GAME
While I am currently working in the film industry, I have a strong interest and desire to work in the video game industry and this page will showcase that.
​
VFX is a huge part of the games industry. Without it, games would be pretty colourless! There is overlap between the techniques artists use to create FX in film and game. The main difference is their purpose and how they are used. And in games, they are a language unto themselves.
​
A Game VFX artists must create effects with consideration to a 3D environment. It could be seen from any angle, and it must be seen to react naturally with other objects in the environment.
​
VFX in games run real time, which means they have to be created much more efficiently. Therefore, a lot of thought and creativity goes into how an effect is built and there are an infinity number of tools and techniques that can help you create an effect.
​
Software and technique
In the video game industry, the two main game engines are Unreal Engine and Unity. Below you will find some information about what goes into making an effect in a game engine. You will learn a bit about the different techniques that are used to make a real time effect.
​
Particle effects are effects made of particle systems. It consists of an emitter and a lot of settings that you can manipulate. This is the base of a lot of effects and understanding how to build one is core knowledge. In Unreal Engine, I use Niagara to do this.
​
Mesh effects use 3D models, they can be animated and are useful in game VFX. As well as Flipbook effects, which are multiple frames that when played together show an animation. They can be hand drawn or even simulated and rendered in a software.
​
Shaders are an advanced topic that an FX artist utilises to make their effect. It is a bit more technical but very useful to make an effect come to life.
BLACK CHANNEL
The first game I worked on was a sci-fi horror game. I was the only VFX artist on the project because this was a student proof of concept project. This is where I learned how to work in Unreal Engine and I created effects with all three techniques mentioned above. For more information about the game, click on the button below.
gLOWING ORBS
coming soon...