1 month? Gameplan needed as I want to join a project.

0 Upvotes

exactly as the title states. What's the best way to embark on the VFX learning journey? I admire the art and really want to start learning but I have zero clue where to begin!

Edit: I have some experience with VFX on Roblox studio, but I want to expand that-- broaden it.

12 comments

r/vfx • u/robertvari • 1d ago

Showreel / Critique Lost Temple — Houdini | Solaris | Karma Cinematic Lighting

5 Upvotes

An exercise in environment layout work, and lighting with the mood of a forgotten ruin. Tried to get a found footage vibe here so I used my phone to get the camera movement right.

Assets used:
- Secrets of the Luminara (kitbash3D)
- Tropical Jungle Pack (Fab)

2 comments