Dylan Neill

Dylan Neill

3D Artist and VFX Supervisor

Senior 3D Generalist / Supervisor VFX Supervisor

Sydney, Australia

Hire Me

Houdini Crowd TD

Outlaw King (2018)

FX TD

Knowing (2009)

FX Technical Director (Freelance)

Australia (2009)

Crowd R&D

Happy Feet (2006)

Lighting and Massive TD

King Kong (2005)

Lighting and Massive TD

I, Robot (2004)

Massive Artist

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Animator

George of the Jungle 2 (2003)

FX TD

The Core (2003)

Digital Artist

Scooby-Doo (2002)

I am a 3d artist with more than 20 years experience in the VFX industry. My expertise covers the entire range of CG animation production including apps, games, online advertising, television and feature films. My film credits include Outlaw King, Lord of the Rings, King Kong and I, Robot and I have worked on commercials for major brands such as Toyota, Qantas and Telstra. My experience is combined with creative flair, a keen eye for detail and a willingness to push the boundaries of technology.
Work History

  • CG Supervisor

    FSM

    June 2015 - April 2017
    Sydney, Australia

  • Lighting Technical Director (Freelance)

    Ink Project

    November 2014 - December 2014
    Sydney, Australia

    Projects:
    Foxtel Movies, Boxsets and Drama TVCs
    Ampersand TV ident package

    • Worked closely with director to realise his vision within schedule and technical constraints
    • Created procedural methods within Maya to generate CG LED installation cubes for Foxtel Movies spot
    • Created lighting and rendering in V-Ray

  • CG Supervisor (Freelance)

    Luscious International

    April 2014 - November 2014
    Sydney, Australia

    • Sourcing, interviewing and hiring of 3D and motion design staff
    • Working with directors to realise their creative vision within job budget and schedule constraints
    • Working with producers to quote and schedule jobs
    • Supervising the 3D and motion graphics teams, managing relationships and team building
    • Implemented Shotgun asset management system which required extensive python scripting and customisation
    • Implemented Deadline render farm with seamless integration across Mac and Windows platforms. This involved custom python scripts for integration into pipeline and ease of use
    • On-set VFX supervision of TV commercial shoots
    • Software and hardware purchasing decisions

  • 3D Supervisor and Lead Developer

    Choc Chip Apps

    September 2013 - April 2014
    Sydney, Australia


    Project:
    Old MacDonald Sing & Play for iOS

    • Sourcing and hiring of freelance 3D artists
    • Oversight of 3D asset production
    • Implementation of source code management and 3D asset pipelines
    • C# code development in Unity games engine
    • Business development and marketing

  • FX Technical Director (Freelance)

    Mighty Nice Sydney

    September 2013 - September 2013
    Sydney Area, Australia


    Telstra "Post Paid Sim" TV Commercial

    • Created particle effects in Maya utilising custom MEL scripting, Partio plugins for caching and 3Delight for rendering

  • FX Technical Director (Freelance)

    Mighty Nice Sydney

    April 2013 - April 2013
    Sydney, Australia


    Project:
    Telstra "No Lock-ins" TVC

    • Created particle effects in Maya utilising custom MEL scripting, Partio plugins for caching and 3Delight for rendering

  • Lighting and FX Technical Director (Freelance)

    Mirage VFX

    January 2012 - March 2012
    Sydney, Australia


    Bank Mandiri - TV Commercial

  • Lighting and FX Technical Director (Freelance)

    Method Studios

    March 2011 - August 2011
    Sydney, Australia


    Projects (Feature films):
    Bait 3D
    A Few Good Men

  • 3D Artist (Freelance)

    Collider Film & Design

    February 2010 - March 2010
    Sydney, Australia


    Project:
    Sydney Dance Company - 6 Breaths

    • Worked closely with director to conceptualise and realise his vision
    • Created all 3D using Maya and rendering in 3Delight and Mental Ray

  • 3D Generalist (Freelance)

    Fin Design + Effects

    July 2009 - September 2009
    Sydney, Australia


    Projects (TV Commercials):
    Mount Franklin Sparkling Water
    Jalna Yogurt

  • FX Technical Director (Freelance)

    Animal Logic

    May 2008 - December 2008
    Sydney, Australia


    Projects (Feature Films):
    Knowing
    Australia

    • Creating dynamics simulations with Maya Dynamics
    • Creating smoke and fire effects using Maya Fluids, particles and in-house software
    • Creating ocean shader looks and lighting in Renderman and compositing in Nuke
    • Assisting with CG grass implementation

  • Graphic Designer

    Evolve Print and Design

    September 2006 - January 2008


    • Design and graphics for marketing collateral
    • Design, graphics, typesetting, layout and photography for magazines, high school yearbooks, reunion books and various booklets
    • Logo, business card and letterhead design
    • Product photography
    • Preparation of files for press and digital printing
    • Implemented colour calibration and colour management system at the company
    • Direct dealings with clients throughout creation process

  • Lighting and Massive TD

    Wētā FX

    August 2003 - November 2005
    Wellington & Wairarapa, New Zealand


    Projects (Feature Films):
    Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
    I, Robot
    King Kong

    • Created realistic lighting and particle effects to very high quality standards
    • Created crowd scenes using Massive, an artificial intelligence based simulation software
    • Supervised Empire State Building destruction team of up to 6 people.
    • Researching and implementing the latest computer graphics techniques.
    • Analyzing and improving working procedures.
    • Designing and creating user interfaces.
    • Time management and prioritizing under tight deadlines.

  • Technical Director (Freelance)

    Animal Logic

    March 2003 - August 2003
    Sydney, Australia


    Project:
    Happy Feet - Animated Feature

    • R&D animated effects for water splashes, bubbles and footprints in the snow.
    • Designing procedures and pipelines to improve work efficiency.
    • Designing and creating user interfaces.
    • Designing software based on the needs of the director.
    • Evaluating crowd simulation software.

  • Technical Director (Freelance)

    Rising Sun Pictures

    July 2002 - October 2002
    Sydney, Australia


    Project:
    The Core - Feature Film

    • Creating water splash and wake effects.
    • Overseeing creation of ocean shaders
    • Researching the latest university research on water simulation and evaluating its usefulness for the project.
    • Researching the latest software and evaluating which software would allow maximum flexibility but still yield the best results.
    • Liaising with other departments to design a workable pipeline.

  • Applications Support Engineer

    Storm FX

    March 2002 - July 2002
    Sydney, Australia


    • Technical support for animation and editing software and hardware (Windows, Mac and Linux).
    • Training people from professional to entry level in Maya using either my own courseware or that provided by Alias.
    • Coordinating with developers to get software updates and bug fixes implemented based on the needs of clients and finding interim solutions while these changes were being done.
    • Consulting with post production studios to determine which software would be the right choice for a particular project and the specifics of how particular effects could be implemented using that software.
    • On site installation and management of hardware and software solutions.
    • Maintenance of the web page, updating it with the latest products and services offered by Storm FX.

  • Technical Director

    TMation

    January 2002 - February 2002
    Sydney, Australia


    • Created FX and lighting for two Japanese TV Commercials

  • Animator

    Photon VFX

    August 2001 - December 2001
    Gold Coast, Australia


    Project:
    'Scooby Doo' Feature Film

    • Created high quality pre-vis character animation

  • Technical Director

    Ambience Entertainment

    September 1999 - July 2001
    Sydney, Australia


    • Creating realistic lighting
    • Creating animation for characters and motion graphics
    • Designing and creating motion graphics for TV show openers/closers and TV station identities
    • Supervise teams of up to 10 artists for various tasks for the duration of a project.
    • Produce solutions for problems encountered by the artists.
    • R & D techniques and effects before implementing them.
    • Evaluate hardware and software for use in production and then help implement it into the companies workflow.

  • Lead Animator

    Digital Alchemy

    January 1997 - August 1999
    Canberra, Australia


    • Producing animation ranging from rolling dice to complicated characters.
    • Supervising all technical aspects of production and providing technical solutions for artists.
    • Hardware and software evaluation.

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Education

  • Certificate 4 in Computer Animation

    Canberra Institure of Technology

    1996 - 1996