Character FX Artist Job Description, Salary, Skills, & Software

What does a character FX artist do?

Character FX artists build and run simulations for the hair, cloth, skin, and muscles of 3D character assets (humans, animals, monsters, etc.) in response to their environment and how they are animated. It's a specialization of an FX artist. Depending on the project, this can be executed in a stylized or realistic manner. Before creating character effects for film, artists may also be required to research real-life examples, watch reference videos (when possible), and generate multiple concepts.

Simulations include:

Cloth (clothing and fabric)
Hair, fur, and feathers
Muscle, skin, and fat movement
Rigid body dynamics

Character FX artists are also known as CFX artists or char FX artists.

Character FX job description

Strands of hair floating on the breeze, muscles extending and contracting as someone runs, fur matting together in the pouring rain, a pair of pants crumpling to the floor — these actions (and more!) are the responsibility of a character FX artist.

Role and responsibilities of a CFX artist in visual effects may include:

Set up and adjust hair, cloth, and fur simulations with direction from the Department Supervisor/Lead using relevant software (see below)
Complete character FX work on a shot-per-shot basis
Check for and fix penetration and intersection problems
Check for and address any continuity issues
Develop automated workflows for character setups
Communicate effectively with surrounding departments (animation, modelling, surfacing, and rigging) as needed to continually improve simulations
Become proficient with all relevant department tools, suggesting improvements and optimizations if/when necessary
Taking on and executing creative briefs and feedback from Leads and Supervisors to execute assigned tasks and shots
Ongoing communication with Production and Leads regarding schedules and deadlines
Ensure all shot assets can be cached to be picked up downstream (in lighting and/or comp)

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Skills required to become a character FX artist

CFX artists require a mix of technical, creative skills, and interpersonal skills. The VFX industry is a highly collaborative environment — a single shot will often travel through multiple departments before being finaled — so CFX artists must be able to work well in a team and have a solid understanding of the VFX pipeline.

Recruiters may look for the following skills when hiring a character FX artist:

Houdini experience: setting up and running quality simulations (demonstrated via showreel) and working knowledge of simulation concepts
Understanding of muscle and skin simulation
Understanding of anatomy and form in motion
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and work under pressure to meet tight deadlines and rapid turnaround times
A solid understanding of the VFX post-production pipeline
Highly collaborative and a team player
Problem-solving abilities with an analytical mindset
Organized, particularly with asset management (including naming systems)
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
High-level attention to detail
Experience making model corrections for shot finalization
An interest and aptitude for learning new software

What software and tools do character FX artists use?

Character FX artists must know their way around SideFX Houdini but there are other software they should also learn.

Character FX artists may need knowledge of a combination of the following software:

Houdini (and a range of hair grooming and cloth simulation tools and SOPs/DOPs/LOPs)
Maya
Yeti (for Maya)
nCloth (for Maya)
Common renderers, including Vray, Renderman, Mantra, Redshift, and 3Delight.
Marvelous Designer
Programming languages VEX and Python are also commonly used in FX