As a complete beginner, where shall I start?

[Volsuung]

Hi wonderful people, I am very keen on learning VFX but I am a total beginner with no background on any aspects of game development whatsoever (dabbling with 3D modelling doesn’t count I guess…).
I plan to begin with Unity but I am not sure where to start.

Are there any particular ‘learning structure’ or things I should study first before I even begin making my first VFX? Like learning what particle is, or learning how to uhm, make a sprite…? :wails in confusion: I actually rummaged through CGWell, Youtube and CGHow but many tutes seem to begin from very different levels.

Thank you and I look forward to hear your responses!

[Lush]

Welcome to the forums!

Check out this awesome post by @Travis:

Beginning VFX Artist - Advice for beginners, from a beginner

Hi there, my name is Travis and I’ve been a vfx artist in the games industry for 2 years now. In a few threads around here, and speaking with current students at GDC this last year, it seems like there’s an interest in what it’s like to start out as a new fx artist. My experience is just a narrow point of view, as studios have a large range of sizes and organizational structures, so your experiences may differ. I hope I can type this up in an organized and logical approach. Background: I starte…

And also, I highly recommend you to enroll on this course:

VFX Apprentice

https://youtu.be/4GeRf5EED6o UPDATE: The course is now live! https://www.vfxapprentice.com/ It’s happening!!! For a few months now, I’ve been planning, building, and pulling together the finest VFX talent to create the first of many online VFX courses. It’s clear that the world doesn’t have enough real-time VFX education. We all see it, and we all feel the pain of it in various ways: students feeling lost on where to start, leaders endlessly searching for qualified and well trained candidates…

Have a nice time around here!

[GabrielAguiar]

I think you will have a good starting point with this course down here. It goes from a complete beginner level to intermediate.

It shows how you should setup Unity as your VFX workplace and the fundamentals of this area.

There’s also a great community in the Q&A that helps each other. And i’m always around answering questions too.

UDEMY COURSE - Visual Effects for Games in Unity - Beginner to Intermediate

[PNG] For months I’ve been putting together my knowledge about VFX for Games in this Udemy Course. It’s focused on students that want to go from a total Beginner standpoint to an Intermediate level in Game VFX. It contains the theory, the practice and the creative liberty they need to start in this field. I mentioned a few times this forum in the course, as a great place to find references, meet people in the game industry and to find technical and creative feedback as well. Just wanted to le…

Enjoy and welcome to this community.

[Volsuung]

Hey guys, thanks for the recommendations! I am currently reading UE4’s documentation to understand what every bits and pieces mean, before I roll up my sleeves and get ma hands dirty! That includes purchasing courses and diving deeper (into particle systems)!