Milk VFX visualises 450 million years of Earth's lost worlds using cutting-edge technology. Enrico Selmi, co-head of VFX at Milk, explains his role in balancing creative vision with technical reality.

Key to their workflow is USD (Universal Scene Description), a non-destructive system that supports parallel work across departments, allowing early previsualization and dynamic client reviews without erasing previous work. This contrasts sharply with traditional linear workflows where tasks must be completed sequentially.

The process starts in Unreal Engine for environment building, which then feeds into Milk’s 3D pipeline through Houdini and USD stages. These stages are full-scene containers that support layers of work from rigging to animation, enabling multiple departments to move simultaneously within the same structure.

USD also ensures continuity; a pre-animated creature carries over its visualisation for final development without needing redoing, saving time and effort. The pipeline mixes tools like Houdini and Maya with Solaris, creating a dynamic, layered data approach that supports modelling, layout, animation, FX, and lighting in parallel.