Rick Knox

Bit late talking about this one but huge news coming from 343 Industries, both a re-brand to Halo Studios and confirmation that they are switching development to Unreal. 🗞️ This comes off the back of 343's struggles with development of Halo: Infinite. We've seen many other studios move away from their own engines to Unreal, notably CD Projekt Red! Are proprietary engines going out fashion? 🤔 For those who have worked on both proprietary engines and Unreal, what have you found to be the key advantages of working with Unreal? #gamedev #unreal #halo

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Dog Masking. (Always diffucult) A quick test using a 3d depth pass layer created with Deph Anything V2 to enhance standard masking techniques. Original footage is a standard 8bit iPhone video. Although not perfect it's a good starting point for a clean up. LinkedIn compression murders it a bit so the higher res version is here: https://lnkd.in/gUNWTe9g

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Such a sad situation for Arkane Studios Austin. No team deserves to be shutdown like this. I played a lot of Redfall and enjoyed it. This isn't all corporate greed and stock prices; we as fans have a role in this as well. I'm not saying that we shouldn't critique or call out unkept promises during development. Far too often when we criticize, we lose the human element behind these large projects. Those at Arkane, Bethesda Game Studios, タンゴゲームワークス（Tango Gameworks）, this is not your fault. This situation does not define you or your talents. Move forward when you are ready, and let's help you find your new home. We are stronger together! https://lnkd.in/gjyF6F6t - Unknown Worlds https://sds.com/careers - Striking Distance https://lnkd.in/gmjKux5M - KRAFTON and PUBG #myplesha #gamedevjobs #KRAFTON #gamesindustry #hiring

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Hey Animators! I rigged a couple of super simple FREE characters that are available for download over on the "Animation Help" Discord server. Also, if you are interested in rigging your own characters like this, go follow my YouTube channel where I will soon be releasing a series of videos walking you through my whole process!

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A quick thought & tip for anyone looking to make their Unreal Engine Feature Film. 🎬 👉 Check out this short video: https://lnkd.in/eZewn5be These thoughts represent my personal opinions and are not intended as definitive rules. However, I believe they may be helpful. 😉 #filmmaking #unrealengine #virtualproduction #tips #creativeindustries #realtime #filmmaking #indie #inspiringothers #filmindustry #animation #podcast #featurefilm

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Animating with Cascadeur: Physics-based animation software is pretty wild. That’s 8 keyframes there. The one on the right is my first rough animation “Keyframe prompt” and the green dude on the left is the interpretation.

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I recall, years ago, working at an indie studio and being told that we had to come in on a Saturday on a long weekend because the client would be there and we needed to look busy. Our project was on track, and overtime wasn't necessary to meet our target, but our producer was adamant that even if we had nothing to do, we had to sit there and look busy to set a good example. Not long after that, we worked over 24 hours, with team members (including me) sleeping under their desks for an hour or two to stay functional. Sadly, things like that were commonplace back then. Around that time, a developer's spouse became somewhat famous for calling out the unhealthy practices of her husband's employer, and many might argue that she was the spark that incited a need for change. All this to set the tone... I had a manager here at Treyarch that said the most gratifying thing a manager ever told me when I stopped by his office to ask if I could take an hour to step out for an optometrist appointment. I'm paraphrasing, but he replied, "We hired you for your expertise and the results you bring to the position. You don't need to tell me things like this because I trust you will deliver on your tasks and goals." That simple statement changed everything for me. It lifted an enormous weight off my shoulders and allowed me to be more results-driven than being concerned that I make every single minute of the day about productivity or looking "busy". We've come a long way since those times, and there's still work to be done, but I encourage you to lead with trust and to empower your team to be results-driven instead of a butt in a chair. I can also proudly say that Treyarch has continued to be a shining example of promoting a healthy work-life balance and making the workplace safe and encouraging. Even though I'm about to shamelessly plug joining the Treyarch team, I was not asked to write this post and do so because I truly believe it's a great place to work. Stop by our careers page to see if there's an opportunity waiting for you. https://lnkd.in/gtn4tZV6

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More VFX! I wanted to share a personal piece of mine. This effect shows off distance based Mesh particle scaling - the further out from the simulation position a mesh is, the larger it's initial scale values. I use local space masking in the icicle material to help blend the base of the icicle with the snow elements on the ground. To top it off, ice chunks which collide with mesh distance fields, snowflakes, and a quick initial shockwave tie things together. Dynamic Parameters drive the icicle dissolve in the material with information from the Niagara emitter. You can see more about this effect on my ArtStation! https://lnkd.in/g2AR7Mhy

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Here's the latest World Building guide for Unreal Engine 5.4. It's a great 54 page(!) resource written by the dev team that is essential reading if you're making Worlds using all the new UE5 features. This was recently updated to contain all the new developments with UE 5.2 to 5.4. https://lnkd.in/e_w_TvgQ #unrealengine #ue5 #world #epicgames

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Before clicking :Panic attack After clicking: phew...

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Alright everyone, its that time of year, updating portfolios and reviewing resumes. I've come around to making 2 Reels this season, one for Rigging and another for Animation, see links below. Enjoy! https://lnkd.in/eDvm8i4V : Animation https://lnkd.in/euQ5_H_G : Rigging

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Wrote a custom Unity Shader using HLSL. Employs Lambertian + Blinn-Phong technique. Supports - Color Map - Spec w/ Spec Map - Fresnel - Multi-light - Shadow caster It does not support receiving Shadow yet. Would love to integrate BDRF/PBR. If you have any feedback, do let me know. #gamedevelopment #shader

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Happy Wednesday all! Today I want to talk about hiccups setbacks and what to do when a troll enters the dungeon! Today as I was prepping an exciting review meeting with my technical artist on all the amazing VFX applicants I logged in and saw nothing. All gone! Poof! Not sure what happened possibly a glitch in the matrix or what not but plans had changed for the entire day and rest of the week in a flash. All I could do was to try and get things moving forward again. Can’t get mad about a setback no time! So I hopped on here sent the SOS to all the amazing individuals interested in the VFX role and stated the facts. -emails gone -review delayed -follow ups complicated And now it’s on to being a bit humble and asking for support. Anyone interested in the SENIOR VFX ROLE please reapply 🧡. Mistakes happen and hiccups and delays are all part of the startup life. It’s important to remind oneself to be professional under the hardest of times but also keep the larger picture in mind. This may have flipped my week upside down but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the weeks, months, years ahead. Much love everyone!

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A wee update on my Unreal C++ project. 🌟 I've finished implementing the player movement, and the lightsaber has some cool features too - it can leave a mark and slice objects - and enemies! 🔥 Next, I'm going to work on the HUD, which will include a horizontal compass. 🛠️💡 #UnrealEngine #GameDev #CPlusPlus

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Designing a Halo extraction mode, it would need to be accessible for the audience. Check out the long form, where I go into the full design, here: https://bit.ly/3BYtDh1

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