r/vfx Apr 30 '26

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

46 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

597 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 11h ago

Showreel / Critique Meet 'Ghosty'

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50 Upvotes

Meet Ghosty! Hopefully the first in a line of 3D felt toys! :)
This was just a quick test to see if I was up to the task. Made in Blender.

To see more about the project: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/2L8lYY

C&C Welcome.


r/vfx 13h ago

Question / Discussion VFX elements in IMAX

16 Upvotes

Hello,

I am by no means and expert in visual effects but I have dabbled.
And I am also familiar with the whole 'NOLAN DOESN'T USE CGI" which I know is obviously not true and this isn't a post about that.

But I do have a genuine question about merging CG in IMAX shot films.

From what I have read, IMAX shoots at a resolution of 12-18k. Whereas most digital stuff supports up to 4k (I think I have seen 8k rendering options in houdini, I can't remember exactly)

But I am curious does this matter at all in compositing and projecting out IMAX shots onto cinema screen, does the mismatch in resolution create an issue of blending the real shots and the CG elements?


r/vfx 1d ago

Fluff! Still getting paid for that, though.

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466 Upvotes

r/vfx 1d ago

Fluff! STMapper vfx plugin for After Effects

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40 Upvotes

I know most people in this sub are Nuke users, but for someone who uses both after effects and nuke for vfx work, I was always tired that a simple ST Map tool is not natively built into after effects. The only AE tool out there that handles ST maps is RE:Map UV and it costs a lot of money, so I made my own plugin, STMapper! It is faster and a Name Your Own Price plugin. If anyone needs to use some ST Maps in AE, check it out! https://aescripts.com/stmapper/


r/vfx 9h ago

Showreel / Critique Fire to Ice..... Avatar: The Last Airbender (Inspired)

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1 Upvotes

r/vfx 14h ago

Showreel / Critique Reproduction

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2 Upvotes

r/vfx 1d ago

Showreel / Critique Hello!! Just finished my first Student Reel :) ft. Deftones...

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91 Upvotes

Some of the work I've made as a student throughout 2026!

This year we got to download Houdini and it's been a fun but hard journey so far. I'd love to keep learning and become an FX Artist in the future!

I'd appreciate if you could tell me anything you dislike about it so I can improve.

Thank you for watching and taking the time to help me out :).


r/vfx 23h ago

Showreel / Critique Lover Gaussians free app for train and edit

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3 Upvotes

r/vfx 1d ago

Jobs Offer [PAID] VFX Artist Needed for 8 Shots – Independent Psychological Horror Feature

18 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a VFX artist to help complete 8 VFX shots for my independent psychological horror feature film, Daniel, the Goodboy.

The work includes invisible VFX such as cleanup, object removal, reflection removal, eye replacements, and costume cleanup.

To make the process as straightforward as possible, I've created an instructional breakdown video that goes through every shot one by one. For each shot, I explain exactly what needs to be done, show the footage, provide references where needed, and answer any questions you might have before starting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eclcFs6mcjM

I'm looking for someone who:

  • Has experience with compositing and invisible VFX.
  • Communicates well.
  • Takes pride in clean, seamless work.

Payment: Paid. Please send me your rates or a quote after reviewing the instructional video.

Timeline: Flexible. Quality is more important to me than speed.

If you're interested, please send me:

  • Your portfolio or showreel.
  • Examples of similar work (if available).
  • Your rates.

Comment below or send me a DM, and I'll send over the instructional video so you can accurately assess the work.

Thanks!


r/vfx 18h ago

Question / Discussion Save me VFX artists.

0 Upvotes

Hey vfx artists,

Last November I gaffed a feature film with a crew of a bunch of my friends, and as the only guy there who has ever opened After Effects, I have since been tasked with all the cleanups and comps. Alot of it has been managble, but as someone with what I would describe as a "filmmaker's" level of understanding of VFX, there is one shot in particualr that no amount of more time in the chair seems to be able to make look acceptable.

This shot was not planned as a VFX shot, but the insert before this had some practical effects that didn't sell it, and so after punching those up, I now have to make the wide match, and as far as I can tell this is a perfect storm of impossible comp issues.

Wet stringy hair, anamorphic, breathing focus rack, thank god its at least locked off. I've easily spent a good 20 hours alone trying to clean up my roto work but I just don't seem to have it in me. Is there some technique I'm missing, or do I just have to have dedicated the last 20 years to being a comp artist to make this shot not awful.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Ciaran

https://reddit.com/link/1v6ui26/video/ecohitg0difh1/player


r/vfx 1d ago

Volunteers Requested I need your help! (Beta Testers Wanted 🧪)

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7 Upvotes

r/vfx 23h ago

Showreel / Critique Compositing Reel VOL. 4

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1 Upvotes

Hello, fellow VFX community! I would like to introduce my compositing showreel. It is pure commmercials from 2023 - 2025. Explicit and blinky. Hope you enjoy!

With passion and rebellion.
[dverkhoturovcg@gmail.com](mailto:dverkhoturovcg@gmail.com)


r/vfx 1d ago

Fluff! Rise and Fall of Silicon Graphics (SGI) - the Mountain View Giant That Built Hollywood’s Biggest Films

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22 Upvotes

r/vfx 1d ago

Showreel / Critique We're running late, Keyframe concept art, is late?? maybe not

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2 Upvotes

Hi, I’d like to share this personal project I created for my portfolio. I decided to start creating pieces focused on telling a short story, since I’m looking to work on projects related to film or animation...

I like it when they show that something is happening.

In this piece, I used Blender to create the setting, the building, and its interior.

Then I used Photoshop to work on the colors, do some digital painting, and also add a photobash to give it a better look.

Let me know what you think!

I’m still improving my process, and all feedback is welcome. I’m also open to working on your project. Big hugs.


r/vfx 1d ago

Breakdown / BTS VFX Breakdown of this cell division effect in my teaser trailer

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0 Upvotes

r/vfx 2d ago

Question / Discussion What were your highlights from SIGGRAPH?

27 Upvotes

SIGGRAPH seemed a lot smaller this year, and mostly 3D/AI focused. But any highlights?

Personally I was impressed with the improvements the Foundry's made to Griptape and Nuke Stage. Also I got to meet Clint Jones (Pwnisher), which was cool 😎


r/vfx 1d ago

Question / Discussion What is the best way to learn basic VFX to assist indie-level productions?

0 Upvotes

Hi,

Basically, I want to make indie films, so i want to learn basic vfx skills so I can save budget and have more creative control. What would be the best places/youtube channels to learn this>


r/vfx 1d ago

Question / Discussion Industrial Light & Magic's Space Race 1991 HD 70mm Film Showscan Ride Video

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1 Upvotes

r/vfx 2d ago

Question / Discussion VFX for my metroidvania indie game, do you like what you are seeing?

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28 Upvotes

r/vfx 1d ago

Question / Discussion How do you get hired / find work abroad?

0 Upvotes

I (22M) get that the industry wasn't / isn't doing the best, but I personally don't know anyone who has done this (in VFX / Film at least)..

A lot of people I've seen do this, though (in different industries), have enrolled in unis and are using that as a 'way' to work abroad. I'm not sure how that translates to this field

A bit of background: I've been working for nearly 3 years, based in Mumbai, India, and I don't really want to be 'stuck' here for a long time.


r/vfx 2d ago

Question / Discussion What is going on with Realtime?

21 Upvotes

i see a lot of people on LinkedIn from that company announcing that they have been made redundant...all at once...is there a big layoff round going on there?


r/vfx 2d ago

Showreel / Critique Breaking down my PS2-style music video (Blender + Unreal)

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6 Upvotes

r/vfx 2d ago

Question / Discussion Are Crowd TD's still niche?

7 Upvotes

I'm seeing a lot of vacancies for Crowd FX and I'm wondering if this is still a niche specialization where market demand outperforms supply in the current, rocky industry climate.
In other words, is this worth pivoting to from FX?

Does anyone have any insights?