VFX software for games?
Hi all,
without getting in to my history, I'll just ask straight out.
To create vfx for games like the recently released game Krater, what software should I learn?
Unity, UDK or a complete different?
As I already have a secured job, not in the vfx industry though, I only want to learn it as a hobby and if the chance comes maybe begin to do it as freelance for "smaller" games.
I have an intermediate knowledge of Autodesk Maya. Not sure though if Maya would be the software to go for. But I have as good as no knowledge/skill how to create vfx.
I'm talking about all kinds of vfx... character selection circles, character skills, when monsters splatter etc.
Please let me know if I wasn't clear enough :poly136:
Thank you guys!
without getting in to my history, I'll just ask straight out.
To create vfx for games like the recently released game Krater, what software should I learn?
Unity, UDK or a complete different?
As I already have a secured job, not in the vfx industry though, I only want to learn it as a hobby and if the chance comes maybe begin to do it as freelance for "smaller" games.
I have an intermediate knowledge of Autodesk Maya. Not sure though if Maya would be the software to go for. But I have as good as no knowledge/skill how to create vfx.
I'm talking about all kinds of vfx... character selection circles, character skills, when monsters splatter etc.
Please let me know if I wasn't clear enough :poly136:
Thank you guys!
Replies
Check out Lee's tutorial site (and bug him to update it)
Explosions & Rainbows
It's also a good idea to be familiar with Max and/or Maya's particle systems, some game engines are pretty bare bones when it comes to particles and you have to build them inside your 3d app
So if I start learning the UDK particle editor, which will probably take very long to get good at, and on the side play around with Maya (or Max? isn't Max the software to go for games) I can't do wrong?
Thanks
Oh and before I forget, happy about all infos where to get UDK particle editor tutorials for beginners.
3D Buzz Cascade tutorials
3DS Max & Maya are both the major software packages used in the game industry and are both fairly similar.
Also useful if you know how to do effects inside Maya/max which you just render out as animation - although most stuff we do seems to be realtime.
basically if you want to do VFX for video games, get familiar with an in-engine particle editor - for what its worth, my recommendation is UDK as it's still widely used and cascade is, fairly nice; I prefer it to pflow.
The timings, forms and pretty much everything are often done in engine particle editors.
The most common thing you will use maya or max for is to create texture pages or meshes, so for example I'd use maya fluids to create an animated texture for fire, smoke, and so on, and stick that on billboards or meshes in engine to build up a smokey effect.
Being able to create brilliant textures and use them with good timings in engine is the #1 facet, i think. After that, you will also probably have to be familiar with cloth simulations, RBD simulations... anything with simulation in the name, and have ways to bring in to real time situations.
And also to know some scripting to set off FX sequences according to design.
jimmypopali
its all of that and more. Emitting from meshes, you need to work with whoever made the mesh, get bones or sockets placed accordingly, update your effect with the mesh. It's often done through code, so you need to work with the coders to get fx placed correctly, and spawned at the right time with the right parameters etc.
The fundamentals are the same, but when fx are spawned, it's not always an fx artist.
I think I've only just touched on what it is, don't know if any of this is helpful, but give me a shout if you want me to explain anything I've put down here.
http://fhoopfx.blogspot.ca/2012/03/vfx-student-faq.html
The tutorials are also on sale this summer so its worth picking up if you have a real interest in VFX.
I made a nearly 7 hour beginner's guide to Cascade, and 3dmotive bought the rights out from me so they can add it to their library. From what I hear it is being released on their site very soon (hopefully this month). I think it'll be a good starting point if you want to learn VFX in UDK. In addition, I made another almost 7 hour series on VFX in UDK where we do some more sci-fi elements and practical application. This should be released soon as well.
I'm also working on a new set for my site, imbueFX.com. This will be in the 1.5 hour range and cover a RPG style ground pound attack full shockwave goodnees. It'll cover everything from start to end on how I approach and create FX. It should be done in about 2 weeks and only $10.
Now that I've sold myself some, I can also give you some other advice:
*Good VFX Artists almost ALWAYS have strong compositing backgrounds, so learn something like After Effects.
*Learning particles in any program or engine is a plus, don't just limit yourself to one.
*A good VFX Artist is both technically AND artistically sound. Learning advanced materials or modules is only half the battle. Look at other game FX, even in slowmo and learn what it is that makes an effect successful.
*Here's a list of what of my "key elements" to a successful effect: 1)Weight, 2)Presence, 3)Volume, 4)Motion, 5)Aesthetic, 6)Communication, & 7)Staging/Timing
Weight: Too often I see something like debris, sparks, bullet shells that just seemingly float down to the ground (this is directly related to motion as well).
Presence: Is your effect too small? Too quick? There's a balance to communicating to the player something visually without becoming too obtrusive.
Volume: Do your effects feel as if they're flat and pasted into a scene? Can you look around the effect from multiple angles and it still holds up?
Motion: Remember not every person will be staring at that sweet dust cloud you just made, they'll be focusing on gameplay. What makes something believable many times is how it moves. Smoke is a perfect example of this.
Aesthetics: Be a GOOD ARTIST. Understand color harmonies. Know about how painters shade and light their work. Do your FX blend with the scene you're making them for? Do your white and black points match? Is there an environment color tint needed?
Communication: Many times FX are used to communicate to the player that a skill or special move has happened. Can a player look at your FX and know that they just received a health pickup versus being injured? Can they tell their sword attack was more powerful than their previous?
Staging/Timing: I cannot stress this one enough. Take some quick animation classes if you haven't. Almost every effect has something we call a rhythm. We don't just burst out a bunch of particles at once and just hope for the best (well, sometimes we do). But often emitters have some delays in time, we animate spawn rates or size or color, etc etc. Explosions are perfect for this example. There are different stages of the explosion that happen at different times, but all very quickly.
Lee's site is a great resource. Doug Holder has also posted a few more advanced material tutorials in UDK. Fred's link above is a super good beginner's resource as well. Additionally you have myself and the polycount community for feedback on your stuff. Sorry for the long post, but good luck!
first, thanks for that informative post. Will your tutorial for beginners cost anything?
Don't know how 3dmotive works. Or is it more like a monthly subscription?
I think your tutorial would be THE place to start for me.
Cheers,
Sharky
3dmotive is a subscription model, according to their site plans range from $17-$22/month. I think my tutorial would really open your eyes to how VFX Artists approach work and the principles of a good effect. I'll try to remember and send you a PM when they get it live on their site.
You could see that as a short introduction to the new Unity particle editor. Some people have had trouble getting started with it, so if you choose to practice in Unity, it might be of some help
Little side question, I recall that I heard about your UDK cascade tutorial about a year ago, when I tried to get some informations together the first time. Did you make a new one or is that the one I will find on 3dmotive? I remember a lot of people saying it's an awesome tutorial.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/20454227/Cascade%20Tutorial.rar
yeah I put them on hold once I saw Bill's (imbueFX) tutorials and thought "this guys knows way more!" So I bought them
someone asked me how I did the rotoscoping FX hologram in the KungFu Superstar trailer, it was fun to do, was thinking i'd reboot my site with that. Now I'm not crunching anymore weekends are free!!
And then 3D Motive bought him out and we're in a holding pattern ;_;
I understand that he had to take down his cascade videos since he's going to make them for 3D Motive, I just wish there was less of a gap in time. I really wish that the transition would have been more immediate since they've released about 8 other videos since then.
@praetus: I agree that 3dmotive is moving slower than I hoped on releasing my videos. It has been tough because I get asked weekly by people who want to buy the videos, but can only offer a "they're releasing them soon". But like I said they should be out VERY soon from what I hear. But they're a great team to work with and I still will make new stuff in the future for them.
But the silver lining is that I will still be making videos for my site as well and they'll get released as soon as they are finished, no waiting
we were talking about VFX; And as I mentioned Ryan Smith - https://vimeo.com/36687699 - is impressive amazing !