8 Specializations and Courses in VFX – VFX & 3D animation career guide

In this blog we will discuss about the multiple specializations, courses in vfx. We will also try to provide you a road map to build up a great career in vfx by selecting right courses/specializations. VFX being a new career option is very less explored and not many people can guide on to selecting a right vfx career path. We will also provide information about softwares relevant to each of the VFX specialization and the one that are demanded globally.   In our previous blogs we provided information about VFX as a career and misconceptions students have towards VFX career, here we are going to focus on VFX courses and specializations in detail. 

VFX, Animations are basically a CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) used for creating film shots in film industry. CGI shots complexity and quality differs depending upon the projects and the budgets of a certain show. When a series of frames runs at the pace of 24 FPS (frames Per Second) digitally, it gives us an illusion of a motion picture; so, if a VFX artist wants to edit a one second shot of a movie then he/she has to work on 24 frames one by one. Any CGI Animation shot in a movie is not a job of a single person but is a product of multiple departments and artists that work together in liaison with each other. To understand the specializations and courses in VFX let us now understand VFX pipeline.

VFX pipeline is basically a step by step process which is followed globally by each and every production house to create CGI effects. The VFX pipeline followed globally is as follows,

1. Conceptualization – Concept Design.
2. 3D Modelling – Creating a 3D model with reference to concept design.
3. Texturing – Giving texture (color) to the 3D model with the reference to the concept design.
4. Rigging – To rigg the character basis the anatomy / structure (animal anatomy, human anatomy etc).
5. 3D Animation – To animate the character developed by the 3D modelling, texturing and rigging department.
6. Digital Lighting – Providing light effects, shadows etc to the shot as per the requirement to match the real shot footage.
7. FX – Simulating / creating smoke, fire, dust, destruction, water, cloth (flag, superman’s cape etc), liquid as per the requirement.
8. VFX Compositing – Combining of visual elements from different sources / departments in to a one single shot.

The above-mentioned departments are the specializations in VFX a student may choose to opt while starting VFX training. It is very important for a student to understand that he can get professionally trained on either one of the mentioned specializations / departments. To understand why only one specialization please refer to our previous blogs.

Now to understand these departments in detail, imagine a scene wherein a furious bull is running on a dusty path for attacking a man (Man in this scene is a real person shot on a green screen and bull is a CGI which needs to be created digitally). This shot is an imagination / vision of a director and he wants to turn it in to realty with the help of VFX. Let us now understand the pipeline in detail as below.

1. Conceptualization – Concept department is the first stage in VFX pipeline for which there are concept artists who are professionally trained on softwares like Photoshop and Illustrator. Director/Client communicates his vision to the concept artist; artist in turn develops a bull in photoshop or illustrator software that the director wants to put in a movie. Creating a concept is not an easy job and takes lot of time and efforts; concept artist keeps on making multiple versions of a bull till the time the client is not satisfied. Once the concept is ready and approved, now the job is passed on to the 3D modelling department.

Software training required to be a concept artist – Photoshop, Illustrator.