1MAFX VFX breakdowns and Tutorials

[1MAFX]

Hey everyone,

I’m Pawel Margacz, a real-time VFX artist working in games and running 1mafx.com, where I teach stylized effects using Niagara, Embergen, Houdini, and Substance Designer. Thought I’d start posting some of my WIP breakdowns and recent work here.

One of the latest effects I built, and turned into a tutorial, is a flamethrower.

The idea was to drive the main flame with mesh and WPO, and then layer in a few extra elements without going too heavy on overdraw. I also wanted a scorched ground effect that could stay behind after the flame impact.

Here’s what I ended up with for the final look. I added a bit of refraction for that subtle heat distortion, nothing too extreme, just enough to hint at temperature and motion without making the effect noisy.

I’ll be posting other effects from my workflow as I go.

[1MAFX]

Our 6-part free VFX tutorial series on Gumroad is blowing up. From node workflows in Substance Designer to ribbon techniques in Unreal Engine, it’s packed with practical tips for creating stylized effects.

If you haven’t got it yet, don’t wait, it’s free, and it’s a perfect way to kickstart or polish your VFX game.

Watch it now and let me know what you’re building!

Tutorial Link

I’ll post some more breakdowns in few days here, as I’m working on the lightning arrow attack next.