3 Sept 2025
Fuse Masterclass: VFX with Adrian
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We care deeply about the art and craft of making games- and a crucial part of that craft is sharing what we've learnt with the future generation of game devs.
Recently, one of our VFX artists, Adrian, ran a masterclass in Real Time visual effects, a chance to talk about tricks of the trade with people eager to bring their skills into games.
The session was practical and wide-ranging:
- 🎨 How different styles of VFX (realistic vs. stylised, technical vs. creative) change the way you work
- 🛠 What junior VFX artists really need to know- and how to show it off in a portfolio
- 🌍 The not-so-glamorous but essential realities of visas and international careers
- ⚡ Best practices for optimisation when every second counts
- 🔗 Using Houdini with Unreal Engine to push workflows further
Who was in the audience?
The talk was part of an intensive course designed for professionals with backgrounds in TV, film, and advertising VFX who wanted to explore how their skills transfer into video games. For context, real-time means that the images are rendered immediately – for us that means 60 times per second. This allows for rapid visualisation, feedback and iteration. Most film and TV effects are pre-rendered, meaning that they are output frame-by-frame and are generally allow a higher visual fidelity but lack interactivity.
Why give this talk?
When Adrian first started learning Real Time VFX, resources were thin- especially for realistic effects.
QuoteWhen I learnt VFX for Real Time, it was really hard to find information- especially for realistic VFX. For me, it's really important to pass on the experience I have lived these past 5 years to someone else. If it helps anyone, it would have been worth it.
This talk was about giving back: sharing the kind of practical, experience-led knowledge that makes the path a little easier for the next person. Just as we’ve learned from others’ talks and masterclasses, we want to pass that spirit of collaboration forward.
A standout moment
There was a lively debate about the differences between the film and game industries, both in process and mindset. One student even reached out with Adrian about a project he was working on to get actionable feedback. It’s always rewarding to see curiosity turn into craft that fast.
The best part?
The Q&A. We had set aside half an hour, but the questions kept coming until time ran out. That kind of energy: the back-and-forth of ideas, the shared enthusiasm for solving creative and technical challenges is what makes hosting these masterclasses such a joy and necessity.
For us, these moments are as important as the games themselves. They remind us why we do this: not just to create, but to share, to learn, and to help others shape the future generation of the game industry.
For some further information on VFX in the games industry, you can check out these channels recommended by Adrian: