Jen | Olde Tinkerer Studio @jsabbottcreates

In this tutorial, you’ll build a simple explosion in Niagara using a sprite sheet, a translucent material, and a few key particle settings. You’ll set up the system, apply the material, animate the frames, and fine-tune lifetime to create a more energetic explosion effect. #Tutorial #UE5 #UnrealEngine #SpriteSheet #VFX #Effects #Niagara

Xbox is setting FY2027 around four priorities: strengthen the platform, grow games into global franchises, make Minecraft a creator platform, and extend fan-loved worlds. In an internal memo, Asha Sharma said the goal is to return Xbox to player and revenue growth while improving profits toward industry averages. The plan leans on console, bigger franchise expansion, and long-term investment in Minecraft and other major IP across games, film, TV, consumer products, live events, and global partnerships. It’s an ambitious reset after layoffs, revenue pressure, and studio cuts, with management aiming for sustained growth and stronger margins by FY30. Read More: 80.lv/articles/xbox-… #Xbox #GamingNews #AshaSharma #Minecraft #GameIndustry #VideoGames

Fallout Season 2 is doubling down on practical ingenuity and VFX scale. A new behind-the-scenes featurette shows how the team blended puppetry and digital effects to bring the Deathclaws to life, while preserving their physical presence on set. The series also leans into large-scale destruction, detailed wastelands, and creature-heavy sequences across multiple episodes, with work from ILM, Raynault VFX, Important Looking Pirates, RISE, and others. It’s a strong example of how modern VFX can enhance practical filmmaking rather than replace it. Read More: artofvfx.com/creating-the-v… #Fallout #VFX #VisualEffects #ILM #PrimeVideo #VFXBreakdown

Blendkit has opened its library beyond Blender, with free plugins now available for Maya, Godot, and Rhino. The catalog includes 60,000+ free assets, including models, materials, HDRIs, and brushes, and the plugins let users browse, filter, bookmark, and download assets directly inside their host app. The Maya and Rhino integrations require Blender for file conversion, while the Godot add-on works out of the box. All three plugins are free, open-source, and still in alpha, so expect some rough edges. It’s a useful move for artists who want a large asset library without leaving their workflow. Read More: cgchannel.com/2026/08/get-60… #3DArt #Maya3D #GodotEngine #Rhino3D #BlenderKit #CGArt

Sony’s decision to end physical disc production for new PlayStation games starting in January 2028 is drawing a familiar split between convenience and preservation. The company says the shift reflects broader digitalization and changing consumer preferences, and it plans to move forward cautiously while acknowledging the strong reaction from players. Supporters see a practical evolution for updates, access, and distribution, but critics worry about ownership, game preservation, and losing choice. The real issue isn’t whether digital exists; it’s whether physical media is allowed to disappear entirely. For many fans, discs still matter as a backup, a collectible, and a statement that players should have options. Read More: 80.lv/articles/sony-… #PlayStation #Sony #GamingNews #GamePreservation #DigitalGames

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful but modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, rebuilt in UE5 with high-definition visuals, refined controls, updated cinematics, and three new bonus missions. It also adds split-screen co-op on console and up to four-player online crossplay co-op. Read More: unrealengine.com/developer-inte… #Halo #UE5 #GameDev #Xbox #PlayStation #PC

Reallusion has launched AccuFace 2, its AI facial mocap plugin for iClone, with a new model tuned for CC5 HD facial expressions, better low-light and distant-face tracking, curve-based control, and AMD GPU support too. Read More: cgchannel.com/2026/07/reallu… #iClone #Reallusion #MotionCapture #FacialAnimation #CharacterCreator #VFX

Dovetail Key lets Blender users make 3D-printable parts by simply drawing a line, automatically cutting the model and adding a self-locking dovetail joint. It also supports adjustable fit, auto/manual sizing, and is built to handle heavy sculpts. Read More: 80.lv/articles/easil… #Blender #3DPrinting #3DArt #Marketplace #AddOn #OpenSource

House of the Dragon Season 3 is getting a teaser-style featurette that focuses on Episode 6, the escalating conflict, and the growing tension between key characters, with the show leaning heavily on large-scale battles and dragon work. The piece also notes the main VFX teams involved across the season. Read More: artofvfx.com/house-of-the-d… #HouseOfTheDragon #HBO #VFX #Dragons #GameOfThrones #FilmTV

Game companies are burning institutional knowledge through layoffs, and the piece argues that losing senior staff makes production slower, riskier, and more fragile for the teams left behind. Read More: gamedeveloper.com/production/if-… #GameDev #Industry #Layoffs #Production #Leadership #InstitutionalKnowledge

A free Gaussian splatting plugin for After Effects is being highlighted as a new way to bring splat-based 3D captures into compositing work. Handy for motion graphics and VFX artists experimenting with real-world spatial data. Read More: cgchannel.com/2026/07/check-… #AfterEffects #VFX #MotionGraphics #3D #GaussianSplatting #Compositing #MoGraph #MotionDesign

Cartesian Caramel has released a free synthetic muscle printing setup for Blender 5.2 LTS that visualizes muscle fibers with a Geometry Nodes workflow. It’s educational, needs Blender 5.2, and doesn’t work correctly in 5.1. Read More: 80.lv/articles/unrol… #Blender #GeometryNodes #3DArt #CharacterArt #OpenSource #Muscle #3DPrinting

Tom Holland and director Destin Daniel Cretton are seen together on the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the post is mostly a simple behind-the-scenes set pic. Read More: beforesandafters.com/2026/08/01/on-… #SpiderMan #BrandNewDay #TomHolland #Marvel #BTS #FilmSet

Skybound is laying out a broader video game strategy built around owned IP, stronger partnerships, and using Invisible VS as a model for future releases. It sounds like they’re turning one success into a more deliberate publishing and development plan. Read More: gamedeveloper.com/business/insid… #GameDev #Skybound #InvincibleVS #Publishing #VideoGames #IndieDev

Physical Atmosphere 2 is giving Blender artists insanely detailed skies, with true spectral atmospheres, realistic air pollution effects, and a big upgrade over the original add-on. It’s a strong tool for anyone chasing more natural, cinematic environment lighting. Read More: cgchannel.com/2026/07/physic… #Blender #3DArt #EnvironmentArt #CGI #VFX #Rendering #OpenSource

This free open-source tool makes texture extraction much easier by letting artists pull, straighten, and export image details as textures or atlases in just a few steps. Textract is built for speed, offers perspective correction, and keeps the workflow simple with a clean desktop interface. Read More: 80.lv/articles/this-… #OpenSource #TextureArt #3DArt #CGI #GameDev #Textract #Texturing

The Rings of Power Season 3 is teasing a bigger war, with new creatures, the returning Balrog, and the growing conflict as Sauron pushes to forge the One Ring. The season premieres on Prime Video on November 11, 2026. Read More: artofvfx.com/the-lord-of-th… #TheRingsOfPower #LordOfTheRings #PrimeVideo #VFX #Fantasy #CGI #CreatureDesign

Jackbox Games is a strong example of how a pandemic-era boom can turn into a post-lockdown sales slump. CEO Mike Bilder says the studio avoided mass layoffs by keeping headcount measured, staying focused on its strengths, and adapting without chasing nonstop growth. Read More: gamedeveloper.com/business/how-j… #Jackbox #MikeBilder #GameDev #GamingBusiness #IndieGames #PartyGames #GameIndustry

Reallusion has opened the RTX Render beta for Character Creator and iClone, bringing path-traced rendering, physically accurate lighting, better skin and hair shading, and a new material system directly into the workflow. It’s a big step toward near-offline quality without leaving the app, especially for artists working on digital humans and cinematic scenes. Read More: cgchannel.com/2026/07/try-th… #CharacterCreator #iClone #RTXRender #Reallusion #3DArt #CGI #Rendering #CharacterDesign

Practical puppets still matter because they bring something digital characters can’t fully replace: real presence. In Furry Puppet Studio’s view, puppets aren’t competing with CG; they’re part of the same creative language, adding spontaneity, texture, and on-set energy that changes how actors and crews respond. Read More: 80.lv/articles/inter… #PracticalEffects #Puppetry #CharacterDesign #CGI #VFX #Filmmaking #CreatureEffects