David Melo

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. 

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Following up on my previous post about using Modular Rig for simple environment animation, but this time focusing on a mechanical prop. This prop uses slightly more complex module than the previous one, and the results were honestly a bit surprising (in a good way). ➤ What worked well ✅ Moving beyond single-joint motion is doable, as long as the prop parts are spitted with animation in mind. ✅ Building a skeleton and painting skin weights directly in Unreal works well for this prop, which has a moderate complexity. ✅ Mechanical modules like Hinge and Piston are already well supported out of the box and easy to reason about. ➤ Where friction shows up ⚠️ This still isn’t a full DCC replacement. The quality of the result depends heavily on how well the asset is designed and segmented upfront. ➤ Bigger takeaway For me, this reinforced that Modular Rig lowers the barrier to keeping work entirely in-engine and expands what environment art and level design can include, especially for smaller projects where DCC round-trips aren’t available or are too costly. On top of that, it could potentially enable iteration to happen directly in the level. Still exploring, but I’m curious how others are thinking about where this kind of workflow fits into their pipelines. 🤔 #UnrealEngine #UE5 #TechnicalAnimation #GameDev #TechnicalArt #LevelDesign #ControlRig #AnimationPipeline

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Games Industry Predictions for 2026 I want to share a set of personal predictions that reflect only my views and do not represent my employer, our community, or anyone else. These come from three years of our community’s data, insight from the 5,000 plus studios and partners connected to our network, and many polls and conversations with you. I am not putting hard numbers on most of these yet, but I am confident enough in the direction of these trends to offer these conclusions. In 2026 1. The velocity and magnitude of games hiring will continue to increase The recovery trend is real and accelerating. 2. Layoffs will remain in a similar magnitude ballpark to 2025 Stability will improve but not dramatically. 3. New entrants and attempted entrants will continue to accelerate Including graduates, lateral movers, and those laid off. 4. Early career pressure will remain extremely high I do not see entry challenges easing yet. 5. A rising share of laid off games professionals will find work outside games Despite point 1, the pressure of point 3 will still challenge point 1. 6. The share of open roles in North America and Western Europe will continue to decrease Opportunities will grow in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. 7. A greater share of total production load will continue shifting to external development and contractors Studios will rely on distributed talent more than ever. 8. The average individual’s purchase of full price AAA games will remain flat or decline Prices are challenging in a tough macroeconomic environment, and, particularly, long running series compete with their own cheaper older entries. 9. Indie games will remain the majority of top critical titles Independent creators will continue to shape many celebrated releases. 10. The share of roles in North America will diversify slightly away from the top five states and regions Cost pressures will keep reshaping hiring footprints. 11. Gaps in supply and demand for the most competitive fields like game design, writing, and narrative will get worse Openings remain tight while demand rises. 12. Placement rates will, relatively, improve for mid career professionals with 5-15 years of experience A few fields will remain heavily oversubscribed. I know this reads as a tough picture. It is tough. But I do not believe in most apocalyptic scenarios. I believe it will keep becoming a more globally employed sector with downward pressure on compensation as similar quality talent emerges at lower cost locations. Discoverability will get harder and creators will need to adapt to new influencer driven and socially driven paths for players to find their work. Opportunity will still come from democratized access and the ability for anyone to create something great. The biggest challenges will be at the AAA level where costs remain high. Many teams risk staying locked in a hit or miss survival cycle. I hope more teams break out of that cycle and experiment with new approaches.

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Hello Friends! Another training series is released! Welcome to Automatic PreRoll Generation: A Studio Level VFX Workflow. Training Series link: https://bit.ly/4hIUDjK Duration 8 hrs ----------------------------- In this Training Series, You'll learn the secrets behind automatically creating PreRoll Animation for Characters in Advanced Visual Effects Simulations. For years this has been a Manual Human process. We're going to learn how we can procedurally generate and adjust this with simple sliders. Not only are we going to learn how to retarget animation from differently proportioned characters to any asset, but we're going to learn how to start our simulation from any part of the animation using the Automatically Computed Best Rest Pose, Ramp up, and Pre-Animation Momentum. This means if you have a shot that's 2000 frames long, you can now start at any point and choose where and how to blend in your simulation throughout the whole shot. We'll also discuss Neutralizing and Restoring Locomotion to fix Super-Hero-like movement that moves too far and too fast over the course of our timeline. The best part is this network can be used for Cloth, Hair, Muscle, or any of your Character Effects needs. We'll set up an efficient, reusable pipeline including large networks with multiple file checkpoints so you can easily jump in at any point along the way. While this training series primarily focuses on Automatic PreRoll Generation, we're going to cover foundational Houdini knowledge and concepts useful to Everyone. This is a valuable introduction series to programming and tooling in Houdini covering Python, Vex, HScript, and UI Design. At the end of this training series, you'll be able to simulate any Animation from any Part of the Animation with the click of a button. Training Series link: https://bit.ly/4hIUDjK ----------------------------- Main Takeaways: Build a flexible, reusable PreRoll Generation pipeline from scratch. Automate complex workflows for faster iterations. Create fully procedural setups without extensive coding. Understand advanced Houdini tools and scripting. Apply the pipeline to Video Games and VFX projects at a studio level. ----------------------------- Target Audience: VFX artists and technical directors working in studios or as freelancers. Intermediate to advanced Houdini users aiming to optimize their simulations and pipelines. Character FX artists seeking efficient workflows for large-scale productions. ----------------------------- Prerequisites: Basic/Intermediate knowledge of Houdini and experience with CFX. Familiarity with animation and simulation concepts and 3D character design. Basic understanding of Python, VEX, and HScript is a plus but not required. #houdini #sidefx #muscle #simulation #cfx #characterfx #charactereffects #character #fx #vfx #videogames #games #pythondeveloper #studio #level #pipeline #rigging #preroll #generation #tissue #skin #physics #reconform #topnet #subnet

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Gamedev Career Guide (2.0) 27 tips from Mirko Minenza and me to help you find a job in games. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 Networking: 1. Engage in LinkedIn/Discord/Reddit communities 2. Attend one industry event per month (online/offline) 3. use your free connection requests – build relationships 4. Aim at one mentorship calls/week – experts are willing to help 5. Check game credits, creative way to find potential connections (mobygames) 6. DM your connection before applying – referrals increase your chances of being hired Crafting Your CV: 7. Skip skill level bars – they don’t add much value 8. Focus on achievements, not just responsibilities 9. Keep it simple – concise bullet points for easy reading 10. Tailor your CV to each job – highlight relevant experience DM Tips: 11. Be direct – explain why you’re reaching out 12. Highlight value – how can you help or learn? 13. Don't pressure them to reply fast, keep it easy 14. Keep messages short – no one likes a wall of text 15. Personalize your messages – show genuine interest 16. Make them easy to read – break up text and get to the point 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘃𝘀 Video Game Career Resources by Amir Satvat Gamedev Resources by Alexander Rehm PlayHire, Hitmarker | Gaming Jobs, Outscal. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Industry Knowledge: 17. Watch streamers – learn what grabs their attention 18. Research the market – use tools like AppMagic or VG Insights 19. Read player reviews – Steam, Reddit, App Store are goldmines 20. Play new games and analyze them – what works, what doesn’t? 21. Stay updated with industry news via PocketGamer, Gamasutra, or IGN Develop Skills: 22. Find a mentor for feedback and guidance 23. Create small games in UGC (mods, prototypes) 24. Join a small team – build portfolio projects together 25. Participate in game jams like Ludum Dare or Global Game Jam 26. Take free courses on YouTube – channels like Brackeys and The Cherno are great! 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: https://lnkd.in/dKnMCzVY

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Games could be Scotland's secret weapon... Time for a little personal reflection. Last week's article in Holyrood magazine reminded me that we're at a point of huge potential change for the #games ecosystem in #Scotland. However, to make it happen we need to act collectively, stay focused and communicate with each other. https://lnkd.in/eCAgcKFV #games #videogames #Scotland

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A tip for younger game professionals going into GDC: If someone experienced offers you an introduction or some of their time, seize the opportunity. These moments are ephemeral and the source is not endlessly renewable. You have a responsibility to yourself to respectfully take what is offered, assuming it is an opportunity you wish to avail yourself of, and follow up on it. This is not to say that you should swarm folks for introductions, or that if you get one, you should be omnipresent on brief acquaintance. It means that if someone in a position to do you a favor thinks highly enough of you to offer that favor, it is both rude and bad business not to follow up. It's rude because you are telling the person who made the offer that you don't value it, and by extension, them. This is not good networking technique. It is also rude because in many cases, they will have already reached out to the person they want to introduce you to and gotten permission to make the connection, and if you don't follow up that reflects poorly on them. This is also poor networking technique. Which leads us to bad business. Turning down something that is offered for free that could help you get better at your job, that could build important connections, and that could lead to further connections or an ongoing professional relationship is not good tactics. It potentially cuts you off from further interactions as well. Furthermore, the well of introductions and free consults does not flow forever. If you don't follow up on things that are offered, sooner are later people are going to stop wasting their time offering them. Your opportunities will dry up, precisely at the time when you most need to establish professional connections. Look, I know it can be hard taking the step and reaching out to someone you don't know. I get not wanting to intrude, not wanting to be perceived as wasting someone's time, not thinking you're worth the connection. All of these thoughts are wrong, just the dreaded vulture working on you from another angle. If a pro thought highly enough of you to offer, there was a reason. Accepting that offer is not wasting anyone's time, it is not an intrusion, and it is absolutely something you have earned. Believe in yourself and claim it as your rightful due. Take the offer for what it is: an appreciation of you and your potential, and a gift of valuable time and social capital. By making the offer, someone is saying they think good things about you, enough to make an investment in your development for its own sake. So when one of these comes your way, take it and take advantage of it, and use it to best potential. And then maybe someday, you'll be in the position to do this for someone else.

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Productivity, Government and Games When I meet MPs and policymakers I always emphasise that the UK video games industry is just the kind of sector that the Government should support. We provide high skilled employment, in a high technology industry that supports growth across the country and which is export focused. Our sector offers a more positive counterpoint to the story of the UK’s comparatively poor productivity performance since the 2008 financial crisis.    Tej Parikh argues in a fascinating article (‘The UK doesn’t have a productivity puzzle’, Financial Times, June 1st 2025) that the UK’s relatively poor productivity record is not a mystery, but is due to a combination of familiar factors: 1️⃣ Comparatively low private and public sector investment in plant, equipment, machinery, training, research and development and infrastructure.  2️⃣ Weak management skills.  3️⃣ A poor record in matching workers to jobs at the appropriate qualification levels.   4️⃣ The UK tax code.  5️⃣ Electricity costs – the UK’s are the highest in the rich world. 6️⃣ Weak consumer demand, which in turn impacts on business investment plans.  7️⃣ Economic shocks, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and economic uncertainty. What to do?    Government can help in a variety of ways, including by directly investing in capital, infrastructure and education, engineering lower electricity costs, incentivizing private sector investment, encouraging competition and enabling businesses to recruit highly skilled people from overseas.    Every economic sector will have its own priorities and challenges, but in the case of game studios, we should consider a range of issues, including the following: ✅ Are we investing sufficiently in new IP, software and hardware?  ✅ Are we making the most of tax incentives including the Video Games Expenditure Credit and Research and Development Tax Relief?  ✅ Are we spending enough on training? A TIGA survey of developers in 2024 indicated that studios provide an average (mean) of just over 10 training days per annum. ✅ Are we investing enough in management and leadership?   ✅ Are we recruiting and retaining the best teams? TIGA accredited universities are equipping graduates with industry relevant skills: https://lnkd.in/egS_2YMr ✅ Are there productivity gains to be made via co-production? Co-production can bring new ideas and additional skillsets to game development.  ✅ Are we keeping costs as low as possible? ✅ Do our games have a clear target audience?  ✅ Do we have clear marketing and monetisation strategies for our games? We will look at some of the issues relating to skills, qualifications and recruitment in the upcoming TIGA Games Education Conference, sponsored by Rebellion, which takes place on 3rd July 2025 at Birmingham City University. Find out more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eAe3ETWk 🐅  

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 I gave Claude Code the ability to debug GPUs.  I built a skill that connects Claude Code to RenderDoc — the industry-standard GPU debugger. Now when I describe a rendering bug, Claude can:  - Launch my app and capture a GPU frame  - Inspect pipeline state at any draw call  - Export render targets and actually see what the GPU rendered (Claude is multimodal)  - Trace shader execution line-by-line  - Debug individual pixels to find out exactly why they look wrong  In the demo, I ask Claude to capture a frame from a Vulkan renderer and figure out why the sphere is black. It captures the frame, exports the render target, inspects the vertex shader,  and discovers the root cause: the MVP matrices are all zeros because the frame was captured before uniform buffers were initialized. Full diagnosis in under a minute.  This works through rdc-cli by Jim (BANANASJIM) — a brilliant 66-command CLI that wraps RenderDoc's Python API into shell commands. I wrote the Claude Code skill layer on top: the recipes,  the visual inspection patterns, the debugging workflows. Claude learns how to use all 66 commands and when to apply each debugging recipe.  Works with Vulkan, D3D11, D3D12, and OpenGL. Open source (MIT).  GitHub: https://lnkd.in/gav5yXNr  Video: https://lnkd.in/gat9QCaF  #ClaudeCode #GPU #RenderDoc #Vulkan #GraphicsProgramming #AI #GameDev #OpenSource

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If you're developing for PC/Console, don't go free-to-play. After 12+ years in the gaming industry, and experimenting with several revenue models, I can confidently say that you don't need to go free-to-play. You give up revenue and hurt your game's perception because players give 0 value to what they get for free. I see the difference everyday: the majority of people who got Ariokan (card game I'm working on) for free are way way way less engaged than those who spent $30 to get it. Those who put in the money care about the game's success much more, are helpful to other members of the community, are not scared by the bugs they find in the closed Beta, and try to get the most from everything the game puts on their plate. I remember when I was chasing F2P revenue with tother projects 3-10 years ago: the effort you need to find that 3% of players that will pay for cosmetics is not worth it. At all. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Make your multiplayer game ready for the market: https://lnkd.in/d86cDrh5 #JustDevIt #gamedevelopment #multiplayer #monetization

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I've seen people talk about the "deprofessionalization" of game dev - that large game companies are becoming unsustainable and that smaller and indie devs are going to rule the market. Not that long ago, people were complaining about the reverse. The problem then was that all the smaller game companies were dying off and game dev was becoming "winner takes all". All the smaller companies were closing and everyone was going to have to go work at large mega corps. The return of smaller game studios can be a good thing, both for work, as well as the games created. more people taking more risks means more innovation and more "weird" games instead of only safe bets. Don't stress, the pendulum is just swinging back the other way.

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Did you know that environments account for nearly 80% of a player's first interactions in modern video games? When designing environments, there are countless things to consider, but today I want to quickly highlight one: 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 When concepting an environment, start with the big shapes. ⏱️ 𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 3 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠. That’s how long it takes for those shapes to make an emotional impact. Before your audience even begins to analyze the details, they’ll 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 something. That emotional read should immediately clarify what the space is and how it feels. Is it safe? Mysterious? Powerful? Inviting? 🎨 To support that emotional impact, pay close attention to your use of color, silhouette, and lighting. These elements work together to reinforce the mood and guide the player's perception. So when you're designing, ask yourself: 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑚 𝐼 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑘𝑒? Once you’ve sketched something out, share it with a few friends. See if they feel what you intended. Feedback is gold. Great environments don’t just look good—they 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦. 👉 Check out a few stunning examples from the WoW: Dragonflight Art Blast https://lnkd.in/gARkdUg8

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