Andrei Ichim

Hello VFX community! Did you know that 2dview offers more than just project management tools? With 2dview's Attendance feature, authorized personnel have a dedicated space to effortlessly monitor and manage artist attendance. It provides a real-time snapshot of your team's attendance status, indicating who's actively working, who's on leave, and who hasn't logged in. This visibility into individual and overall attendance ensures that studio managers and supervisors can stay informed and make informed decisions to keep projects on track. Ready to revolutionize how you manage artist attendance? Sign up for 2dview today and experience the power of efficient attendance tracking firsthand! Visit our website to explore 2dview without any cost. Website link: www.2dview.com Sales queries: sales@2dview.com #vfx #VFXIndustry #vfx #attendance #2dview #tracking #freeplan #freeofcost

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Another blow to the industry as new tax cuts affect studios and jobs in Montreal. In March, the Quebec government announced it would increase the base rate of the tax credit from 20 to 25% and cap its application to 65% of a contract's value, whereas before there was no cap. https://lnkd.in/eb4bq3tx Changes to make our industry more sustainable is required... #vfx #visualeffects

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Creating games is very difficult. And building games is challenging. The process of build requires to compile the code and all the data required in the game in a specific sequence involving many dependencies. As such monitoring the outcome is essential, but not sufficent. What if we were able to predict the outcome of a build ? What if we were able to decrease the required computing resources while increasing our iteration capability ? #Ubisoft #Ubisoftlaforge #innovation

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Wow - what a dream of a project! We worked with the team over at FAT Brands Inc. to concept, design and animate an out of this world hero video for their 2024 "All Systems Go" Summit. It was important we deliver on their desire for a cinematic piece, while keeping the look in the same vein as their conference visual language. We sought to capture feelings of awe, grandiosity, and anticipation. We really hope you love this #video as much as we do. 3.. 2.. 🚀 #video #creativity #motiongraphics

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Update 22.05.2024 =New and Improved Features= -Reworked Weight System: The weight system has been revamped for more accurate and efficient calculations. -Reworked Action Menu System: The action menu system has been redesigned for better usability and functionality. -Reworked Stack Systems: The stack systems have been updated for improved item management. -Reworked Base Inventory Functions: Core inventory functions have been refined for better performance and reliability. -Reworked Widgets: Inventory-related widgets have been redesigned for a more intuitive user experience. -Reworked Base Container: The base container system has been overhauled for enhanced functionality. =Documentation Enhancements= -Detailed Documentation: Additional details have been added to the documentation for better understanding and ease of use. =New Features= -Basic Inventory Sounds: Introduced basic inventory sounds, with plans to add more in future updates. -Item Splitting and Stacking: Added a new feature for splitting and stacking items. -Crafting System: Implemented a crafting system with numerous examples for expansion and customization. -Attributes System: Added an attributes system for items. For example, a "Backpack" or "CargoPants" will provide extra inventory slots, health, stamina, etc. with extensive examples included. =Content Additions= -New Items: Added 54 new items, fully detailed in the data table. These include crafting materials, tools, medical supplies, consumables, ammunition, and equipment. -Organized Data Tables: Cleaned up and separated data tables for each item type. =Bug Fixes and Optimizations= -Fixed Dupe Issues: Addressed duplicate problems in the drag-and-drop system. -Drop Location Colors: Improved the drop location color indication. Items will now turn yellow if they match the target slot, otherwise, they will turn red. -System Optimizations: Optimized the inventory and equipment systems, achieving a 10x performance increase. -Optimized New Components: The new crafting and attributes components are optimized for better performance. =Function Library Additions= New Functions; GetEquipmentAttributes GetAttributesValue GetItemAttributes GetBlueprintList GetRequiredItem GetItems CanSplitItem CanStackItem CanFlipItem ItemIsUsable ItemEquippable =New Tags for Attributes System= Tags; InventorySlots Health Hunger Thirst Stamina Strength Armor -Marketplace: https://lnkd.in/dqhz9uXm

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Do you want to level up your game dev team? Do you want to learn some of the magic that makes some of the greatest games? Alex's course is a great place to start. And if you have designers on staff you think would benefit, I highly recommend this bootcamp. #bootcap #gamedesign

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We're in a serious situation here in Quebec. VFX and animation artists are struggling as it is with the reduced amount of work in the industry. Thousands have already lost their jobs. Many more have experienced loss of working hours or reduced salaries as studios work to keep their doors open in response to the downturn. The impending reduction of government subsidies for doing work in Quebec means that those jobs, working hours, and salaries are not likely to come back as clients take their projects elsewhere in the world where it is more financially beneficial to make them. This government reduction threatens to reduce the size of the industry here (if not outright kill it) and subsequently force people to uproot their lives who might not otherwise desire to do so as they follow the jobs to the next place they can find them. This reduction also threatens the prosperity of Quebec in general as those who have come in order to fill high(er) paying positions are forced to leave and thus take with them their financial contributions to the provincial tax pot as well as their buying power in the local economy. Perhaps I'm over-estimating the impact of our industry on the wealth, prosperity, and well-being of Quebec, but for those of us concerned about how much longer we and our families can provide for ourselves and still call this place our home, it's a very real threat to our well-being and the stability of the economy around us.

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User feedback and user requests are very important! We are constantly improving the software for the artists who use the tool. Take a look at the latest developments of the video player. #vfx #assetmanagment #videoplayer #daselement

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It can be confusing when you feel you did well in an interview but didn't make it to the next stage. As recruiters, we hear this a lot and sometimes there’s nothing you could have done differently. There may be an array of factors determining their final decision, including: - Production schedules change - An internal candidate has similar experience to you - Through the interview process, hiring managers realise they need something different for the role Be open to feedback as it’s the only way we can continue to improve. Not everyone is gifted with interview skills and it will only come with practice and time. Read some of our tips to prepare for interviews: https://lnkd.in/eby_Xy-d - there's a video version here too! #jobinterviews #vfxjobs #mondaymotivation

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With the announced closure of Framestore Vancouver this week, I've seen a number of people asking a variation of "WHAT IS GOING ON?" along with something about the SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes ending 9 months ago. Well, my friend Joseph Bell recently showed how powerful a visual can be with his bubble chart. Here are the VFX credits to Avengers Infinity War. I chose it because Marvel historically has been really good about credits, so it seemed likely to be as complete as possible, although we all know VFX is often short changed for credits. Look at all those names. Each one represents a job that needed doing. For a few weeks, a few months, maybe even a year or more. I also chose it because Infinity War was one of three Marvel movies released in 2018. Meaning there are two other movies with near enough the same size list of names, and that's just from Marvel. This year, Marvel is releasing one film. That means in today's world, there is no job for someone for every name in that image. And another one just like it. That's just the contraction from one division of one studio. Over the totality of the industry? Just a whole lot less work out there.

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When you are trying to figure out where to start your CG project how do you decide which type of image will be best for you, and what should you focus on first? Grand room scenes are always a favorite of ours, not only are they eye-catching but they give our clients a chance to show off the beauty of their product to its full extent. But if you are just starting to use CGI or maybe launching a new product sometimes it is best to start with something else. The amazing thing about CGI is that it is incredibly versatile so we can give you practical AND beautiful images. One of our favorite image combinations is a silo plus vignette. This is a great way to showcase your product in an eye-catching way but also have a practical product image for your website. Of course you know how important it is for customers to feel confident in their purchasing decision so the more information they can get the better. Silos are great for a product listing and are a “no nonsense” way of showcasing your product, where as a vignette is when we can show a little bit of personality and really draw a customer in. When it comes to having marketing collateral it's best to have as many tools as possible. Giving your customer the full range of what your product has to offer shows them what they can expect when they buy from you. And ultimately high quality images and marketing content speaks for itself.

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So we have unreal 5.4 release, very curious what is this lightweight emitters, my first thought we are going back to cascade, but actually it's completely different direction it's stateless particles with very convenient interface, I can see this being useful https://lnkd.in/gjPHYN4r

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📔Anim Tip #4: Utilize VFX Trails💨 VFX trails allow you to translate your attack over farther distances each frame because the viewer will naturally use the trail as an indicator of where the attack has traveled. It's the same idea as smear frames, but more realistic and snappy!💪 I use my own VFX trail asset, but this one by Kiel Figgins is great 🤘 https://lnkd.in/eppad8Xm

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🎉 We’re thrilled to announce that Pixels Coder will be at MIFA 2024, from June 11th to 14th in Annecy! This is an incredible opportunity for us to connect with industry leaders, share our latest innovations, and most importantly, help you solve your biggest production challenges. 🚀 🎬 If you’re involved in animation or VFX, you know how crucial precise project planning and estimation are. These tasks can be daunting, often leading to missed deadlines and budget overruns. But what if there was a way to streamline this process and make it more accurate? 📊 👉 Follow our next posts, we will dive into details on how to solve Projects Planning and Estimates and how our new service will help create more precise estimates. 📌 Find us at the Occitanie booth at D.01 ! 📅 Book a meeting with us now: https://lnkd.in/dG9SEddy #MIFA2024 #Animation #VFX #ProjectManagement #ProductionPlanning #PixelsCoder #ProjectEstimates #Analytics

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🔊 One for the Breaking Bad fans! Today’s sound design is of “The Last Batch”, a concept Breaking Bad game by Piotr Tatar. There are a lot of layers going on here. The V8 was recreated using Leon Beilmann’s techniques in Kilohearts Phase Plant. I'm not 100% happy with it, but this week I decided to just share things as I make them. It's been quite refreshing to "expose" things that have only been worked on for a few hours without iteration. I think sometimes as artists we are scared to share things unless they are perfect. Audio, just like visual art, should be seen as a multi-stage process. By working with assets at the concept stages, you can receive constructive feedback from your team (and sometimes interesting new angles from other departments) that will help you push your design to the next level. Far too often audio is seen as an after-thought to slap on a project at the end. This leaves no space for the creative process. Collaborative iteration, that's what it's all about! Let me know what you think. #sounddesign #gameaudio #breakingbad #thelastbatch #kilohearts #phaseplant

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Did you know that lighting is one of the most powerful tools you can have as a game developer to create immersive experiences for your players? Whether it's for scene setting, improving interactivity or magnifying key moments, level up your in-game lighting with Technicolor Games 👉 https://lnkd.in/ec8W3Bfv #GameLighting #Gaming #Lighting #TechnicolorGames

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Here's a look at our prop texturing workflow for Project ORCS! 🎨 We used custom Substance Painter tools to speed up our workflow & push the art style. Final textures are baked into vertex colors using Houdini to fully utilize Unreal Engine 5's Nanite. The vertex color workflow was developed by Jarred Everson and the sculpt is by Micao Penaflor. Lighting and additional tech art is by Igor Titov. All the Substance Painter stuff of the workflow is by me :) WORKFLOW: 1. Use my Substance Painter smart materials to get a good base with automatic edge highlights 2. Use smart materials to add algae/ dirt 3. Finishing touches with my custom brushes -> export to Houdini 4. Use Houdini to bake base color & roughness into vertex color data (roughness is baked into Alpha channel) 5. Import in Unreal Engine as Nanite Asset - use vertex color data instead of textures ADVANTAGES: - you don't need texture maps in Unreal Engine anymore! (no normal map + AO as it's high poly, no basecolor & roughness as it's packed into vertex color, we still use a tiny packed mask for Metalness & Emissive tho) - get nice geometry detail and silhouette without paying for it - Substance Painter part allows for quicker texturing while still pushing the style - with our stylized art style for most assets there was no huge visual difference DISADVANTAGES: - for some assets you lose some visual fidelity, esp. apparent in finer detail roughness maps - only really suitable for stylized art styles - need to add extra surface variation to sculpts - heavily relies on sculpts - less flexible than other workflows (altho you can still alter the baked texture data with Unreal material editor) #madewithsubstance #unrealengine #gamedevelopment #3dartist made with: SideFX Software Houdini, Adobe Substance 3D Painter & Designer, and Epic Games's Unreal Engine 5

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