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Technicolor Creative Studios Academy explored the world of FX artists in the sixth webinar in its “Learn, Create and Grow” series, on March 21.

Sagar Netha Chirumalla, a trainer at Technicolor Creative Studios Academy, explored how FX artists combine various 3D assets produced by its layout and animation departments to create rigid body, particle and fluid simulations.

He also explained how high-quality content can be delivered on time for feature films and episodic television series.

The webinar also covered professional workflows and how to enhance creative and technical skills in FX.

As a visual effects artist, Chirumalla has over five years of experience on the production floor. His experience includes a wide variety of projects, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Dungeons and Dragons and Sonic The Hedgehog 2. As a trainer, he has also led six FX batches for the Academy, it said.

“Today we are diving into the fascinating field of FX,” Annabelle Pais, training coordinator at Technicolor Creative Studios Academy, said at the start of the webinar, before introducing Chirumalla.

She briefly discussed what the Academy does, noting it’s “best known for its hands-on exposure to the intriguing world of creative technology where artists learn a great deal about VFX at no cost.”

Chirumalla started his presentation by rhetorically asking, “What is FX?”

He went on to explain: “FX simulations, also known as particle simulations or dynamic simulations, are a specific type of visual effect used in film, television and video games. [They] involve the use of specialized software to create realistic simulations of dynamic systems such as fluids, gases, fire” and smoke.

“The simulations are created by defining the physical properties of the system being simulated, such as density, viscosity and elasticity, and then using mathematical equations to simulate the behavior of the system,” he told viewers. “Over time, the resulting simulation can be used to create realistic and complex effects that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using practical effects or live action.”

FX simulations are usually created using specialized software, he said, noting they are “often combined with other visual effects … to create seamless and realistic final product effects.” Simulations are then used “in a wide range of … television and video game projects,” he said.

Simulations, he went on to explain, “require a high level of technical expertise and creativity as the artist must be able to balance the technical aspects of simulation software with artistic and creative goals to create a visually compelling file product.”

The simulations “must exist with all the other objects and characters in the film in the most organic way possible to achieve realistic results,” he pointed out, adding: “The effects team often works alongside the animators to ensure the natural movements of colliding effects elements such as explosions, destruction, fire, smoke, particle simulations, and so on.”

Software used in movies, TV shows and ads have “come a long way since the early days of the industry, when the use of computers in moviemaking was still in its infancy,” he noted. “Nowadays, visual effects are an integral part of filmmaking, whether the VFX remains invisible” or not.

Up next was a discussion of digital and practical effects and then an exploration of the importance of project planning, research and development, assets preparation, similation setup, simulation execution, testing and iterations, integration and communications.

The goal of the Academy webinars is to promote more diversity among the next generation of graduates entering the VFX and animation field, according to Technicolor. The series is free and open to artists who just graduated from VFX programs at institutes and entry-level employees at production companies.