NEWPORT, UK — Sphere VFX (www.spherevfx.com) has been providing training services since 2006. The company offer training both online and in a classroom setting.
Matt Leonard is VFX head of training for Sphere VFX and says its instructors have more than a dozen years of experience working on applications such as Maya and After Effects. The company also has deep experience in Modo, Katana, Arnold, RenderMan and Nuke.
“All our trainers have a background in visual effects,” he notes. “This includes on-set feature film/broadcast work and heading up departments — both 3D and general post. We have trained artists working at companies such as Industrial Light and Magic, Framestore, Weta Digital, MPC, Dreamworks Animation and Framestore. Our courses are short form — two weeks maximum normally. And our unique selling point is that we are extremely flexible — our courses are very customizable.”
Sphere VFX will work with a client, going on-location to their studio if needed, and at a time that’s most convenient for them.
“Our classes can be mixed and matched, so a client can custom build a course which includes Maya, Arnold and Nuke, for instance.” Leonard adds that Sphere VFX can also cross train between packages, an example being a client that may be moving from Eyeon's Fusion to The Foundry's Nuke.
Sphere VFX is one of the few companies in the world to offer Arnold for Maya classroom training, and one of the only companies offering Katana classroom training.
For the Website fxphd.com, Leonard oversees The Foundry's certified Nuke for trainers program, training artists to be Nuke instructors. He also offers Katana online training via the site.