Alan Demafiles

for my vfx peeps who have an LLC i have a question. When you get hired for a gig, do you just ask to be paid through your LLC? And how receptive are they to that?

4

13 Comments

VFX Callsheet is now live on LinkedIn. We’re building a platform focused on production intelligence for the visual effects industry, bringing together project tracking, vendor discovery, freelancers, tax incentives, and bidding workflows in one place. The goal is simple: help producers, supervisors, and vendors navigate the VFX ecosystem with greater clarity and efficiency. The platform is still evolving, and we’re looking forward to connecting with producers, vendors, and artists across the industry as it develops. More updates to come soon.

8

🚀 SM Script Library v8.0.0 – Out Now! A powerful script manager for Autodesk Maya designed to speed up and simplify your workflow. ✨ Key Features: Modern UI with Dark/Light mode Python & MEL script library One-click script execution Search & smart organization Version history + auto backup Shelf integration Built for efficiency and production use. 🎬 Check out the demo video! #Maya #AutodeskMaya #Rigging #PipelineTools #Scripting https://lnkd.in/gwbHH39R

27

1 Comment

When artists integrate AI into their workflow, they can either use Additive or Subtractive AI workflows. With Subtractive AI workflows you create a large swathe of different content. And curate it down to the few items that most closely represent what you may have been going for. With Additive AI, you start from some piece of media, be it a storyboard, concept art, photography or something else that already has a large amount of intentionality behind it. And iterate upwards from there. In my view, both are valid. But Additive workflows are the best for total creative control, resulting in media that is precisely what the artist intended. This is an example of an Additive AI workflow. I start with a clear idea of my character. He's a half Maori head of a security firm. Battle hardened, but from a sophisticated social class. I start by drawing and describing the character and his backstory. I then enhance this drawing in the storyboard mode to speed up the rest of this workflow (optional) And then in Cinematography mode, I bring the character up to a final character sheet. Along the way there were many iterations - over 30 paint overs and modifications, but I'm happy with the result and ready to start filming. Filming itself is done using an AR camera in real or virtual environments, and directed using natural language. Eg. "Mate, can you give it a little more intensity? There's more at stake". You can also use a real actor to drive these performances. This was done in LiveMind Aperture. I'll share more workflows soon.

8

Animation Pro Tip #122 Stop polishing garbage. Block in stepped mode first. Do you know what the fastest way to waste hours in animation is? Yup! Jumping straight into splined curves before your timing and poses are locked. This workflows saves countless hours and every professional animator knows: - Start in stepped/pose-to-pose mode. - Get your key poses reading clearly. - Nail the timing. Make sure the performance actually works. - Get it approved. Then switch to spline and polish. 🤷🏾‍♂️Wondering Why it works? This is it: • Timing changes = dragging a pose, not redoing 50 in-betweens • Weak poses can’t hide behind smooth motion • Directors see exactly what they’re approving • You’re solving performance problems, not wrestling curves Your blocking is your blueprint. If the foundation is broken, polishing just makes it smooth garbage. The animators who skip blocking? They’re the ones tweaking splines at 3am wondering why nothing feels right. Perfect your poses. Lock your timing. Get approval. Then make it beautiful. This isn’t a beginner tip; it’s how professionals stay sane and keep deadlines. Block stepped. Spline later. Make it work with less. Stay animated and keep the story at the heart, guys✌🏾 #animation #animationtips #motiongraphics #3danimation #animatingwithselormx #characteranimation #maya #blender #animationworkflow #animators #animatorlife #steppedkeys #posetopose #blockingtips #animationprocess #animationadvice #vfx #3dartist #characteranimator #animationindustry #productionworkflow #mayaanimation #blenderanimation #animationmentor #keystudio #animationtechnique #mograph #motiondesigner #learnanimation #animationcommunity #digitalanimation

10

I made a tutorial on the "180 Degree Rule" for AI Filmmaking when creating dialogue scenes. https://lnkd.in/efcnKft8 This is especially important for people using the Kling Motion Control workflow, where the source performance video dictates the screen direction the performance will appear in the final film.

93

5 Comments

Ready to take your FX skills to a professional level? Our 12-week FX for Film & TV (Level 9) certificate brings you inside the world of high-end VFX, CG animation and real-time FX. Learn how to design art-directable simulations, work with industry tools like Houdini, Maya and Unreal Engine, and build a polished FX showreel that showcases your skills for film, TV and games. As part of this course you will study - Fundamentals of FX Creation How FX are developed from concept to execution Research, problem-solving and iterative workflows Understanding natural phenomena to inform realistic FX Visual Effects Techniques Particle simulations Fluid dynamics Rigid body dynamics Pyro and other core FX systems Using tools such as Houdini and Maya Real-Time FX Working in Unity or Unreal Engine Creating shaders and particle systems Integrating assets from Houdini/Maya into game engines Building efficient, real-time FX workflows Lighting and Rendering for VFX Lighting considerations for smoke, particles and simulated elements Rendering for both quality and optimisation Preparing and presenting work for a professional demo reel Apply Now https://lnkd.in/duEEe7eu

4

Can you relate to Maya? Managing multiple locations shouldn’t feel this complicated, but for many operators, it does. If this feels familiar, it might be time to rethink how your systems are working together. You can schedule a strategy session here: https://hubs.li/Q04cQnmC0 #AttractionsIndustry #MultiLocations #Operations #CustomerExperience #Leadership

1

I still can’t believe this is real… Adobe Premiere Pro - Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials Premiere Pro’s Object Mask allows you to isolate specific areas of your footage to apply effects, color corrections, or blur elements selectively. These tools are designed to streamline your editing workflow, enabling you to accomplish complex tasks without leaving your editing environment to use After Effects.

27

5 Comments

Exploring WorldLabs #Marble for #GaussianSplatting within a #virtualproduction workflow using #UnrealEngine 5.7 and the camera motion control tracking system. First, the reference image is enhanced using Google #NanoBanana Pro. From there, WorldLabs Marble handles the automated #3DGS generation pipeline based on the processed reference. The Marble system appears to involve AI-generated 360 imagery, depth mapping, constrained point clouds, camera projections, and Gaussian Splatting training. Tested and developed at Garage Studio & BTS | Behind the Stage Dubai. G-ka Robotic Arms. #GreenScreen Check the 3DGS background: https://lnkd.in/dD9W-4bG Check the Video in 4K: https://lnkd.in/dgha8shD

226

3 Comments

For Luma AI modify keyframe line up of your characters and perspective is #1. At this moment it often helps to know traditional tools to edit frames. DP: Julia Harris “Real” Bigfoot: Tamara Bruketta Campfire folk: Jieyi Lee Nancy Estrada Jo Beth L. Bronte Cooper

322

26 Comments

Here’s a preview of a new spread from the 2025 Visual Effects & Animation World Atlas featuring a selection of studio openings, closings, mergers, and acquisitions from the past 12 months. (Expand it to full screen if you want to see the details.)   Several high-profile VFX and Animation studios collapsed during this time. But the industry outlook is less straightforward than some of the more attention-grabbing headlines and LinkedIn posts would have you believe.    New studios launched during this same period -- quite a few of them led by teams from companies that closed months, weeks, or even just days, before.    There’s also been plenty of M&A activity (with Dream/Machine FX and PFX among the most active groups). Well-known VFX brands were retired. Studios merged and secured new investment.   While the Atlas looks mainly at countries, cities, and skillsets rather than individual studios, I felt it was important to chart both some of the studios we’ve lost and some of the studios we’ve gained since the 2024 edition. This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you spot a company that’s missing or a date that’s not quite right, please call it out and I’ll fix it before the new edition launches in a couple of weeks’ time. #VFX #animation #vfxatlas

166

21 Comments

Very useful Houdini feature that often gets overlooked: Detail attributes can be saved into the info block of .bgeo/.geo cache files. That means you can read those values later without loading the full geometry, using File SOP Info Load or gstat. This is great for storing lightweight metadata directly inside caches, not just geometry. For example, you could write per-frame profiler stats, memory usage, node timings, or custom sim metrics into each cache file, then inspect performance across an entire simulation afterward without loading heavy caches. Very small feature, but extremely useful for debugging, profiling your simulations, and understanding performance over time.

531

15 Comments

🎥✨ Speed Up Your DaVinci Resolve Workflow with Color Management: A Pro Tip for Log Footage One of my favorite ways to save time (and sanity) when grading log footage in DaVinci Resolve is to set up proper Color Management from the start — so your clips auto-transform to Rec.709, while you still work in a wide color space for full flexibility. If you’re still manually adding LUTs or adjusting contrast by hand every time, try this instead: ⸻ ✅ How to set up Color Management for faster grading: 1️⃣ Project Settings → Color Management: • Change ‘Color Science’ to DaVinci YRGB Color Managed • Set ‘Timeline Color Space’ to DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate (this gives you maximum grading headroom) 2️⃣ Input Color Space: • Make sure your log footage has the correct input color space. For example, Sony S-Log3, Canon C-Log, Blackmagic Film, etc. • Resolve will automatically apply a precise tone mapping. 3️⃣ Output Color Space: • Set your Output Color Space to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4 — this is the final broadcast/display standard for most screens and web platforms. I use sRGB because of the Gamma Shift I was always getting after exporting my video - blacks in Davinci were ok but after export it has crushed my blacks completely. 4️⃣ Work as usual in the Node Editor: • Grade your shots non-destructively in wide gamut. • Your node corrections will be applied before Resolve converts the image to Rec.709 for export. ⸻ ✨ Why use Color Management? ✔️ Automatic log-to-Rec.709 conversion — no LUT guesswork. ✔️ Consistent color pipeline from ingest to delivery. ✔️ True wide-gamut grading flexibility — better highlights and shadows. ✔️ Faster turnaround for tight deadlines. ⸻ 📌 Pro tip: Many professional colorists recommend skipping manual LUTs for log-to-Rec.709 transforms and instead relying on Resolve’s built-in Color Management — it’s more accurate, reversible, and standardizes your workflow for teams and bigger projects. ⸻ 💡 If you found this helpful: ✅ Save this for your next grading session. ✅ Follow me for more practical DaVinci Resolve & color grading insights. ✅ Let me know in the comments: Are you still using manual LUTs or already switched to Color Management? ⸻ #DaVinciResolve #ColorGrading #LogFootage #PostProduction #VideoEditing #FilmmakingTips #ColorManagement #DavinciResolveWorkflow #VideoColorist #CreativeWorkflow #LinkedInCreators #PurpleStudioFilm

1

I couldn’t agree more. Before you start cooking, decide what you want to make so you know what ingredients to get.

1

2,000+ VFX jobs. One painful problem. I didn’t create another job board. I fixed how people find jobs. For years, Chris Mayne has maintained a legendary Google Sheet with VFX, animation, and gaming jobs. It’s gold. But scrolling through thousands of rows isn’t. So my team and I asked a simple question: 👉 What if this data was actually easy to explore? So we built : https://jobs.akashcg.com/ Here’s what we built: • A clean web UI on top of the same Google Sheet • Smart filters by role, country, studio, and location • Interactive world map to explore jobs geographically • Full job details on click — company, site, apply link • Hiring stats so patterns become visible, not hidden No data scraping. No ownership claims. No monetization tricks. The data stays Chris’s. The value goes to the community. Great community resources don’t always need more data. They need better interfaces. Tools don’t replace people. They amplify the work of people already doing great things. This project exists for one reason: To make job hunting in VFX, animation, and games less exhausting. If you’re job hunting right now — I hope this saves you time. If you maintain community resources — thank you, seriously. Question for you: What’s one community tool you love… but wish had a better UI? 👇 Comment below. #VFX #Jobs #Animation #Gaming

95

9 Comments

Excited to share my latest Fire FX short, built using an AI-driven production pipeline combining ComfyUI and Nuke. 🔹 Implemented LTX-Video (Image-to-Video) with depth map workflow 🔹 Designed and optimized a custom ComfyUI workflow for video generation, upscaling, and image enhancement 🔹 Used Seed VSR for high-quality image upscaling 🔹 Applied Qwen (Alibaba) for AI-based image editing 🔹 Integrated 30% compositing in Nuke for final polish and production-ready output This project reflects my hands-on experience in: • AI video generation pipelines • LoRA-based workflows • Image & video upscaling • Depth-based animation • AI + traditional compositing integration. Exploring the power of AI-driven VFX pipelines and pushing real-time creative workflows. Open to collaborations and AI content opportunities. #AI #GenerativeAI #ComfyUI #Nuke #VFX #AIVideo #MachineLearning #ImageToVideo #DeepLearning #CreativeAI #AIContent #TechArt

11

1 Comment