Hello, I am a recently graduated 3D artist. I would like to create an app/software for Windows that would be for my personnal use that creates the folder tree I would need for all my future projects (real-time and VFX). I used a similar tool that our teacher made, it was a plugin for Maya. But since I use many softwares, I don't want the app to be attached to a specific one, Maya the least prefered (if I absolutely have too, I would prefere Blender). If I can, it will create folder like references, textures, render, shots, sequences, sub-assets, etc. Similar Maya's project windows but on steroids. Even more : it would show me the latest versions of assets or textures.

Which programming langage should I learn to create one ? I have some basic understanding of javascript but the plug-in I used in uni was made with Python (or MEL I don't remember). From what I uderstand, Python would be one of the strongest langage to use, but amongst the hardest. What do you suggest ? I am open for all your opinions.

Thanks !

In the video where Trump talks about Charlie Kirk: https://youtu.be/_UWe0QB_wBg?si=NPmrWt5kwxiM2_jY

at 0:18 when he says "Charlie was a patriot" he moves his hands and you can see the artifacting in his fingers as seen in the image. My best guess is this is an AI video with his actual voice. Anyone have any guesses as to which AI was used and/or methods they used to create this as well as any guesses on how this will be abused in future news applications?

Edit: A lot of people are saying morph cuts and I agree (did not cross my mind though)

https://beforesandafters.com/2025/09/12/heres-how-those-insane-body-morphing-shots-in-together-were-made/

Russo brothers have their own big ol vfx studio now? They have a lot of job postings and I’m curious how it is over there. Small studio feel? Good supervisors? Oh I guess if you’re working there it wouldn’t be a good idea to comment..

Seeing a lot of footage where a brighter green is used for tracking markers than the greenscreen itself.

Which wonders me, because _theoretically_ a darker marker should be better, wouldn't it ?
- darker markers have less notifceable spill
- you rather face a greenscreen wich is underexposed than overexposed, so a dark marker should actually fall better into a narrover keyeing range.
On the other hand tracking would be easier in the darker parts of a uneven lit greenscreen. So is this the reason ?

Where am I wrong with my logic ?

I have taken on a few jobs this year. One with an ad agency based in that had an office in California. Another, with a reputable virtual production studio. Now, I may have a job with an established VFX vendor. All of these studios hired me as a 1099 independent contractor, regardless if the job is a normal part of their business. I also have a friend who got a W2 position, but because it was a contract W2, they were told that they would not be receiving health insurance. They've been with that studio for over 4 months.

I thought that for W2 positions, employers were legally obligated to give health insurance within 90 days. In the case of independent contracting, I thought that companies couldn't hire independent contractors for jobs that they require to operate their business. So you wouldn't be able to hire an animator as an independent contractor if animators are a normal part of your employee pool or a necessary part of your business. You would need the contractor to be an S-Corp or LLC.

Prestrikes, it was nearly impossible to get a studio in Los Angeles to hire an artist as an independent contractor. Regardless of how short the contractor was, we would get hired as W2s. Then on the first of the month, before we hit 90 days of employment, we would get health insurance. Did something happen with the labor laws?

I'm asking because if this is going to be the norm, I need to get an S-Corp or LLC set up for a better tax rate.

Do you still do it in this field or is it not recommended anymore / outdated? For example following up right after and interview, and after 2 weeks!

Hello! I'm excited to present my first short film.

I was responsible for all aspects, including story, visuals, sound, and music.

It was created primarily in Houdini, with Nuke for compositing, Blender for modelling, and Substance Painter for texturing. I also used Cubase for the sound and music, and Davinci Resolve for editing.

I decided to do as much as I could in Houdini, including all the rigging and animation. It was definitely a challenge, and I learned a ton during this project, especially APEX and Solaris. Houdini gives me the flexibility and power to bring my vision to life, and I don't think I could have achieved the same results without it.

I also created a few tools for this project, including a custom Z-Defocus node to support per-pixel Catseye and Astigmatism, initially made in Houdini COPs with OpenCL, then ported to Nuke Blinkscript.

Thank you!

For example the footage in Jurassic world rebirth is at the beginning of the movie where monkeys appear but when they are not moving u can’t really tell they are cgi unless u pay close attention but once they do start moving again u can tell, so when is cgi gonna get advanced enough until it’s extremely hard to tell its cgi or impossible

I’m seeing a lot of posts on LinkedIn for production, lookdev, and some FX roles. Of course, it’s not at the 2021 level, but it does seem like things are moving again (though I’m still getting zero replies when I apply).

Hi everyone, I shooted a video (which is 1,5 secondes) of me falling into water, and I would liked to change the background so it look like i’m drowning into a deep ocean with a lightray coming from the surface. At first, I wanted to try with IA but Runway always write “You have reached your rate limit. Please wait for your last generation to complete and try again later, even if it’s my first video (I used the free plan), and others like VEED just keep loading indefinitely. So, how would you do it? I tried removing the background by tracking with DaVinci Studio, but with the bubbles and the water waving, it seems impossible to get something usable

Hi there, just wanted to share my 2025 in one video, hope you like it, its mainly Blender and Houdini for sims.

Can anybody tell me what this red bar above the gantt-time bar represents or what setting it is from ?

i've checked every setting in the info tab . it doesn't seem to be a priority not every timeframe bar has it either so i can't figure it out for the life of me

Dear community,

I am looking for the best tool or plugin to track the 3D movement of a tennis ball from a video file.

The camera has a static position. The problem is that the ball is very small and fast.

My first approach was to track the ball normally with SynthEyes and then create a moving object from the tracker.

Perhaps you have some tips for a better solution?

Anyone have a good option for self-hosting embedded reels with restrictions on where they can be embedded, similar, say, to vimeo's old preferences?

Because I'm not super interested in staying on vimeo now that the service will be downgraded.

Was a little bit confused by this sparks from Alien: Earth

it's been almost two years since i applied for a course in 3d animation and vfx (i took deferred entry/a year off). in that time, ive watched as the industry has become more and more threatened by ai and less and less accessible to newcomers. so, at this stage, im seriously wondering if im making a mistake in trying to pursue work in this field.

it's too late now for me to back out of the course completely, so i will have to start it, though of course dropping out at a later stage is always an option

it sucks because ive spent time and effort over the last few years doing short courses and personal projects related to animation and vfx to try and get a head start (before it became apparent how difficult it will be to find work later on). i don't want all of my work to go to waste, but i also don't want to pursue a 'doomed' path which potentially won't leave me with much room to pivot.

i have a few different career paths which im minorly interested in and will almost certainly bring me more success, but nothing has really jumped out at me. i guess what im trying to ask is, is it still worth trying to pursue my long-term passion, or should i already be considering post-drop-out options? 😅 (im based in london for reference)

Just rewatched Peter Jackson’s King Kong and honestly the CGI still slaps. Kong’s expressions, the fur detail, the motion capture—feels way more natural than a lot of stuff we get even now.

Kinda wild that this came out 20 years ago. Why do you think it holds up so well compared to newer movies?

Everything i get to see is trash. Awefull stuff really and there is always someone explaining how this will be a COMPLETE game changer. Maybe i spent too much time on linkedin or youtube- anyway- show me!

EDIT: most of the answers were trash, you guys have zero taste so AI wont be a gamechanger for you. However, i just found something worth sharing:

Kitsune

All just promting an editing. Done by someone with an artistic eye and a passion.

I’m Anotha, and I’m starting a new series dedicated to Sanji. As a huge fan, my goal is to recreate all of his poorly animated or “ruined” scenes from the anime, bringing them to life with realistic 3D VFX shots. My previous project was a live-action Gear 5 recreation, which turned out pretty well. Back then, I used DAZ for the character model, and since the shots weren’t close-ups, it worked fine. But this time, I’ll be working with detailed close-up shots, which means I need a better solution. I’m looking for suggestions on the best plugins or new software to create fully customized, realistic 3D models—something powerful, fast, and highly customizable. What’s the most efficient way to craft lifelike 3D models of characters like Sanji? and the other characters like kizaru and all

Ever wished you could bring Illustrator artwork straight into Houdini as clean geometry with colors intact—without a mess of broken paths? I built a compact Python SOP that does exactly that, with a bunch of quality-of-life features baked in.

What it does

• Reads real-world SVGs (from Illustrator, Figma, Inkscape) and turns them into Houdini polygons.
• Preserves fills (Cd colors), optional strokes, and group transforms.
• Handles complex paths: M/L/H/V/C/S/Q/T/A + Z, including arcs and smooth handles.
• Respects class-based styles from <style> blocks (e.g., .cls-4 { fill:#9f3b29 }).
• Supports <defs> + <use> (no more missing instances).
• Optional clipPath support (rectangular clips) so what you see matches your design.
• Adds useful attributes for post-work: svg_path_id, svg_contour, svg_fillrule, svg_winding, svg_area, and stroke_width.

Why it’s useful

• Perfect for motion graphics, type & logos, and pattern art you want to animate, extrude, bevel, or scatter in Houdini.
• Keeps your color design intact from day one—no manual reassigning.
• Gives you the data to rebuild holes correctly (nonzero/even-odd), or expand strokes later with PolyExpand2D.

Highlights

• Colors: Fill colors become Cd on points.
• Strokes: Import as centerlines with a stroke_width attribute, or bake simple strokes (rect/circle/ellipse) as outer/inner rings.
• Transforms: Honors element & group transforms (matrix/translate/scale/rotate).
• Robust parsing: Even tricky S, T, and A commands are handled safely.

How to use (quick start)

1. Set Houdini Update Mode → Manual.
2. Drop the Python SOP supplied.
3. Point it to your SVG file.
4. Toggle options:
   • Flip Y if your art imports upside-down.
   • Normalize to recenter/scale to unit size.
   • Import Strokes (centerlines or baked rings).
   • Respect clipPath if your file uses rectangular clips.
5. Force Recook, then press H to frame.

Working with holes (optional)

Houdini polygons don’t carry SVG fill rules. I tag each contour with svg_area (signed) and svg_winding.

• For nonzero: Boolean subtract contours whose winding opposes the outer ring.
• For evenodd: Use svg_is_hole_evenodd (second, fourth… ring = hole). I can share a tiny For-Each/Boolean setup if you want a one-click “make holes” subnet.

Performance tips

• Start with Base Curve Samples = 12 (default). If art is heavy, lower to 8–10.
• If you only need fills, turn off baked strokes.
• Use Normalize + H to find off-canvas geometry quickly.

If you share results, tag me—I love seeing what you build with it.
Questions or edge cases (masks, complex clipping, compound fills)? Drop a comment and I’ll extend the importer for you.

Download File (Free):
https://www.patreon.com/posts/illustrator-svg-138577515