Learn design fundamentals for the most popular visual effects, then put your skills to work creating production-ready assets from scratch.
(26 sessions / 3 hours of work per session)
Make the most impact with your education, by enrolling in "BOOMS AND BLASTS: PART 1 - CONCEPT ART" and "BOOMS AND BLASTS: PART 2 - PARTICLE ANIMATION" for one low price!
During over twenty hours of video training, you will learn concept painting, particle animation, texture painting, and 3D modeling while working in the premier tools of the trade, including Unreal Engine, Unity, Photoshop, Maya, and Animate CC. Exhaustive source files and project files are included as part of the course, so you can analyze every aspect and develop new creations of your own!
As with all VFX Apprentice courses, your enrollment includes lifetime access to both the course content and our exclusive Discord Server, so you can return again and again as you continue honing your skills!
- Skill level: Beginner
- Video Subtitles: English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Russian
Return Policy
If for any reason you are unsatisfied with your purchase, please reach out to [email protected] within 30 days for a full refund.
Course Schedule
Session 1: Welcome To Class!
Watch these introductory videos to get you on-boarded and prepared, and totally psyched for what's to come! (2 lessons)
- Orientation
- More things to know
Session 2: Concept Art - Guiding Principles
A high-level introduction to inform your efforts while creating compelling VFX concept art. (1 lesson)
- Guiding Principles Lecture
Session 3: Concept Art - Photoshop Fundamentals
These 4 videos cover the basics of Photoshop, and are available on YouTube. The full playlist is embedded here. (4 lessons)
- Photoshop for VFX Artists - 1: Tools
- Photoshop for VFX Artists - 2: Layers
- Photoshop for VFX Artists - 3: Adjustments
- Photoshop for VFX Artists - 4: Pro Tips
Session 4: Concept Art - Photoshop Painting Techniques
Watch & learn: In this quick demo series, you'll see a variety of the painting techniques that David Shovlin uses in the concept art tutorials. (4 lessons)
- Intro + Fire Technique
- Wisp Technique
- Zap Technique
- Goo Technique
Session 5: Concept Art - Fire Explosion
Learn how to make a fiery explosion, and follow along in Photoshop! (4 lessons)
- [version 1] Thumbnails
- [version 1] Painting + Commentary
- [version 2] Painting + Commentary
- 5_Fire_Explosion_Paintover_Jeff_Gates
Session 6: Concept Art - Wispy Cloud
Learn how to paint a magical wisp from the nether realm, with a punchy inner light, and ambient cast light hitting the outer edges! (1 lesson)
- Painting + Commentary
Session 7: Concept Art - Lightning Zap
Learn how to create sharp shapes full of energy, and the importance of sometimes using more than one concept painting to convey an idea. (2 lessons)
- Thumbnails
- Painting + Commentary
Session 8: Concept Art - Goo Splat
Learn the unique surface qualities of a substance that scatters light inside its mass as you follow along with David Shovlin painting this toxic gooey splatter. (2 lessons)
- Thumbnails
- Painting + Commentary
Session 9: BONUS - Elemental Illustration
Learn how Jeremy Anninos painted the compelling splash illustration for the VFX Apprentice website. (1 lesson)
- Time Lapse + Commentary
Session 10: Particle Animation - Guiding Principles
Learn the driving principles behind animating effects in any game engine. (1 lesson)
- Guiding Principles Lecture
Session 11: Particle Animation - Unreal Fundamentals
Follow along in the YouTube series giving you an introduction to Unreal Engine 4, focusing just on the tools and techniques you'll need in this class. (4 lessons)
- Intro to Unreal
- Intro to Cascade
- Intro to Materials
- Intro to Kit Bashing
Session 12: Particle Animation - Unreal Project
Download the Unreal Engine source assets in this session, and get oriented to how this project will fit into your VFX education. (1 lesson)
- Unreal Project Walkthrough
Session 13: Particle Animation - Unity Project
Download the Unity source project, and get an overview of how to use the software. (3 lessons)
- Unity Introduction Navigation and Project Overview
- Unity Kitbashing
- Unity_Particle_Systems_30fps
Session 14: Modeling: Maya Fundamentals
If you're new to Maya, this session will give you a quick overview of how to work in the software. (1 lesson)
- Maya Basics
Session 15: Texture Painting - Fiery Noise
See the process involved to create fiery noise to be used in an in-game material. (1 lesson)
- Texture Painting + Commentary
Session 16: Unreal Particles - Fire Explosion
See how the fiery explosion is constructed in 3D, with an in-depth explanation of all the moving parts. (1 lesson)
- Particle System Breakdown
Session 17: Unity Particles - Fire Explosion
Get a breakdown of how to animate a fiery explosion particle system in Unity. (1 lesson)
- Unity Fire Explosion Breakdown
Session 18: Texture Painting - Wispy Textures & Meshes
Learn some powerful techniques to create dissolve maps and normal maps using a combination of Photoshop techniques, custom painting, and Maya's 3D painting tools. (3 lessons)
- Sphere Meshes in Maya
- Offset & Normal Map in Photoshop
- Dissolve Map in Photoshop
Session 19: Unreal Particles - Wispy Cloud
Get an in-depth explanation of all the parts that make-up the wispy nether (2 lessons)
- New Material Setup
- Particle System in Unreal
Session 20: Unity Particles - Wispy Cloud
Learn how a soft and magical explosion of wisps is created in Unity Engine. (1 lesson)
- Unity Wispy Cloud Breakdown
Session 21: Texture Painting - Zappy Flipbook & Dissolve
Learn how to create a flipbook texture from scratch, which will be read and animated in-engine. (5 lessons)
- [Flipbook] Lightning Design Phase
- [Flipbook] Lightning Animation Phase
- [Flipbook] Lightning "In-Betweening" Phase
- [Dissolve Map] Burst Gradients
- [Dissolve Map] Burst Color Pass
Session 22: Unreal Particles - Lightning Zap
See piece-by-piece how this 3D effect is achieved in Unreal Engine. (1 lesson)
- Zap Particle Breakdown
Session 23: Unity Particles - Lightning Zap
Learn how this impactful bolt of dark magic lightning is put together in Unity. (1 lesson)
- Lightning Zap Breakdown
Session 24: Texture Painting - Gooey Dissolve Maps
A detailed breakdown of how to create high fidelity, well designed shapes in your textures. This session covers meshes, dissolve maps, and normal maps. (4 lessons)
- Bowl Meshes in Maya
- Gooey Shape Painting
- Dissolve Map Photoshop Tricks
- Normal Maps
Session 25: Unreal Particles - Goo Splat
Learn all the parts that make the gooey splat come to life in all its 3D animated glory, using Unreal Engine. (3 lessons)
- Material Setup
- Particle Setup
- Particle Refinement
Session 26: Unity Particles - Goo Splat
Learn how a toxic splash of viscous goo is brought to life in Unity Engine. (1 lesson)
- Goo Splat Breakdown
Terms
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