sent from: Esher, Surrey, UK. destination: St Albans

One of the on-going discussions in vfx, whether in public or private, is “what’s your ‘get out of vfx’ plan?”. Everyone I know dreams of something else. The other night, exploring the idea of transferring my vfx experience over to the space industry, there did seem to be some areas of crossover.
As mentioned in the comic, I was a “rocket scientist” (ok, Physics with Space Science and Systems BSc yeahhh). “Simulation” in vfx is many things – fluids, particles, clothing, hair, muscles, rigid bodies. “Simulation” in space seems to be taking a satellite and making sure it can, in a virtual space, endure the conditions and stresses of real spaceflight. One is to create visual impact, to tell a story, to convey character, to look cool. The other is to be safe, to test, to reduce risk, to not explode in a fiery blast. Hmmm.