VINICIUS ZANIBONI
TECHNICAL AND VFX ARTIST

São Paulo, Brazil

Contact: [email protected]

WORK

Proffesional Projects

These are some of the projects I contributed to; however, due to confidentiality agreements, not all projects can be shared.

Student Projects

As a student, I created projects for coursework and game jams; the downloads of this games are available on my Itch.io page.

About me

Technical Artist specializing in real-time VFX, with a degree in Digital Games Development and 6+ years of professional experience on published multiplatform and mobile games, as well as a cinematic project. Experienced in delivering large-scale character and ability effects, developing shaders and materials for characters, environments, visual effects, and providing cross-disciplinary support in asset integration, optimization, and production pipeline development.

Skills

TECHNICAL SKILLS
Visual Effects: Creating high-quality VFX, from planning to delivery, aligned with each project’s artistic and technical requirements.
Optimizing and integrating game assets: Characters, props, rigging, animations and UI elements, through geometry cleanup, polycount reduction, UV adjustments, LODs, texture optimization, and performance-focused materials, ensuring proper implementation in-engine with consistent visual quality and performance.
3D Character Rigging: Currently studying rigging, focusing on technical skills and efficient workflow development.
PERSONAL SKILLS
Visual Direction for VFX: 6+ years of experience contributing to the definition of VFX visual identity, including creative direction and the development of visual solutions aligned with artistic vision, technical constraints, and performance requirements
Team Direction: Contributing to a small VFX team for 3+ years, providing artistic guidance, supporting communication, and helping ensure the quality and consistency of deliverables.
English: C1 - Advanced
Portuguese: Fluent / Native
Spanish: B1 - Intermediate
Softwares
Maya: Modeling 3D assets for VFX, rigging of 3D characters, and performing optimizations including geometry cleanup, LODs, and UV adjustments.
Substance Designer: Designing textures and materials for characters, props, environments, and visual effects.
Photoshop: Designing textures for visual effects, providing visual feedback to other team artists, and making 2D art adjustments and optimizations for game integration.
ZBrush: Modeling organic assets for visual effects.
ToonBoom: Creating visual effects using frame-by-frame animation.
EmberGen & LiquiGen: Simulating real-time fire explosions, magical smokes, and dynamic liquid —like water splashes, blood, and slime—to export textures and animations for games.
Production and VCS Tools: GitHub, Perforce, Slack, Monday, Miro...
Unity (6+ Years experience)Unreal Engine (4+ YEARS EXPERIENCE)
Particle System and VFX GraphNiagara Particle System and Niagara Fluids
Shaders & Materials (HLSL, Unity Shader Graph and Amplify Shader Editor)Shaders & Materials
Timeline (cinematic Tool)Sequencer (cinematic Tool)
Post-processing, post-processing visual effects and full-screen effects.Volumetric effects, post-processing & full-screen FX
C# ScriptingBlueprints
Advanced Mobile VFX OptimizationVFX development for cinematics
VFX integration with gameplayVFX integration with gameplay

Contact

[email protected]

Character Abilities VFX

Effects created in Unreal Engine 5Using the Material editor and Niagara System
3D models for VFX created in Maya
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer
Animated using Sequencer

Electric Punch VFX

Effects created in Unreal Engine 5Using the Material editor and Niagara System
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer
Animated using Sequencer

Magic Capes Shaders and VFX

Effects created in UnityUsing the Amplify Shader Graph and Particle System
3D models for Capes created in Maya
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer

Grass Shader

Shader created in UnityUsing the Unity Shader Graph
3D models created in Maya
2D Textures created in Photoshop
Integrated using the Unity Terrain Tool

Shader Graph

Grass LODs

Final Result

Material Controls

Valorant Smokes VFX Study

Effects created in Unreal Engine 5Using the Material editor and Niagara System
3D models created in Maya
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer

Animal Summoning Bite VFX

Effects created in UnityEffects created using the Particle System
VFX Materials created using Amplify Shader Editor
3D models created in Maya and ZBrush
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer

Pokemon Fight VFX Moves

Some of the effects I created for a freelance workEffects created in Unity, using the Particle System

Stylized Material VFX Study

Created in Unreal Engine 5Using the Material editor and Niagara System
3D models created in MayaThe main objective of this study was to create a material aimed at developing stylized effects, which offers a cartoon look and enough versatility to create different elements, and which at the same time has the simplest and most direct usability possible, with adjustable parameters within the niagara system.

Stylized Hits, Impacts and Explosions VFX Study

Effects created in Unity
Personal study made with the purpose of creating some stylized hits and explosions effects using the Zelda BOTW game as a principal reference.Effects created using the Particle System
Materials created using Shader Graph
2D Textures created in Photoshop

Elemental Eruptions VFX

Some of the effects I created for a freelance workEffects created in Unity, using the Particle System

Rock Ground Impact VFX

Some of the effects I created for a freelance work:Effects created in Unity, using the Particle System

Stylized Air Explosions VFX

Some of the effects I created for a freelance work:Effects created in Unity, using the Particle System

Portals Material VFX Study

Effects created in Unreal Engine 5
Personal study made with the purpose of creating a simple and reusable material aimed at creating portals or similar effects

Pokemon Gengar Moves VFX

Effects created in Unreal Engine 5:Using the Material editor and Niagara System
Animated using Sequencer
3D models created in Maya
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer

Rick and Morty Portals VFX Study

Effects created in Unreal Engine 5:Using the Material editor and Niagara System
Animated using Sequencer
3D models created in Maya
2D Textures created in Photoshop and Substance Designer

Student Projects (2019-2021)

During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to participate in several projects (including game jams), where I learned and performed different roles in game development, from technical art to 3D workflows. Through these experiences, I developed a broad understanding of the challenges and needs of different areas involved in game production.I specialized in working within the engine (Unity), focusing particularly on creating visual effects and developing technical solutions using shaders and materials, for VFX, characters, props, and environments. I also worked on general asset integration, including characters, animations, props, UI elements, and assisted artists.In addition, I created riggings and animations for 3D characters and props, contributed to a 2D cinematic(using after effects), and planned as well as implemented the UI and HUD for the games We Need More Modules, Telefonista, and Mythic Hunter.

We Need More Modules Cinematic
We Need More Modules VFX

EmberGen Gohan's Auras VFX Study

Effects created in EmberGer

EmberGen VFX Studies

Effects created in EmberGer

LiquiGen Tornados VFX Studies

Effects created in LiquidGen