
Emily (Walker) Vakhrusheva
VFX ARTIST
Software and Technology
- BIO
- Day in the life
- TIPS
After studying in college, I quit during my 4th year of institute. In 2015, I moved to Moscow and started working as a motion and graphic designer. The following year, I applied to work in a film studio as a Houdini VFX artist. Then, in 2017, I worked as a VFX artist on a VR game. The year after that, I started working for another VR company on VR games and simulators. Since 2019, I’ve been working for Mundfish on the Atomic Heart game
AM
I start with my morning routine and then walk my dog before going to work.
PM
I usually have a cup of coffee with a muffin or sandwich, then look to the task manager to check on my current tasks. Next, I download files of the project I’m working on from a version control manager. Then, I open the project and an appropriate map for the effects I am working on. This is about the time my UE4 likes to crash for some mystical reason. I finish working around 8 pm or 9 pm, then go home and walk my dog. From 10 pm to 11 pm, I either work on my VR game, paint something, or study English.
- When I’m drafting, I try to make a lot of variations of the current effect and materials so I can choose the best components and put them together.
- You can’t start without knowing where to begin. First, I do something very simple or familiar to me. Next, I add something complicated or new to me. Then, I put it all together and the finished effect is combined.
- After several iterations, I test my raw effects on a draft map. Then, I test them on the levels where the effects will appear so I can see them in the appropriate light, environment, atmosphere, colors, opacity, etc. This is necessary for matching effects with game levels.