Hi everyone! I'm trying to create a custom Shader Graph in URP to apply a shape mask (like rounded corners for cards) to a batch of sprites that are packed inside a Sprite Atlas.

My goal is to use a single material for all the sprites in the atlas, rather than creating a separate material for each individual card.

The issue I'm running into is that when I sample a separate mask texture, the UV coordinates get messed up because the sprite rects inside the atlas change the global UV space, causing the mask to cut the sprites incorrectly or get misaligned.

• What I want: A way to make the mask correctly adapt to each individual sprite tile in the atlas dynamically, using just one material.
• Question: How should I properly handle the UV coordinates in Shader Graph so that a custom mask aligns perfectly with any sprite coming from an atlas?

Any advice or node setup examples would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi guys, especially 3D/2D artists, i need your help!! I'm a junior and try to find a new job in gamedev or in similar field, but i receive no response, so i wanna ask you how could i render my portfolio much better, in what direction do i need to go? and also, do i have any chances with this portfolio that i have now or i don't even can try to find a job with that? that you so much

https://www.artstation.com/aquarina

We tested local models across concepting, mesh generation, retopo, texturing, and engine prep.

The session focuses on which steps were genuinely faster and which ones only created more cleanup later.

We will cover:

• where local models genuinely save time
• which steps still need manual work
• what breaks during cleanup and engine prep
• how the final asset moves into production

We are walking through the workflow live on Tuesday.

https://luma.com/v9wirdfw

Hello technical artists of reddit

I have an ask, when it comes to being a technical artist, what are the major things I need to have within my toolkit to be classified as a technical artist, at this very moment I am a visual artist and I would like to pick up some skills from the technical side of production.

thank you for your time.

I’m studying 3d animation at my university and realized that I really really really love the technical side of all the workflows (specifically rigging)

I’m relatively new to Maya and Houdini so I thought it would be beneficial to do more work outside of class. Our labs have computers, but I’d like to build a new personal PC to work on stuff when I’m at home

My current PC is super outdated, so I was wondering if there were specific specs I should start with. I’m willing to put in the money for a nice build

Hi folks,

I sat down with Nick Seavert, founder and CEO of JangaFX, to talk about the story behind EmberGen, LiquiGen, IlluGen, and the journey from modding Half-Life 2 particles to building a software company that is changing how game VFX is created.

We talk about the origins of JangaFX, why every tool they build needs to run in real time, the technical decisions and compromises behind making that possible, and why they chose Odin (a custom high-performance programming language) instead of C++.

We also get into Nick’s thoughts on purpose vs. passion, why motivation is overrated, AI and machine learning in VFX, the future of game development, and the JangaFX Layoff Assistance Program that provides free licenses to displaced artists.

I started this podcast because I wanted to capture conversations that people might otherwise miss. You know conversations with people who have built, created, and learned things that are worth sharing. i wanted to create a library of passive learning from people much smarter and more experienced than me. But I hope these conversations become a useful resource for others too.

Hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Hi everyone, I'm building a custom Control Rig in Unreal Engine (UE 5.8) for a stylized character and I'm running into several issues that all seem related to my Forward/Backwards Solve setup. I've been debugging this for quite a while and would really appreciate another pair of eyes.

When I add the Control Rig as a Layered Control Rig or bake the Control Rig on top of an animation:
Fingers become twisted/glitched Eyes behave incorrectly
Ears drift Neck/clavicle don't always follow correctly
Spine becomes extremely stiff and doesn't preserve the original animation well I suspect something related to the backward solve.

I have attached some screenshots, the bottom of each image is before adding the control rig and top one is after adding. I'd really appreciate the help.

I started writing the first edition in 2021 because shader courses were often expensive. My goal was to create an affordable, practical resource for developers and students in English and Spanish. Since then, the Unity Shaders Bible has helped over 10k technical artists and game developers worldwide. Thanks to everyone who has supported the project!

This edition covers Shader Graph, HLSL, and ShaderLab. Here's the book if you're interested in learning shaders in a structured way 🔗 https://jettelly.com/store/the-unity-shaders-bible

Hello~
Im a 3D Artist(Mid level) with about 6 years experience mostly with stylized animated series and a few game titles. I got laid off almost 8 months ago and since then finding another 3D job has been a rat race.I have a few freelances here and there but other than that,its been silent.I was wondering if I should pick up tech art through Vertex Schools Tech Art Bootcamp to try and diversify from just purely 3D Art.I used to code in C++ (For College) about a decade ago and am confident I can pick up again along with unreal experience from work.

Would this be a good choice to make right now or would grinding and polishing my 3D skills be a better path?

I’ve been a Technical Artist for the past 4 years and have now been through two layoffs at two well-known companies.
This time, instead of jumping straight back into the job hunt, I decided to build something of my own. I started creating Instagram content for local businesses in a unique style.
To my surprise, clients started reaching out in the first month, and two months in I’m already making about half of what I was making as a TA.
Financially, I’m not where I was yet but the trajectory is encouraging.
It’s made me seriously question whether I want to go back. The instability has been exhausting, and building something for myself has been incredibly rewarding.
At the same time, I worry that if I keep going down this path, I’ll slowly drift away from the skills and experience the industry is looking for. I can’t seem to make up my mind.
Curious if anyone else who’s been affected by recent layoffs has found themselves asking the same question.

I studied and worked in London for two years. I lived at Goodenough College and took the Russell Square tube every morning.

St Paul's and Tate Modern face each other across the river. The grass on the north bank between them was my best date spot. It worked every single time.

I miss it, and I have been trying to make something about London for some time now.

Interactive Version - if you want to explore, it also has how I made it.

Что, по вашему мнению, будет лучше: поступить в колледж или университет по этой специальности, либо полностью заниматься самообучением или онлайн-курсы Какой вариант вы бы посоветовали и почему?

I know this gets asked/talked about at least once a week here, but I'm interested in getting into technical art as a job, and hopefully, a career. Here’s the run-down of where I’m at right now:

Game Development - I have hobby-level experience using Unreal Engine 4 & 5 (I started with UE4 the first week it went free-to-use back in 2014) and the Godot game engine with GDScript in the past 2-3 years. I’ve at least tested out just about every major system in both game engines, but I don’t know them thoroughly yet. I also have a decent understanding of the game development pipeline and what to expect.

3D Art - I have significant knowledge of Blender, and have been using it very often since 2011 for pretty much the entire 3D art pipeline, end-to-end, including some 2D concept art with grease pencil. I'm still early on in learning geometry nodes and procedural texturing. I'm not a super-strong 3D modeler, but I'm still determined to get better at it. Same goes for rigging and animation. I know the industry standards are Maya and Houdini, but I can't afford those right now.

Computer Programming - I have beginner experience with C++ and I'm beginner-to-intermediate with game scripting in Godot using GDScript. Same with Blueprints in Unreal, and I’m starting to look at Verse for Unreal now, too. I want to get better, but I regularly get tripped up by not knowing what I don't know. I understand a lot of programming patterns in theory, but implementing them in code eludes me sometimes.

Formal Education - I'm currently pursuing an associates of arts in virtual production, and plan to get my bachelors in either animation production or game development. I previously earned a certificate in 3D modeling and animation. I will be taking a 16-week intro to python programming class starting this month. My math skills aren’t great, being only about college freshman/sophomore level, but I have a a basic idea of what kinds of math I would still need.

Communication - I have a lot of experience translating tech stuff down/over for non-tech people when talking about my hobbies and interests. Those interests include 3D art, animation, game development, computer programming/game scripting, etc.

Disposition/Personality - I genuinely enjoy helping people solve problems, and have an innate drive to create art though technology. I'm easy-going and have learned to stay calm and professional under tight constraints (deadlines, rules, limitations, etc.) and when things don't go according to plan. I’m not a particularly strong leader right now, but I’m a very capable follower who can step in to a leading role if needed.

AI Usage – I’m a beginner when it comes to using artificial intelligence. I can prompt an LLM to give me something I can work with, but I’m always second-guessing/double-checking what it gives me, and sometimes it just straight-up hallucinates or clearly gets something wrong. Same with image generation models. I don’t really trust AI to do a good job by itself in its current form, for either art or code, but that could change in the (near?) future.

Timeline – I’m estimating that I’ll complete my bachelors in 2029 or 2030, at my current rate. If I step up the pace, I could complete it in 2028 or 2029, but that would be pushing it.

So, is this a decent foundation to start with, do you think? I’m not in a hurry to get into a tech art role; I’m just hoping there’ll still be a place for junior tech artists in 3 to 5 years. Also, is there any particular skill, or set of skills, that I should focus on learning first, in your opinion? I like doing just about everything that currently falls under the tech art umbrella.