Simon Fuchs

As a freelance rigger, I need to make sure my builds have a lot of flexibility. So I've recently reworked my lid modules to add variable joint counts. By utilizing a curve-based output I can changed the amount of joints used based on the needs of the project. Higher joint counts for fidelity and control, lower counts for simplicity and optimization. Or I can test and iterate to find a happy middle ground. So animators using my rigs on film or game projects can enjoy the same features, such as: - Automated lid follow with eye movement - Main controls to position the lids through translation and sculpt the curvature with rotation/scale  - Secondary controls for finer detail (If there are enough joints to support it) - Manual or automated blinking. Animate controls, or activate the automated meet point between your posed lids for a perfect seal I've been using iterations of this system over my last few projects, both commercials and games. The core elements of this system have been floating around in my head since 2018, so it's been great to finally put it to the test. 

1,528

27 Comments

Why Video Game Graphics Seem Like They Stopped Improving Ten years ago, The Witcher 3, Arkham Knight, and Metal Gear Solid V set a new bar for visual fidelity. Fast forward to today, and while games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Forbidden West are undeniably more detailed, the leap doesn’t feel as monumental as, say, PS2 to PS3. So why does it seem like graphics have stalled? 1. Diminishing Returns The biggest factor is simple: we hit a wall. Early 3D games improved drastically year after year because low-poly models and flat textures left so much room to grow. But once characters stopped looking like blocky mannequins, further refinements such as higher-res textures, slightly smoother animations became subtler. A 50,000-polygon model doesn’t look twice as good as a 25,000-polygon one. At some point, the human eye just stops noticing. 2. The Cost of Realism Modern AAA games chase photorealism, but that’s an exponentially harder target. - Realistic skin requires subsurface scattering. - Believable lighting demands ray tracing. - Dynamic foliage needs physics simulations. Each step forward demands far more processing power for smaller visible gains. Red Dead Redemption 2 still looks incredible, but it took eight years and a half-billion dollars. 3. Art Direction vs. Raw Power Some of the best-looking games today such as Elden Ring and Hades aren’t pushing technical boundaries. They succeed through strong art direction, proving that style ages better than raw fidelity. Meanwhile, many "realistic" games from 2015 (The Order: 1886, Driveclub) still hold up because they prioritized cohesive aesthetics over pure horsepower. 4. The Optimization Crisis Hardware has advanced, but so has developer reliance on brute force. Some games now ship with broken performance, relying on DLSS and FSR to hit playable framerates. 5. The Future: More Than Pixels Graphics have improved...just not in ways that always wow us. Real-time global illumination, path tracing, and AI upscaling are impressive tech, but they don’t make a game feel next-gen the way Crysis once did. Perhaps the next big leap won’t be in visuals at all, but in AI-driven interactivity, physics, or dynamic worlds. Or maybe we’ve just reached the point where better graphics don’t mean better games. And if that’s the case maybe that’s okay.

292

54 Comments

What is a Game Producer? It’s one of the most common questions I'm asked. Ask 10 studios what a producer does, and you’ll hear 10 different answers: program manager, scrum master, firefighter, team mom, cat wrangler. The truth is - a Game Producer is all of those things, and more! At its core, the producer role exists to bring clarity to a project. ➖ Clarity of plan - what are we building, when is it due, and why are we building it? ➖ Clarity of pipeline - is the work flowing, where are the bottlenecks and how do we fix them? ➖ Clarity of people - who owns what, who's doing what, and do they have the support they need? ➖ Clarity of proof - are we on track, what evidence do we have? That clarity helps to make better decisions, lets teams move faster and focus on what really matters: making great games. But clarity doesn’t come from templates or tools alone. It comes from trust and trust is earned. ✅ Trust across disciplines that you’ll listen, understand their needs and translate that to other disciplines. ✅ Trust from the team that you’ll shield them when needed, and push them when it matters. ✅ Trust from leadership that you can deliver what you’ve committed. Good producers work for their teams, they try to navigate around roadblocks and support both people and project. That balance is what separates a task-tracking coordinator, a paper pusher, from a true game production leader. I’ve seen producers rescue launches, re-align studios, and calm chaos in ways that made the difference between a failed project and a global hit! So - what is a Game Producer? A translator. A planner. A protector. A challenger. The person in the room who doesn’t make the game, but makes sure the game gets made. If you’re curious about how to step into that role, how to transition from outside the games industry, or how to sharpen the skills you already use, my Game Production course is built exactly for that. We dig into the frameworks, the signals, and the lived experience that help you grow from “smart teammate” to “trusted lead.” Next cohort starts Sept 30th. You can pick up the learnings here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gec77gcq

55

6 Comments

With the release of UE5.6, the Color Ramp node is now available. After reviewing the HLSL code, I noticed that the input values are not normalized — meaning values below 0 or above 1 can be passed through. For practical use, it’s safer to apply a Clamp before using it. The addition of the Convert node is also very convenient, making type conversions much more straightforward. On top of that, swizzling is now supported, which greatly improves flexibility when implementing shaders. #UE5 #UE5Study

38

3 Comments

10 Game Design posts for breaking into the industry. Tactical advice on portfolios, interviews, and standing out in hiring. 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘀 & 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝘀 1. 🎮 Why you need a portfolio, not just ideas A “brilliant” game concept is still just a concept. Studios want to see what you’ve made. https://lnkd.in/g5CkxzEM 2. 🎮 How to set your career goals Most designers dream big but plan small. Create a clear roadmap. https://lnkd.in/g-u4d_WM 3. 🎮 How to stand out without shipping games Studios don’t need full games, they want to see how you think. https://lnkd.in/gWDmm5zi 4. 🎮 What you learn vs. What you need Exceptional portfolios show complete ideas. They reveal how you think, iterate, and solve player problems. https://lnkd.in/g7cVnKzq 5. 🎮 Why junior design roles are so rare Studios want proof that you already think like a designer. https://lnkd.in/guwGVvBU 6. 🎮 Why degrees alone don’t get you hired A fancy diploma doesn’t impress hiring managers. Portfolios > credentials. https://lnkd.in/gPebifS4 7. 🎮 What to actually include in your portfolio  Make it skimmable. Clear tags, downloadable links, 2–3 standout projects. https://lnkd.in/gqDKb9cv 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 8. 🎮 Why most designers fail game design interviews They rush to solutions instead of clarifying the problem. https://lnkd.in/gpXcCTzr 9. 🎮 How to structure your design answers in interviews Ask about goals and constraints before solving anything. Use frameworks like Context → Problem → Prioritization → Solution. https://lnkd.in/gV8XgQjw 10. 🎮 3 common soft-skill interview questions  They reveal how you work with others, adapt, and reflect. https://lnkd.in/gRQwaHRv On a mission to help junior designers get hired. ↳ You can browse Alexander’s feed for more hiring, mentorship, and game design posts. 🔔 Join 6,000+ designers in the Funsmith Club Discord: https://lnkd.in/g7_2HSYA ♻️ Repost if your network could find this helpful.

214

9 Comments

By default, Time is always increasing, so just connecting it to the Base Color and Emissive Color inputs is kinda useless. But if we connect it to a Sine node and then to Base Color and Emissive inputs, we now have an animated effect that loops. You can watch the full "Sine and Cosine in Unreal Engine materials" tutorial here: https://lnkd.in/dERJrbwj

26