2013 VFX Demo Reel

The Vman

Hey guys, I posted my old demo reel here a while ago. Since then I've made an updated version with new effects, and much more polish.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49arPhzqHb4"]VIDEO[/ame]

I've mostly dealt with Source modding, though I've gotten into a bit of Cryengine as well. Right now I'm working on a student game with some classmates called Rekkage, and I just interviewed with Airtight Games for an internship position (which I should hopefully be getting within the week)

Tell me what you think!

DWalker

The animation rate for the fire seems high; try slowing it down a bit and see if the fire looks more realistic.

The smoke for the explosions seems sparse - in many parts you can see individual sprites. Rotating the smoke over time can also help to give a more realistic feel. The ballistic trails of smoke also don't feel quite right.

Also, consider different types of explosions. Bright fiery explosions so loved by Hollywood are mostly gasoline, and produce a bright fireball interspersed with black smoke.


White phosphorous produces thick white clouds with characteristic streamers, and is another big-screen favorite.


Most real high-explosives, by comparison, are rather dull. After the initial bright flash, most of what you'll see are thick clouds of dust.


Game producers, like their Hollywood counterparts, tend to like bright, flashy explosions, but some games have begun embracing realism. I'd recommend producing effects for each of the types.

I'd also recommend adding a slow-motion playback for the effects - even simple things like bullet splashes. It's nice to see the effect in real-time, but they are generally too brief to give much detail. Most video games have an editor option to alter time; for others, just reduce the playback rate when editing.

Don't be afraid to used staged instances - you won't get the best captures during frantic play. I'd hide the game's text, but I would include title cards describing each effect before playing, and add text as the effect is playing, giving information such as the name, number of particles & lights and texture sizes.

You might want to include texture sheets showing the diffuse, normal, alpha, and emissive textures. (hmm... I think those are the types I've used; but I might be missing something...)