FROM ZERO, TO HERO
The Definitive Course To Learn VFX, Create Amazing VFX Shots, And Land Your DREAM JOB.. In Just 4 Weeks
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"An Intense, High Velocity, Results Driven -
4 Week Bootcamp Experience"
introducing
the
vfx bootcamp
This is a carefully curated 'compression course' focused on getting you equipped with the skills, knowledge and capabilities, and get you working in Visual Effects Immediately.
Over 37 Videos
4 Core Modules
All Scenes, Footage, and Assets Included
4 WEEK INTENSE
VFX BOOTCAMP
What You'll Learn
- In-depth training around every type of pyro effect, from small scale flames, to large scale fireballs, explosions, secondary effects and more
- Learn Sci-Fi based visceral effects that have their own unique look and feel - something commonly required to do, and having a necessary understanding of how to manipulate and control these effects not based in reality
- Learn destruction effects - how to vaporize or 'ash' surfaces, or splinter wood, deform and bend metal based on collision and velocity. Have a full understanding of destruction dynamics and advanced fracturing techniques
- Understand timing and scale and how to make effects realistic
- Learn to simulate liquid and other effects
- Understand character effects and working with live action human sequences, augmenting additional effects elements based on their performance
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Photorealistic lighting and advanced shader techniques, ranging from skin decay, blood and gore through to matching live action footage, adding reflections and the integration process into our live action footage.
- Secondary FX - Learn to create ash, sparks, debris and more as all of the additional smaller elements build up much bigger effects overall.
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Learn to composite live action visual effects shots
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Scripting, tool development and FX automation
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Learn to take shots from start to finish
- and much more
BY THE END OF THIS COURSE YOU'LL HAVE:
By the end of this training you'll have a full understanding of the visual effects process and the key techniques required of any FX TD.
A solid understanding of industry techniques and a feature film visual effects workfow
And the confidence to be able to start working in the industry.
Most importantly, you will be able to PROVE IT.
"We All Need That Push"
Our demo reel's are meant to only take a couple of weeks to build - the longer we spend procrastinating - the long we're delaying starting our career
THE 10 PILLARS OF ANY FX POSITION
As An FXTD - Just Having A Reel, Doesn't Mean It's The right One.
Your Reel NEEDS To Demonstrate Without A Doubt, The Following:
If Your Reel Doesn't Demonstrate All Of These Things, It's Just Going To Raise More QUESTIONS Than ANSWERS.
INTRODUCING THE FIRST EVER VFX BOOTCAMP
The soul focus of this course is to deliver every necessary lesson to complete the 10 Core FX Pillars needed to land any Visual Effects position.
Giving you a brand new reel in less than 4 weeks that will not only teach you how, but you will confidently demonstrate how to:
- A strong understanding of advanced particle systems
- Rigid Body Dynamics and rule based dynamics
- Small and large scale destruction, sci fi effects, character based effects and environment effects
- Liquid and fluid dynamic simulations
- Pyro, explosions and other fire and smoke simulations
- Ability to demonstrate scripting, FX tool development and FX automation
- A solid understanding of shader networks and photorealistic lighting
- Basic compositing in node based compositing software
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And the most important of all - an understanding of how to integrate CG elements into a live action visual effects shot.
THIS, IS A COMPRESSION COURSE
This means, we cut the fat.
These are the right lessons, that will give you the desired results
that will get you up to speed FAST
The VFX Bootcamp - is designed to equip you with the core techniques and skills to land a VFX job in just 4 weeks. And not only know everything necessary, but have the work to show - to prove that you can do exactly what the studios you want to work at do, day in, and day out.
The information is condensed, and refocused on the core values necessary to get you hired at the major VFX studios, equipped with the necessary knowledge to confidently do the work.
From there it's about momentum and continuing to grow your skills.
And this course is designed - to get you started. To get you in, to get you hired, and to get you waking up every day fulfilled that you're going to work at a job you care about, working exciting projects, with amazing team mates and a fun work environment.
This is just the beginning - but nothing worth doing, is easy.
It requires hard work, it requires discipline, it requires you to START
But having a step by step road map, and a recipe for tackling every single subject, every piece of content that you need - to get your VFX career in motion.. Is right here.
And this course is designed - to get you started. To get you in, to get you hired, and to get you waking up every day fulfilled that you're going to work at a job you care about, working exciting projects, with amazing team mates and a fun work environment.
You Have Everything You Need Laid Out In Front Of You To Start Your VFX Career
"You Just Have To Do The Work"
Take A Sneak Peek Inside...
destruction fx: "Fireball"
WHAT'S INSIDE?
Video 1 - Welcome / Getting Started (WEEK 1)
In the introductory lesson - we focus on getting prepared to start, and getting set up. Both with the right mindset, as well as downloading all the necessary scene files to get started.
Video 2 - Scene Set Up (WEEK 1)
This lesson is focused entirely on setting up our shot, getting all of our effects situated. And setting up our environment for visual effects work. We'll learn the ins and outs of our workflow - as well as doing pre-viz on our shot. Learning the timing and blocking out everything we intend to do so we have a crystal clear process in place for our visual effects simulations. The second half of the video is focused entirely on building up an explosion asset, which we can then procedurally multiply and drive through our shot.
Video 3 - Creating The Hero Fireball Element (WEEK 1)
This lesson we take everything we've built so far, and level it up! We take our initial explosions simulation, and build out a procedural explosion detonation sequence - which drives our entire fireball. Learn to control our fireball timing, and create a destructive and realistic fireball that drives the destruction of our plane, as it rushes towards the screen!
Video 4 - 'Disintegration' Simulations (WEEK 2)
Taking everything we have so far, we now create all of our disintegration simulations which rip the plane apart and it's contents apart, as the fireball navigates through the plane. Learn to automate the destruction based on where the fire moves - as it comes in contact with parts of the plane it will use the fluids data to drive the destruction elements making the entire simulation completely procedural and automated on the fire simulations we create!
Video 5 - Secondary Effects Elements (WEEK 2)
Taking our hero explosive fireball effect, and the destruction and pushing it further - we now add in elements of smoke, sparks, embers and other effects that burn and interact with the environment. These secondary effects are critical to build one big monster effect - and we dig deep into the creation process to take our effects to the next level!
Video 6 - Scripting Fundamentals (WEEK 3)
This lesson we shift focus to learning the fundamentals of scripting and concepts around automation and tool development, to allow us to handle all of the different FX assets easily and manage them.
Video 7 - Tool Development & FX Automation (WEEK 3)
Throughout this lesson we develop tools to allow us to manage all of our FX elements. We learn to script changes to our FumeFX shaders and roll them out over multiple grids - as well as other techniques. This will allow us to make changes to 'hero' simulation grids, and have these then ripple through out other grids properties as well.
Video 8 - Flame Simulations (WEEK 4)
Throughout this lesson we develop tools to allow us to manage all of our FX elements. We learn to script changes to our FumeFX shaders and roll them out over multiple grids - as well as other techniques. This will allow us to make changes to 'hero' simulation grids, and have these then ripple through out other grids properties as well.
Video 8 - Lighting/Rendering/Compositing (WEEK 4)
In this final lesson we take everything we've done so far and we take it through to completion. Creating all the lighting, shading for the entire visual effects shot - as well as rendering out all of the unique render elements to be then composited together in Nuke (or whatever your compositing package of choice is). We also create interactive lighting elements for all of the fire, so the fire itself will illuminate the plane as the fireball and flames burn through the shot!
It's been a lot of work to get to this stage, but we'll now have a completed visual effects shot that we've taken through from start to finish - and everything we've learned along the way!
Video 10 - Conclusion (WEEK 4)
In this final video we recap on what we've accomplished throughout this module as well as how to take the next step in our training and continue on our FX technical director journey
Destruction FX: "Tower"
WHAT'S INSIDE?
Video 1 - Getting Started (Week 1)
In the introductory lesson - we focus on getting prepared to start, and getting set up. Both with the right mindset, as well as downloading all the necessary scene files to get started.
Video 2 - Simulating large scale explosions (Week 1)
In week 1, we focus on creating our initial explosions. Learning the fundamentals of creating large scale pyrotechnic explosions, which will drive a lot of our destruction in later lessons.
This lesson we take advantage of the black body shader and explore how to create realistic explosions but also focusing on timing and scale as critical elements to serving the realism.
Video 3 - Destruction Dynamics Fundamentals (Week 1)
Following on through in video 3 - we begin to create the destruction of our tower.
This is where we explore fracture dynamics and destruction and begin to build out our effect, to respond realistically to our explosion simulation.
Video 4 - Fragmentation Joint Systems (Week 2)
In week 2 we continue to build on our destruction, taking what we have so far and introducing joint systems to control the relationship between each piece of wood. To allow each plank to 'stick' together and only break apart if the explosion causes enough impact to the individual pieces. This is critical for us to get realistic and natural breakage in our simulation.
Video 5 - Finalizing Our Dynamic Systems (Week 2)
Finally, at the end of this week's lesson - we finalize our dynamics. The end result is a completed dynamic breaking system of our tower. Showing a complete dynamic destructive system! On top of our explosion we now have the basis for our shot.
Video 6 - Secondary Effects Creation (Week 3)
One of the critical parts of effects is understanding the difference between 'hero' elements - such as our explosion, and the destruction simulations. And a lot of the supportive 'secondary' effects. These elements build up and complement the main effects. Without these, our effect might not look as epic, and might not tie into the shot as well.
This lesson is critical as we build secondary splinters, as well as many reactive effects.
Video 7 - Atmospherics, Smoke & Dust Hits (Week 3)
Continuing with the theme of secondary effects - we focus on dust hits, smoke and other atmospherics that will tie in and integrate our entire explosion and destruction elements together. As well as it's collapse and how it crashes into the ground. We also build our flames and other effects elements.
Video 8 - Creating Render Passes & Finalizing our Shot in 'Comp' (Week 4)
Taking everything we've done so far - we focus on lighting, render elements and taking our final render elements into comp to bring the entire effect together and take our shot through to final.
Video 9 - Conclusion' (Week 4)
In this final video we recap on what we've accomplished throughout this module as well as how to take the next step in our training and continue on our FX technical director journey
live action vfx: "plasma"
WHAT'S INSIDE?
Video 1 - Getting Started (Week 1)
In the introductory lesson - we focus on getting prepared to start, and getting set up. Both with the right mindset, as well as downloading all the necessary scene files to get started.
Video 2 - Setting Up Our Shot / Creating Hero 'Volume Orb' Effect (Week 1)
Starting our shot we need to build the hero elements first. This gives us an idea of timing and scale of all of the additional elements. In this module we learn very quickly how most 'complex' effects seen on screen, are an assortment of many smaller effects built and combined into one massive effect.
Video 3 - Creating our 'Fringe' Halo Effect (Week 1)
We continue to build our effects out now creating the fringe effect. This is a fluid simulation that elevates our hero element, creating a lot of additional motion and starting to build up a much bigger plasma effect
Video 4- Advanced Particle Simulations (Week 2)
Moving further into creating 'Plasma' we dive into creating many advanced particle simulation techniques. The focus of this lesson is to build up many of the 'particle spore' and other elements that interact with the environment as the effect spreads from it's initial burst.
Video 5 - Impact Shockwave Simulations (Week 2)
Now focusing on making a much more violent effect, we push the effect further by building out a massive shockwave effect ,that sweeps through our shot. We not only create a fluid simulation for this, but also many spark and particle elements to continue to build up a MASSIVE visual effects shot!
Video 6 - Advanced Lighting & Shader Techniques, Render Passes (Week 3)
Finally in this lesson we finalize much of the render elements, as well as lighting our shot and building out our effect for rendering and compositing. This lesson we take all of our hard work and push it further and push to a final result!
Video 7 - Compositing Our CG Elements with Live Action Plate (Week 3)
In this lesson we take all of our hard work and move into the compositing phase. Taking everything we've built and all of our render passes and compositing and integrating them into a live action 'plate'. This is a chance to add additional lighting, and effects elements and really take our shot through to final.
Video 8 - Advanced Lens Flare / Screen Dirt Techniques (Optic Flare) (Week 4)
In this bonus lesson - we explore using Optical Flare from Video Copilot. This is not a pre-requisite to the course, but something that allows us to take our shots even further. Adding screen dirt, and interactive lens flares to our shot, that are tracked in 3D, making for an even more epic visual effects shot!
Video 9 - Conclusion (Week 4)
In this final video we recap on what we've accomplished throughout this module as well as how to take the next step in our training and continue on our FX technical director journey
Creature FX: DECAY
Video 1 - Getting Started (Week 1)
In the introductory lesson - we focus on getting prepared to start, and getting set up. Both with the right mindset, as well as downloading all the necessary scene files to get started.
Video 2 - Scene Set Up / Infection Shaders & Displacement (Week 1)
In this lesson we begin our visual effects shot. Setting up all of our digital assets, and the live action footage, and live action performance. The focus initially is setting up our timing and building out our 'decay' effects animation. A lot of what we create in this lesson is pivotal to driving the effects throughout the remainder of the shot.
Video 3 - Vapor Skin Evaporation Simulations (Week 1)
Taking everything we've covered so far, we now move into building out fluid simulations of vapor and steam, as the skin begins to eat away at the face. this is something that is critical to tie all other effects elements together and integrate - especially at render time.
Video 4 - Body Infection - Distribution Systems (Week 2)
Now taking everything we've accomplished so far, in this lesson we create the decay for the body, and having the face, and body begin to eat the flesh and drive displacement and many of our other effects.
Video 5 - Hand/Arm Infection - Distribution Systems (Week 2)
Continuing from the previous lesson, ow taking everything we've accomplished so far, in this lesson we create the decay for the hands/arms this time, and having the hands, and arms begin to eat the flesh and drive displacement and many of our other effects.
Video 6 - Skin Melt Liquid Simulations (Week 3)
Now taking advantage of 3DS Max's new liquid/fluids solver. We begin to create liquid effects of blood and gore as the face begins to liquefy and interact with the body. Creating spurts and other reactionary effects.
Video 7 - Advanced Lighting & Shader Techniques, Render Set Ups (Week 3)
Now taking all of the effects elements we've built so far and creating final realistic skin shaders, photo-realistic lighting techniques and rendering all of our elements out.
Video 8 - Live Action Integration/Compositing & Finalizing (Week 4)
In this lesson we take all of our hard work and move into the compositing phase. Taking everything we've built and all of our render passes and compositing and integrating them into a live action 'plate'. This is a chance to add additional lighting, and effects elements and really take our shot through to final.
Video 9 - Conclusion
In this final video we recap on what we've accomplished throughout this module as well as how to take the next step in our training and continue on our FX technical director journey
INSTANT ACCESS TO ALL OF THE ABOVE LESSONS
OVER 37 VIDEOS, SCENE FILES, FOOTAGE, TRACKED 3D CAMERAS, HDRI'S AND ALL OTHER ASSETS - INCLUDED.
WHAT IF PEOPLE PAID YOU TO DO THIS STUFF?
Have The Career That Everybody Envies: "I work on Hollywood Movies"
This is far and away the best VFX training you will find on the internet right now. I've taken Gnomon, Lynda, CMIvfx, DT, CGSociety and course with several other major trainers - McKay blows them all out of the water. Be prepared to work HARD and learn a lot in this class - you may end up losing a month's sleep and being 15 pounds lighter, but this time, it's a sacrifice worth undertaking.
Tom Lear - Technical Director
Wolf Media
Allan breaks down each concept into easily digestible lessons. Theory is a core part of this training and goes well beyond just copying settings and pushing the same buttons. Once training is complete, I could apply the techniques to many other shots and situations beyond the training example. Not only can I produce a shot from start to finish, but understanding the process and how to adapt knowledge for any shot I need to create.
Troy Buckley
Senior FX Technical Director
Your Instructor
Visual Effects Supervisor
- Emmy Award Winner, VES & Academy Award Nominated
- Awarded as 'Autodesk Master'
- Founder of Catastrophic FX - Hollywood Visual Effects Studio
- Launched hit Podcast in Top 200 on iTunes
- Founded Highly Acclaimed FXTD Mentorship
- Judge for 3D World Magazine, CG Awards, Creative Pool Awards
"I BLOW STUFF UP FOR A LIVING."
From The Desk Of Allan McKay
Los Angeles, CA
Not many of us can make that claim - and believe me - I would probably want to word 'what it is that I do' a little smarter when I'm passing through an airport customs for international jobs.
But that's simply what I, and many of us in the Visual Effects Industry DO. We are hired to create the biggest, the best most memorable visual effects imagery that hundreds of millions of people pay to see at the theater, play our games, see our work on TV, experience in VR.
I've been doing this for nearly 25 years - and while most people are trying to put out little bits of training to build their name or make a quick buck. I'm entirely RESULTS DRIVEN. As a studio owner, and supervisor - I want to create training that actually gets artist's to the level they need to be to GET HIRED.
So far I've helped hundreds of thousands of artists do just that, and through my mentorship and my courses - seen dozens of artists land jobs at Industrial Light + Magic, Blur Studio, Scanline VFX, Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, MPC, Framestore, Weta Digital and so many other major studios - working on the latest Hollywood films.
If you want the shortcut - there is no shortcut. It's simply sitting down and doing the work - and it all starts here. Sign up and start your journey, to level up your skills and take your career to the next level.
Requirements
3DS Max 2018
FumeFX
Thinking Particles
Nuke (Optional)
(At least 16GB of RAM)
GET INSTANT ACCESS TO:
FIREBALL COURSE : $397
PLASMA COURSE : $397
DECAY COURSE : $397
TOWER COURSE : $397
TOTAL VALUE : $1,588
AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW FOR : $497
This is your defining moment.
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- LIVE ACTION - PLASMA
- All Additional Bonus Training
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For course questions, email Allan directly at amckay@allanmckay.com
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