Frame-by-frame VFX Animation

What the talk is about

Kirill Shevchenko talks about making frame-by-frame 2D VFX animation for games. He separates artists' sketches (how an effect looks) from animators' sketches (how it moves), and splits animation into looped and non-looped. For loops he recommends motion templates, and says repeated elements can be duplicated if you vary scale and shift the phase. Effects are best drawn in several layers, for example a flame with a blur, a main body, a hottest core and highlights. Color should convey the substance: honey, lava and blood differ in hue and shine. The effect is then assembled in After Effects with color controllers and post-processing. In the Q&A he compares hand-drawn with procedural effects, and covers atlas optimization, the role of physics, and learning through practice. Useful for VFX animators and beginners.