Simon Schreibt
Game artist and VFX artist behind the Game Art Tricks blog, which breaks down how classic and modern games achieve their visual effects, with Houdini and Unreal tutorials. In the industry since 2006 and a full-time VFX artist since 2015.
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- Sims 4: Mirrors
Analysis of how mirrors are rendered in The Sims 4.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2025 - The High Heel Problem
Game art investigation into the high heel problem in character models.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2025 - Infinity Nikki: Mysterious Shadow Drop
Looks at the shadow drop effect in Infinity Nikki.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2025 - Infinity Nikki: One-way Window
Looks at the one-way window effect in Infinity Nikki.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2025 - Anno 1800: Shadows of Beauty
Explores unusual shadow details noticed in Anno 1800.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2025 - Cyberpunk: Broken Edges
Looks at broken edges and outline artifacts in Cyberpunk.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2025 - Street Fighter 6 effects column: the artists behind the VFX
Capcom column crediting and discussing the effects artists and craft behind Street Fighter 6.
streetfighter.com · Nov 2024 - Unreal Fest 2018: Stylized VFX in RIME 2.0 - Water Edition
Talk on stylized water effects in RIME, with a fire effect shown that Simon highlights as inspiring.
youtu.be · Nov 2024 - Real-time VFX project breakdown with project files (ArtStation)
ArtStation breakdown of a realtime VFX project, with downloadable project files.
artstation.com · Oct 2024 - Cozy Space Survivors: breakdown of assets and effects (ArtStation)
Breakdown of how the pixel art assets and effects of a cozy survivors game were made.
artstation.com · Oct 2024 - Master Class: Being a Tech Art Detective
Master class on investigating rendering issues as a technical artist.
youtube.com · Sep 2024 - PlatinumGames VFX: Infernal Demons and Homunculi (Umbran Studies)
Studio blog article on how effects for demon enemies were designed and built.
platinumgames.com · Aug 2024 - Inside Disco Elysium - graphics breakdown
Graphics breakdown of how Disco Elysium achieves its painted look.
youtube.com · Dec 2023 - 3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development
Landing page of a 3D math textbook for graphics and game development.
gamemath.com · Nov 2023 - GTA V – Underestimated Glow
Explains how the nighttime glow on GTA V traffic lights works.
simonschreibt.de · Jun 2023 - Deus Ex – Alpha Terrain
Explains how Deus Ex alpha terrain blends with stone objects.
simonschreibt.de · May 2023 - Jedi: Fallen Order – Splishy Splashy
Looks at the water splash effects in Jedi: Fallen Order.
simonschreibt.de · May 2023 - Pokémon – Rapidash
Looks at the Rapidash fire effect in Pokemon.
simonschreibt.de · May 2023 - The Divine Fire
Looks at the fire effect in Divine Divinity.
simonschreibt.de · May 2023 - The Four Vertex Volume
Explains a four-vertex volume rendering trick.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2023 - Battlefront II: Layered Explosion
Looks at how Battlefront II builds layered explosion effects.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2023 - The Unreal Stencil Dragon
Builds a stencil dragon effect in Unreal, extending a project on one shader for many effects.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2023 - Reverse engineering the rendering of The Witcher 3, part 21 - the painted world
Reverse engineers how The Witcher 3 renders its painted-world look, part 21 of a series.
astralcode.blogspot.com · Dec 2022 - Triangle wave function/modulation (cheap sine alternative)
Explains a triangle wave function as a cheap sine alternative for lerping textures in FX.
artstation.com · Nov 2022 - Linear Smooth Step material and Niagara functions
Shares linear smooth step material and Niagara functions for interpolation.
artstation.com · Nov 2022 - Shader Sauce: How to Use Shaders to Create Stylized VFX
Using shaders to create stylized VFX.
youtube.com · Nov 2022 - Add Motion to Concept Art | Simon Trümpler | EXP Expo 2022
Talk on adding motion to concept art.
youtube.com · Oct 2022 - Simon’s Tech Art Learning Materials | Simonschreibt.
Simon's tech art course learning materials and slides.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2022 - Order independent transparency, part 1
Explains order-independent transparency approaches for rendering, part 1.
interplayoflight.wordpress.com · Jul 2022 - How to (Not) Create Textures for VFX
Advice on how not to create textures for VFX.
youtube.com · Jun 2022 - Textures for VFX - Database | Notion
Notion database of textures for VFX use.
simonschreibt.notion.site · ~May 2022 - GDC/ADDON 2022: How (not) to create Textures for VFX
GDC 2022 talk on mistakes and best practices when creating textures for VFX.
simonschreibt.de · May 2022 - Mafia II – Hat vs. Hair
Looks at the hat versus hair problem in Mafia II.
simonschreibt.de · Nov 2020 - River 2k19 Edition
Revisits river effects in games with a 2019 edition.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2019 - Zelda – The Bling-Bling Offset
Looks at the offset bling-bling effect in Zelda.
simonschreibt.de · May 2018 - Stylized VFX in RIME – Water Edition
Talk on three stylized water-related effects in RIME at Unreal Fest Europe 2018.
simonschreibt.de · May 2018 - Cool Stuff with Textures
Talk on using textures for purposes beyond color, at the Digital Art Conference 2017.
simonschreibt.de · Sep 2017 - The Joy of VFX – Pintable
Looks at the VFX in a pinball table game.
simonschreibt.de · Jul 2016 - Alien vs Wolfenstein – Cutting Torch
Looks at the cutting torch effect in Alien vs Wolfenstein.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2016 - Dark Maus – Top Down Trees
Looks at how top-down trees are rendered in Dark Maus.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2016 - Diablo 3 – Wings of Angels
Looks at the wings of angels effect in Diablo 3.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2016 - Blubb! – Fish Tanks in Games
Looks at fish tanks in games.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2016 - Alpha 1 – My Top 5 Usecases
Five favorite use cases for the alpha channel.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2016 - Diablo 3 – The sacred spiderweb
Looks at the sacred spiderweb effect in Diablo 3.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2016 - Delayed Reference Method
Explains the delayed reference method in game rendering.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2016 - Fallout 4 – The Mushroom Case
Looks at the mushroom case in Fallout 4.
simonschreibt.de · Dec 2015 - Braid – Respect the Rules
Guest post on respecting the rules in Braid's design.
simonschreibt.de · Dec 2015 - What is Color Banding? And what is it not?
Explains what color banding is and how to avoid it.
simonschreibt.de · Dec 2015 - Fallout 4 – Wasteland Eyes
Looks at the shader behind eye movement in Fallout 4 wasteland characters.
simonschreibt.de · Nov 2015 - X:Rebirth – Geometric Lensflares
Looks at geometric lens flares in X:Rebirth instead of texture-based ones.
simonschreibt.de · Oct 2015 - Diablo Gate
Discusses a game design idea about Diablo gates.
simonschreibt.de · Oct 2015 - Render Hell 2.0
Updated look at Render Hell, a visual guide to the stages of rendering.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2015 - Render Hell – Book I
Render Hell book one, an illustrated tour of rendering.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2015 - Render Hell – Book II
Render Hell book two, an illustrated tour of rendering.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2015 - Render Hell – Book III
Render Hell book three, an illustrated tour of rendering.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2015 - Render Hell – Book IV
Render Hell book four, an illustrated tour of rendering.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2015 - Render Hell – Book V
Render Hell book five, concluding the illustrated rendering series.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2015 - Sacred 2 – Fake Mirror
Explains the fake mirror trick in Sacred 2.
simonschreibt.de · Jul 2015 - Rei Ayanami – Inner eyes
Interprets the inner eyes of Rei Ayanami in a game art analysis.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2015 - Zelda Wind Waker – Hyrule Travel Guide | Simonschreibt.
Travel guide that studies Wind Waker's environment and visual tricks.
simonschreibt.de · Nov 2014 - Windows AC/Row/Infinite
Overview of advanced window rendering tricks in games.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2014 - Don’t starve, Diablo – Parallax 7
Looks at parallax layers in Don't Starve and Diablo.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2014 - Prey – Evil Buttons
Looks at evil buttons in Prey and what they teach about game design.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2014 - Tomb Raider – Laras Hot Secrets
Looks at Tomb Raider visuals and character secrets.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2014 - Handmade Normal Maps
Looks at handmade normal maps and what went wrong.
simonschreibt.de · Dec 2013 - Sacred 2 – Floating Point Numbers
Looks at overuse of floating point numbers in Sacred 2's UI.
simonschreibt.de · Nov 2013 - Oblivion Territory: Tree vs. Palm
Compares the tree and palm in Oblivion territory design.
simonschreibt.de · Nov 2013 - Super Hot – Turn-based Action
Discusses turn-based action design in Super Hot.
simonschreibt.de · Oct 2013 - World of Torch Siege – Blended Trunks
Breaks down how World of Torch Siege blends tree trunks into the terrain, with the author's anecdotes.
simonschreibt.de · Sep 2013 - Company of Heroes – Flamethrower
Explains how Company of Heroes renders its flamethrower flames and fire effect.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2013 - Company of Heroes – Shaded Smoke
Explains how Company of Heroes shades smoke so it looks different depending on view angle.
simonschreibt.de · Aug 2013 - Binding of Isaac – Composition
Analyzes the visual composition and readability tricks used in The Binding of Isaac.
simonschreibt.de · Jul 2013 - 1nsane Carpet 2 – Repetitive Worlds
Looks at how 1nsane Carpet 2 builds repetitive, endlessly tiling worlds from reused elements.
simonschreibt.de · Jul 2013 - Lego – Studs
Explains how Lego games render the studs on bricks efficiently and convincingly.
simonschreibt.de · Jun 2013 - Dungeon Keeper 2 – Walls
Shows how Dungeon Keeper 2 builds its dungeon wall visuals from simple geometry and textures.
simonschreibt.de · Jun 2013 - Lego Batman – Crawler
Explains the crawler trick in Lego Batman, a game effect the author found impressive.
simonschreibt.de · May 2013 - Scribble Cel
Covers a scribbled cel-shaded look with animated hand-drawn line wobble, with several updates.
simonschreibt.de · May 2013 - Doom 3 – HDUI
Explains how Doom 3 draws its in-world holographic user interfaces on screens.
simonschreibt.de · May 2013 - Doom 3 – Volumetric Glow
Explains the volumetric glow effect in Doom 3 and how it is faked with simple geometry.
simonschreibt.de · May 2013 - Starcraft 2 – Localization
Looks at how Starcraft 2 handles localization of its text and assets.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2013 - Bioshock – Glossiness
Analyzes how Bioshock achieves its wet, glossy look on surfaces and materials.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2013 - Homeworld 2 – Hyperspace
Shows how Homeworld 2 creates its hyperspace jump visual effect.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2013 - Homeworld 2 – Engines
Explains how Homeworld 2 builds its glowing ship engine effects.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2013 - 007 Legends – The World
Explains how 007 Legends renders its miniature-looking world with a tilt-shift style trick.
simonschreibt.de · Apr 2013 - Diablo 3 – Resource Bubbles
Looks at the liquid-filled resource orbs in Diablo 3 and how the bubble effect is built.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2013 - Homeworld 2 – Backgrounds Tech
Technical follow-up on how Homeworld 2's detailed spherical space backgrounds were created.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2013 - Homeworld 2: Backgrounds
Explains how Homeworld 2 builds its colorful nebula backgrounds, with multiple updates.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2013 - Dead Space 3 – Diffuse Reflections
Explains Dead Space 3's reflections that fade out with distance from the reflecting surface.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2013 - Metal Gear Rising – Slicing
Explains how Metal Gear Rising lets players slice objects into many pieces and how it can be approximated.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2013 - 1943 – Retro Shadows
Shows a retro blob-shadow style technique from an arcade machine game, noted as not for modern use.
simonschreibt.de · Mar 2013 - Airborn – Trees
Describes how Airborn builds its trees with simple billboard and mesh tricks.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Assassins Creed 3 – Bouncing Light
Explains how Assassin's Creed 3 fakes bounced light using colored ambient and fill lights.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Sacred 2 – Burning Map
Shows how Sacred 2's world map burns in and out using a burn-through transition effect.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Battlefield 2 – Flag Sound
Looks at how Battlefield 2 plays flag sounds depending on distance and direction, a sound-design trick.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Battlefield Bad Company 2 – Smoke Column
Explains how Battlefield Bad Company 2 renders huge distant smoke columns cheaply.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Sacred 2 – Pulse Shader
Shows how Sacred 2 makes lights pulse and blink using a pulse shader with on/off timings.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Sacred 2 – Crystal Reflexion
Explains how Sacred 2 gets convincing crystal reflections in its Ice and Blood add-on.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Left 4 Dead 2 – Puke
Analyzes how Left 4 Dead 2 renders the screen-splatter vomit effect.
simonschreibt.de · Feb 2013 - Kid Icarus – Tricks
Collects several small clever tricks found in the game Kid Icarus.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Assassins Creed 3 – LoD Blending
Shows how Assassin's Creed 3 blends between level-of-detail models to hide pops.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Assassins Creed 3 – Windows
Explains how Assassin's Creed 3 fakes interiors visible through building windows.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - World of Warcraft – Balloon
Looks at the animated balloon asset in World of Warcraft and how it is built.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Deus Ex – Scanlines
Looks at the scanline effect used on screens in Deus Ex.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Deus Ex 3 – Folds
Examines the folding-pattern shader effect in Deus Ex 3 and its sound pairing.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Deus Ex – Occlusion
Explains how Deus Ex handles occlusion and object visibility through walls, with updates.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Cel Shading
Compares ways of up-scaling a sprite for cel shading and why naive scaling falls short.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Divine Divinity – 2D Reflexion
Explains the 2D reflection effect in Divine Divinity, a rare reflection in a 2D game.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Warcraft 3 – Billboards
Looks at how Warcraft 3 uses billboards in an asset and why it works well.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Diablo 3 – Trees
Explains the special look of Diablo 3's trees and how they are built.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Teleglitch – RGB Flickering
Explains Teleglitch's RGB flicker effect that plays when using a teleporter.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Teleglitch – Viewcones
Explains dynamic view cones that update in real time as the player moves, as in Nox and Teleglitch.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Fallout 3 – Edges
Analyzes how Fallout 3 draws edges and outlines on objects, with several updates.
simonschreibt.de · Jan 2013 - Game Art Tricks | Simonschreibt.
Overview of game art tricks explained by the author.
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