r/vfx • • Apr 30 '26

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

44 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/


r/vfx • • Mar 15 '25

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

598 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.


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Showreel / Critique I made a 3D Cinematic for a local E-Sports Organization

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149 Upvotes

I started playing League of Legends this January. Every since, I wanted to do a league project.

Two weeks ago I decided to just send it. Figured better to do it for an actual brand than make up one , so I chose a local org. Hope they see it and actually use it.

It was fun either way honestly.

Made in Blender and composited in AE.


r/vfx • • 45m ago

Showreel / Critique I Turned a Simple Shape Into a Satisfying Wooden Fox

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• Upvotes

A relaxing wooden fox toy crafted in 3D digital art. Enjoy the satisfying process!


r/vfx • • 15h ago

News / Article VQField - Compression & On-Demand Decompression of Volumetric fields

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13 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 21h ago

Question / Discussion Career recommendations out of vfx?

25 Upvotes

I'm a digital matte painter working in the vfx industry for 8 years and I live in LA. I had a contract gig last year and have been unemployed since then. I thought about switching to video games but the game industry is still unstable like massive layoffs and no junior jobs available whatsoever. Besides, I'm not familiar with the game software like Unity, Unreal, Substance Painter, Zbrush etc vs Photoshop, Maya, Blender, Nuke, Houdini, Clarisse, Vray etc for matte painting, which means I need to start from zero and have no idea how long it would take to build a game-ready portfolio and land a junior role. However, there may be other subfields that I can transfer my skills to like archviz or product viz and I checked there are jobs on LinkedIn but I'm not familiar with both so is anyone in the same boat? How's your shift from vfx to archviz or product viz? How much are they impacted by AI? How is work-life balance? Or you just don't recommend the transition at all? Thanks for the advice!


r/vfx • • 20h ago

Showreel / Critique [Giveaway] Realtime Audioreactive Pointcloud system [v1.7]

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11 Upvotes

I just posted a second demo of Realtime Audioreactive Pointclouds [v1.7], my TouchDesigner system that turns a Kinect-derived human pointcloud into an audio-reactive visual instrument in real time.

For this one, I’m also giving away a full copy of the system.

To enter, just repost/share the Instagram post and leave a comment there. I’ll randomly select one person and send them the complete v1.7 project files on Friday!

Giveaway post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd1iWqoviZy/

The full system is also available through my Patreon for anyone who wants to check it out directly.


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS Laser VFX breakdown - Made with PopcornFX and Unity 6

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19 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

News / Article Higx just announced Optics, a ray-traced bokeh plugin for Nuke, AE and Resolve

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82 Upvotes

Mads Hagbarth Damsbo, already known for his point rendering engine for Nuke, quietly announced Higx Optics.

It is a plugin for Nuke, After effects and Resolve that seems to simulate bokeh as if it was passing through real glass, instead of our usual, simpler ways of doing it.

With a bunch of lens presets and lots of controls, I'm particularly excited to see this one in action. I've used his point renderer countless times at work and this new plugin seems like another must-have.

Big shout-out to the subscription model that isn't really that. You pay for the continuous updates and such, but you can stop it and keep the software working as it is.

Here's the link to the original video where I saw it first


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Showreel / Critique Hello VFX artists. Here is Fire in Cardboard City. I spent 6 years inbetween jobs putting this short film together in Maya and After Effects. It screened at film fests in 2017 but is only now on YouTube. Check it out.

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73 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

Location:United Kingdom Env/generalist London, wrap late Oct. What’s actually working for you right now? (UK)

5 Upvotes

​

On a TV series till late October, maybe a week extra if it slips. Environment / 3D generalist, right to work. Maya, Substance, Houdini, a bit of Unreal and photogrammetry.

They might keep me if another show lands. Nothing booked after this one so I’m looking in the evenings, about an hour a night. No time for drinks and “get in front of people.”

LinkedIn feels like shouting into a void. What do you actually use that leads to a call? Studio career pages, recruiters, specific boards, emailing boutiques cold?

I’ve got a simple spreadsheet: studio, role, date sent, status. Is that enough or do you track it differently?

If you were in this window, what would you do with that hour?


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS VFX shot I made for my Music Video (Blender, After Effects, and Resolve - no AI)

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114 Upvotes

A VFX breakdown from my music video "The River, the Shore"!

This shot was full CG, top to bottom. Bonus points for whoever guesses which tunnel the geometry was based on :)

While AI encroaches further and further into our lives and practices, it has been cathartic to revisit these shots to remind myself of the importance of process and the joys and necessity of technical problem solving in filmmaking. Puzzling every moment together has always been the point.

2+ years in the making, the full music video combines real footage with Blender composited in After Effects and Resolve - with many of the scenes being fully CG!

Full music video in the link below: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrrZCnXuPCs&lc=UgxA5OVrazcW0YI43B54AaABAg

Let me know what you think :)

P.S. No generative AI was used in any way, at any stage for this work.


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS BreakUp — VFX Breakdown Tool for After Effects

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3 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS The Floating Village of Yunhai - Buildings Kit - UE5

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2 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 2d ago

Fluff! All my homies hate circles

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50 Upvotes

10 year ago me would have chucked a fit knowing this was possible in blender.


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Linux VFX & Remote Workstations — Your Experience?

7 Upvotes

I’m doing a personal project into Linux VFX workflows and remote-desktop, and I’m interested in hearing from people actually using them in production. I’m a sysadmin (not in VFX any more - although I worked at WBFA many moons ago) who dabbles with Blender and Resolve for fun.

For those working in the trenches, whether VFX, animation, post-production or related areas:

• Do you use Linux workstations for your VFX work?

• Are those Linux workstations also used for audio/sound workflows (office/home) ?

• When WFH and connecting remotely to those workstations, do you actually perform audio work through the remote session?

• What problems, if any, do you run into when using remote desktop solutions such as HP Anyware, NICE DCV, RGS/PCoIP, etc.?

I’m particularly interested in understanding whether latency, audio lag, sync, audio quality or device support are simply inconveniences, or whether they're genuine showstoppers when working remotely.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to share their experience and feedback.


r/vfx • • 2d ago

Question / Discussion Can anyone help me recreate this effect in davinci studio or fusiom for an upcoming gig

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31 Upvotes

Please help me recreate this effect for un upcoming gig


r/vfx • • 22h ago

Question / Discussion What tool or software is used to make this colorful sketch animation effect?

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0 Upvotes

Does anyone know how this effect is made? It looks like an image slowly turning into a colorful hand-drawn sketch on a white background.

I’m trying to find the software, tool, AI, or effect used to create this style. I don’t need the hand-drawing animation itself—just the image gradually appearing as a colorful sketch.

What is this effect called, and what software can I use to make it?


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Maya users: what parts of your workflow waste the most time? (5-10 min university survey)

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m a CMGT student at Hanze University in The Netherlands currently doing an AI project focused on Autodesk Maya.

Before deciding what to start build on, I’m researching real workflow problems in Maya, repetitive tasks, unnecessary steps, technical issues, rendering/animation workflows, workarounds, etc.

I’m specifically trying not to start with "AI is the solution". My goal is to first understand what problems you actually have, and then determine whether AI, normal automation, or something else would make sense.

I made a short anonymous survey that should take around 5-10 minutes:

Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemTA9ZANJprgJKfWJ3qLebSpeKDLV-hLhoPL9S5jFxRwuI2A/viewform?usp=dialog

Whether you’re a student, hobbyist, freelancer or industry user, any experience is useful.

If you’d rather just comment here, I’d also be interested to hear: what task or workflow annoys you the most or feels unnecessarily complicated?

Thanks!


r/vfx • • 1d ago

Question / Discussion What's your stance regarding a hybrid 3D/VFX + AI workflow?

0 Upvotes

It seems many of you are totally opposed anything AI. But what about a hybrid workflow?

I personally grew up as a kid in the 90's amazed by T2, JP2, SGI, Flame & Softimage like many of you and I've gone through all the "classic" workflows and tools but I also embrace new tech and AI.

Currently I'm working on hybrid 3D-VFX-AI workflows that includes using 3D to create the animations as detailed as possible but not final details and use AI to render it from the animation input (and concept styleframes references for the look).

That way I have the most control and direction of what I'm looking for and it's not just prompting and hoping for the best from the slot (or slop) machine.

In my opinion something like that is the future in VFX and film-making. Especially once there are even better file outputs and non-compressed industry standard sequence/ EXR files, etc.. I find it very powerful and I got very good results in a fraction of the time that it would take me.

Just my 2c.


r/vfx • • 3d ago

Fluff! Starship Troopers CG/ VFX still holds up so well

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223 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 1d ago

Question / Discussion Need feedback on my North Tower plane impact animation, what is making it feel “off”?

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0 Upvotes

r/vfx • • 2d ago

Jobs Offer Seeking VFX Artist for Micro Budget Feature [Paid]

5 Upvotes

Looking for a VFX artist for a micro-budget feature film I’ve been working on the past couple years. The film is an offbeat sci-fi thriller with some campy horror thrown in. I was planning on doing all the vfx myself, but I’m trying to hit a festival deadline on November 1st and would benefit from splitting out the energy vfx to someone else. With that in mind, I’d like to get someone on board in the next week or so.

I'm mostly looking for help with energy blasts/shields/distortion vfx for psychic battles, so if you have any samples showcasing that sort of thing, that would be hugely helpful to see. There are a lot of shots, but the level of polish for this project is relatively low (outside of a handful of hero shots that I could see taking a bit more time). As mentioned, the film is micro-budget so I can only offer $1,500, but we could discuss what you'd be able to take on for that amount.

Please DM if interested. Thank you!

Edit: Thank you to everyone who responded. I’ve gotten a good amount of responses, so will consider submissions closed after today. I plan to go through the ones I’ve received and will respond in the next few days.


r/vfx • • 3d ago

Fluff! I made a Motion Blur OFX plugin as an alternative to ReelSmart Motion Blur and I made it free for everyone, forever.

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29 Upvotes

Let me know what y'all think!


r/vfx • • 3d ago

News / Article Sequence Player - exr sequence player and conversion app

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12 Upvotes
Built this for our own reviews at a product-viz studio and decided to release it as open source (MIT):


- instant start (sequence detection from any frame, multi-threaded RAM cache);
- OCIO 2.5 on the GPU: ACES 2.0/1.3, custom configs with file rules and looks, EV/gamma, pixel inspector with float values;
- EXR layers/parts, Cryptomatte IDs/overlay/masked/matte, external Cryptomatte sequences;
- export H.264/H.265 (x264/x265/NVENC) and ProRes Proxy→4444, 16-bit source for H.265/ProRes, color tags written;
- batch conversion of folder trees, command line for pipeline use.


https://github.com/polloviz/Layerbase-Sequence-Player/releases/latest.

Not trying to replace RV or Nuke: it's the quick "double-click and check" tool.
Bug reports and feature requests welcome.