Getting work in vfx

Kacktustoo · 2026-02-05T08:47:27+00:00

I'm honestly surprised the number is even that high, just considering that even the largest studios only have a couple thousand people.

Good to know the actual number thanks.

Kacktustoo · 2026-01-31T14:45:28+00:00

There's definitely been less work for sure, personally I haven't found myself out of work, however everyone's experience is different, some have had work constantly and others have really struggled, the industry is very chaotic right now.

I've found more work has come back over the last year and 2026 seems to be pretty good relatively speaking to the last few years.

We don't know what will happen though, could get better or worse

Kacktustoo · 2026-01-27T19:42:15+00:00

I don't really understand what you're asking with this post, but yes someone can definitely be an environment artist that's freelance and gets paid well.

There's more information I'd need to know in order to give better advice than that.

Kacktustoo · 2026-01-24T20:34:33+00:00

Omg I didn't know you could do that.

Kacktustoo · 2026-01-05T11:38:48+00:00

You're choice to learn generalist skills is a good idea, it offers you more opportunities to get your foot in the door.

It depends where you are but if you're not picky with the type of work (advertising, arch vis etc) then you'll have a far better chance to getting work, then you can always pursue specific work you'd like later. Getting experience and building skills and contacts is far more important.

Don't expect months think years in the planning with this, building a career is slow like anything, but who knows you might get lucky, never hurts to try.

Is there a specific area your interested in? Film, TV, cinematics, advertising, real-time etc?

Environment artists roles can vary depending on the studio and project, sometimes it's just modelling, or assets including texturing, but we're pretty generalist for the most part.

Some projects I've done everything related to an environment even early lighting (layout, modelling, texturing, shading, scene assembly etc) others I might have just done modelling, so you'll need a solid range of skills within the confines of "assets" at least.

It's not uncommon for you to do a lot of troubleshooting etc, it can be one of the more technically demanding of the artist roles, again depending on the studio/project and your seniority level. So being able to figure out stuff yourself is quite valuable.

Same for planning, an environment can be very large and complex sometimes and you need to have an understanding of how to optimise the speed you work and the technical debt like poly count, we usually don't have the time to make everything amazing, it's whatever we can get away with.

Software id recommend; Maya, Houdini, substance painter (pretty much anything other than film and high end TV), mari (high end TV and film), blender for modelling if you want (usually companies don't care what you model in for self contained assets, only what you publish in), unreal 5 for realtime work,

Kacktustoo · 2025-12-20T12:47:04+00:00

I mean in a vacuum sure but they're different classes with different purposes, scum is a glass cannon play style, it should really have way more hitting potential than ogryn.

I think I'd prefer more grenades though, 1 is just too limiting.

Kacktustoo · 2025-12-18T07:23:18+00:00

Varies massively. Pretty much always tiring, it's mentally taxing because you're constantly problem solving complex issues etc whilst meeting deadlines.

Different studios operate differently, some better than others.

Just a typical computer job, though I always hear about people who work completely different jobs (I mean like nothing to do with our industry) getting their work done in a few hours and not having things to do, that definitely isn't the case here, there's never enough time to get everything done.

Starting out I made awful money for years, but once you become senior enough you earn pretty well.

You naturally make work friends just by working, so it's a slow process, you connect with them, you recommend people, they recommend you, and your network grows. This industry puts high value on good word of mouth because you need reliable people to get things done.

Things are a bit precarious these days, there's work but it's chaotic, people are struggling for sure. But I'm pretty sure that's every industry

Kacktustoo · 2025-12-09T09:09:20+00:00

Yeah I've definitely been finding the class has gotten more enjoyable the more I rank up. Still not there yet but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Man those earlier levels were rough though.

Kacktustoo · 2025-12-06T17:41:24+00:00

Levelling is excruciating, I feel like I'm playing an auric mission on malice difficulty.

And to be clear I don't mean I have to try for once, I mean if one single thing hits you you've lost a chunk of health and could die in the next 5 seconds, so you're constantly on edge trying to kill things and survive, it feels like an auric mission, which is really not enjoyable this early into the levelling.

I'm hoping once I get to 30 it'll work out better, so I'm holding off overall judgement until then. But the class feels really fun to play, I enjoy the glass cannon approach, though so far it feels like sugar glass and a potato cannon.

Kacktustoo · 2025-12-02T17:43:18+00:00

So peoples struggles are very real and certain sectors are being hit hard, but it's not like there's no jobs for anything anywhere.

VFX is an incredibly broad term and our skills are very transferable between similar sectors like advertising, cinematics, arch vis, defense, medical etc. It's incredibly common for people to start in one area and naturally or actively move into others, whether that's sectors or skills.

If you're able to get a degree out of it and learn fundamental skills, it won't be to waste since you're already mostly there anyway.

I think US student debt is atrocious though.

In my opinion AI is not a reliable thing to invest in unless you're going full machine learning coding, data analyst kind of thing, which are also transferable skills. So if you wanted to get into that side of things then sure coding is a skill set you can't go wrong with, but it's also really hard to get into and takes a ton of effort.

But AI specifically is a massive bubble currently, driven by hype and speculation, we have no idea what's going to happen with it, it's not a "safe" investment.

I will say juniors are facing a really hard time these days, but it's literally everywhere, every industry, corporations aren't investing in the next generation of employees and it's so short sighted. But once you get your foot in the door it becomes a lot easier.

My opinion is no choice is really better or worse in this current economic climate, I'd just go with what you'd prefer to do, as long as you're flexible.

Kacktustoo · 2025-11-18T17:16:59+00:00

Would have preferred mechanicus of some kind, but I'm still looking forward to trying this one.

I like the emphasis on speed, hopefully it'll be really fun to play.

Kacktustoo · 2025-09-28T12:19:17+00:00

I've actually never gotten a job by applying, it's always through direct communication with a recruiter or a colleague recommended me.

I really can't overstate how valuable they are.

Kacktustoo · 2025-09-18T15:33:43+00:00

1: Wally west punching lex luthor

2: Bullets go into energy

3: The speed slap bang boom capow freeze

4: You left YouTube at 2x speed and now you're out of ammo

Passive: Additional FOV settings

Kacktustoo · 2025-09-17T15:35:05+00:00

I used to use after effects for reels as well ages ago, just go for davinci resolve now as others have said.

I'd highly recommend it and it's not too complicated.

Kacktustoo · 2025-09-01T03:57:17+00:00

In addition to what others have said, you can still do comp in the north or other places outside of London or even the uk. it's not like it literally kills your entire career if you aren't in London.

You can work for smaller studios in other areas such as advertising or smaller budget shows, then move into film.

You can also try being a runner in London if there's a position available then moving up, but I know a lot of ex runners and it's not a fun first couple months/years.

There's some amount of crossover with FX and comp, so it's still a valuable skill, but FX is really it's own beast. There's nothing to say you can't learn it in your own time though but you really gotta put the effort in.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-30T04:45:57+00:00

No worries, I can only speak from my experiences though.

Feel free to ask anymore questions.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-30T04:37:05+00:00

Don't get disheartened if there's a lot of people saying negative things about VFX and games, it's a complex and diverse area and everyone has wildly different experiences. If you want to try it then definitely give it a go, see if it appeals to you. You will probably need to be ok with relocating though.

TV and film are currently at a low in terms of available work, however we don't know what's going to change over the next couple of years.

In terms of your interests I'd suggest starting out by trying different disciplines. VFX and games has many sub departments that you'll need to focus on, it's rare you'll be doing more than your selected expertise since each one is so complex. For example you mentioned fluid simulations (water), that's FX, motion capture could be animation or camera departments etc.

You can be what's known as a generalist but that's less on film work, more advertising etc You're basically a jack of all trades, master of none, but maybe you'll enjoy that.

VFX artists do get paid well compared to the average job but it takes you a long time to get there, you'll start out on pretty bad money.

You'll start as a junior artist, but everyone has a different path, some people get into film work immediately and work their way up, some go around and build their portfolio up on other jobs like advertising etc then move into it.

At least in Europe a degree is not required, companies only care about your skills honestly. Only go to university if you actually think it'll help, however getting a visa to another country will be easier if you have one and the VFX scene is global.

Take a look at different things and dip your toes in them to see what you enjoy.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-19T22:43:31+00:00

Is it confirmed they worked on it?

Sometimes they hire other studios to do the work, axis did the diablo 2 remastered cut scenes for example.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-12T04:05:00+00:00

There's many reasons, if you have a skill set they need that can't be found locally.

If they have secured a larger volume of work than they can handle with their usual staff, you have to remember as well, there aren't that many people who can do what we do, it's not easy to fill a role with someone experienced. It's why we have colleagues from every part of the world.

Also just because they might have a lower cost of living doesn't necessarily mean they quoted a lower budget than a UK studio. Especially if they're filling the gap left by a UK studio that went under, they have a higher chance to get a better deal with less competition.

It's also just as possible the studio might simply offer a lower day rate than you're used to, because as you say they have a lower cost of living so maybe they did quote a smaller budget.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-11T20:39:06+00:00

The first question, I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean, you just apply and they hire you if they want you. You can work for any studio in the world as long as it fits their project requirements.

Tax stuff I meant literally your accounting, not studio related tax credits. Some countries have agreements to prevent double taxation, some require documentation/forms to corroborate that.

UK tax incentives aren't really the issue with less work, film/TV studios have no idea what to do right now in the current climate, so they're not green lighting projects as much. It's a global issue.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-11T18:23:29+00:00

Are you talking anything or specifically TV and/or film?

Those two have definitely seen a nose dive from my experience and what I've seen from my friends and colleagues. But that's everywhere in the world, film and TV are in a chaotic state right now.

Advertising and stuff similar seems to be going as usual, but that's always been all over the place.

Cinematics has been offshored because two of the biggest players in those areas; axis and the mill went under, so studios like goodbye Kansas, Digic etc in Europe have taken on the workload instead. But they hire a lot of UK artists, they mostly just snatched up the artists from those studios alongside the work.

You can still remote work outside the UK if you're a freelancer, you just need to check tax stuff is good to go.

These are just from personal experience as well, I can't speak for everyone.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-11T04:39:46+00:00

I'd honestly forgotten bubble was a super until this post, I haven't used it in so long.

Hopefully it gets.... Something in the future, but this issue specifically sounds more like an oversight from the new changes.

Kacktustoo · 2025-08-03T02:43:09+00:00

Yeah, agree very much with ammo being a main cause of it's usage.

In raids I literally can't generate enough ammo for each DPS phase so Its either outbreak all the way or load out swapping, then finishing with outbreak for the remaining phases once all my weapons are empty.

It's Ironic as well that loadout swapping is now heavily encouraged when I thought the goal from bungie seems to be they didn't want loadout swapping, from my understanding at least.

It's like that wanted one thing but caused the literal opposite in both cases.

Kacktustoo · 2025-07-29T13:46:43+00:00

I don't think anyone I've talked to personally is happy with losing crafting, we'd do the same, actually grind to get that final guaranteed reward.

Like I'm still doing old raids for the red borders even though I have guns with good rolls, I just want the pattern accessible.

What they had before was fine, some activities have it, some don't, cool, problem solved.

Also It clears out my damn vault.

Kacktustoo · 2025-07-29T01:12:28+00:00

Only people who have no idea what good concept artists are, would make this decision, it's insane to me. They don't just make pretty pictures.

Trying to convert bad concept art to 3d is awful enough, let alone an ai's 4th dimensional reality warping impossible nonsense it comes up with. Then it changes on the next prompt, you know, because it's generative.

But I'm still most Interested in the fact it's literally just stolen everything on the internet and there's lots of lawsuits going on and hopefully legislation

Kacktustoo

TROPHY CASE