Adam Briggs

Work History

• 

  FX Lead

  DreamWorks Animation

  December 2022 - December 2023

  Managed a team of FX artists at partner studios and provided direction
  and feedback as needed to ensure due dates were hit and fx looked great.
  Analyzed and interpreted script and storyboards/animatics and called out
  where fx would be needed, how to do them, and where to allocate artists
  time.
  Assisted new artists and shared how to approach challenging shots to
  make them less daunting.
  Developed, lit, and composited FX for several shows including Kung Fu
  Panda Dragon Knight, Dragons Rescue Riders, Boss Baby, Kung Fu
  Village, Fast and the Furious Spy Racers, and various needs of a
  centralized hub of many artists
  Created hundreds of volumetric and liquid simulations, particle simulations,
  rigid bodies, nCloth, texture/shader FX, and compositing FX/ gizmos
  Typical workflow involved simulating in Houdini and exporting back to
  Maya to render in Vray, then compositing the final result in Nuke
  Responsible for complete creation of FX shots, from overall look
  development and simulation to rendering and compositing final elements
  Completed a large volume of high quality shots with very short deadlines,
  multitasking sometimes several unique effects per day
  Built and documented FX rigs to optimize speed of production locally and
  through partner studios
  Developed FX that lived in characters and sets to be used over and over by
  overseas partner studios in order to cut back on FX shot count
• 

  FX Artist

  DreamWorks Animation

  August 2017 - December 2023

  Glendale, California

  Utilized an all houdini workflow to create several
  unique and high quality FX for Kung Fu Panda 4 including magic, food fx,
  smoke / dust, and liquid FX.
  
  Developed, lit, and composited FX for several shows including Kung Fu
  Panda Dragon Knight, Dragons Rescue Riders, Boss Baby, Kung Fu
  Village, Fast and the Furious Spy Racers, and various needs of a
  centralized hub of many artists
  Created hundreds of volumetric and liquid simulations, particle simulations,
  rigid bodies, nCloth, texture/shader FX, and compositing FX/ gizmos
  Typical workflow involved simulating in Houdini and exporting back to
  Maya to render in Vray, then compositing the final result in Nuke
  Responsible for complete creation of FX shots, from overall look
  development and simulation to rendering and compositing final elements
  Completed a large volume of high quality shots with very short deadlines,
  multitasking sometimes several unique effects per day
  Built and documented FX rigs to optimize speed of production locally and
  through partner studios
  Developed FX that lived in characters and sets to be used over and over by
  overseas partner studios in order to cut back on FX shot count
• 

  FX Artist

  Nickelodeon Animation Studio

  July 2014 - August 2017

  Burbank, California

  Developed and lit FX for hit TV show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
  utilizing volume and liquid simulations, particle simulations, rigid
  bodies, nCloth, texture/shader FX, and compositing FX
  Used Maya, Realflow, Nuke, and Houdini interspersedly, dependent on
  what would get each effect done most efficiently
  Responsible for complete creation of FX shots, from overall look
  development and simulation to rendering and compositing final elements
  Completed a large volume of high quality shots with very short deadlines,
  multitasking sometimes several unique effects per day
  Built and documented FX rigs to optimize speed of production locally and
  through partner studios
  Helped troubleshoot FX techniques and train coworkers as needed
• 

  Cloth and FX Artist

  Zoic Studios

  September 2013 - April 2014

  Simulated, lit, and rendered a large variety of effects for TV shows and
  commercials such as Once Upon a Time, The Flash, and several pilots
  Worked with a large team locally and internationally to create effects on
  very short deadlines
  Created and utilized dynamic rigs to improve speed of FX workflow

• Realflow Artist

  The Mission

  August 2013 - September 2013

  Simulated Realflow and Maya FX for commercial and in house projects
  Assisted in troubleshooting, fixing, and improving existing effects
• 

  FX Artist

  Digital Domain

  January 2013 - May 2013

  Created dynamic effects for several upcoming game trailers and
  cinematics such as SimCity, Shadow of Mordor, and Destiny
  Very quick turnarounds, completed large variety and volume of effects
  during short project timelines
• 

  FX Artist

  Baked FX

  November 2012 - November 2012

  Simulated, lit, and rendered Maya dynamic simulations for the film 7
  Days in Utopia and a music video project
  Assisted in troubleshooting, fixing, and improving existing effects
• 

  FX Artist

  Mirada Studios

  February 2012 - October 2012

  Developed Realflow and Maya dynamic simulations for many
  commercials and some films, including Disney Fantasyland, Tide, Bud
  Light, MarioKart, and The Expendables
  Simulated and lit specific effects to be integrated into the final product,
  rendering with Mental Ray, vRay, and Houdini’s Mantra
• 

  FX Artist

  Luma Pictures

  August 2011 - December 2011

  Created dynamic effects for Underworld 4 and The Avengers
  Created custom MEL tools for quicker production of repetitive tasks
  Developed new tools and implemented results into feature films

  

  
• 

  FX Artist

  Hydraulx

  July 2010 - August 2011

  Developed dynamic simulations for several naturally occurring
  phenomena such as water, fire, smoke, debris, and explosions
  Worked on several full length feature films including Skyline, Battle: Los
  Angeles, Gulliver's Travels, and Take Shelter
  Transferred between both Linux and Windows workspaces as necessary
  Set up elaborate particle systems, fluid simulations, and rigid body
  simulations, as well as lit and rendered them, in Maya, Realflow, and 3DS
  Max plugin FumeFX
  Proved dedication to finished product with many 90+ hour work weeks
• 

  graduate

  Savannah College of Art and Design

  2006 - 2010

  magna cum laud in visual effects with a focus on fluid dynamics
• 

  student

  Savannah College of Art and Design

  2006 - 2010
• 

  3D Generalist

  TriVision Studios

  July 2009 - December 2009

  Worked on 3D aspects of larger group projects for international clients, such as 3D logos, effects, modeling, texturing, teleprompting, filming, and organization.

• Graphic Designer

  Office of Minority Health

  June 2008 - October 2008

  Sub-contracted government graphic design work to enhance presentations, mostly in Photoshop.
  -Created logos, charts, and other graphics based on contract.
  - Offered advice and edited/updated previous working designs.

• animator

  Face the Pain Media

  June 2008 - September 2008

  Animated a short for an up and coming health cartoon for kids to be used as a pitch.

• Produce, Cashier, Frozen Foods, Dairy, DSD, Scan Analyst

  Bloom Grocery Store

  March 2004 - September 2008

  Responsible for accurate pricing of the store sales floor, receiving and cross checking vendors, assuring freshness of perishable goods, providing good customer service, and checking out customers.