Laura Whitty
Laura Whitty
VFX Compositor | Digital Matte Painter | 3D Generalist
Derby, United Kingdom

Multidisciplinary VFX artist specialising in compositing and digital matte painting, with strong experience in look development, lighting, and environment work.

Currently working as a 3D Generalist at Next, delivering photoreal assets within a structured production pipeline. Skilled in cleanup, integration, and visual continuity, with a strong eye for realism and cinematic storytelling.

Comfortable collaborating across departments and adapting between creative and technical problem-solving.

Resume PDF

Skills

CompositingRotoscopingDigital PaintingMatte Painting3D ModelingEnvironment ModelingHard Surface ModelingLightingUV MappingRetopologyPhoto-manipulationWorld BuildingSet ExtensionsPhotogrammetryPBR TexturingProjection MappingMatchmoveAsset CreationKeyingVFX CompositingPlate PrepQuality ControlVersion ControlColour CorrectionColour MatchingAtmospheric FXClient CollaborationProduction PipelinesCG IntegratrionRoto & CleanupGrain and Noise MatchingMulti pass compositingAOV's2.5D Matte PaintingCinematic EnvironmentsShot based workflowAsset HandoverIterative FeedbackDeadline-driven ProductionEnvironment DesignLook DevelopmentRendering

Software proficiency

Nuke
Nuke
Mocha
Mocha
Maya
Maya
Arnold
Arnold
Substance 3D Painter
Substance 3D Painter
Blender
Blender
V-Ray
V-Ray
Photoshop
Photoshop
Lightroom
Lightroom
Premiere
Premiere
After Effects
After Effects
Audition
Audition
Python
Python
DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve
Animate
Animate
xTex
xTex
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
Gaea
Gaea
Unity
Unity

Reel

Productions

    • Movie
      Baba Yaga Animated Short
    • Year
      2016
    • Role
      Director/ Animator
    • Company
      University Of Derby
    • TV Production
      TV License Animated Shorts
    • Year
      2015
    • Role
      Animator
    • Company
      BBC

Experience

  • 3D Generalist at Next
    September 2022 - Present

    • Create high-quality 3D product visualizations for sofas, chairs, and home accessories within a professional production pipeline.

    • Model, simulate, and optimize cloth-based assets using nCloth and MASH systems in Autodesk Maya, achieving realistic fabric tension, stitching, and seam behavior.

    • Develop custom Arnold shaders in Maya, tailoring each to replicate real-world material properties such as fabric weave, specularity, and subsurface scattering.

    • Design and light photorealistic room sets, simulating real-world camera exposure, depth of field, and light falloff to achieve a natural photographic aesthetic.

    • Write Python scripts and shelf tools to automate asset setup, shader assignment, and batch rendering—streamlining the department’s workflow and ensuring consistency across projects.

    • Collaborate closely with buyers, art directors, and design teams to ensure digital outputs align with real-world product samples, maintaining accurate colour calibration and finish representation.

    • Operate within studio-standard production pipelines, adhering to naming conventions, asset versioning, and scene organization best practices for efficient cross-department collaboration.

    Key Tools: Autodesk Maya, Arnold, Photoshop, Python (Maya API), ACES workflow, nCloth, MASH

  • Animator at Freelance
    May 2017 - December 2021

    Delivered high-quality video edits for a range of clients across promotional, narrative and commercial content, including YouTube, weddings and trailers. Utilised a strong animation background to develop motion graphics and character animations, alongside the seamless integration of pre-filmed footage to achieve cohesive, client-focused final outputs.

    Editing work focused on precise pacing, quick-cut sequencing, VFX integration, colour correction, and animated enhancement, ensuring visual consistency and storytelling clarity. Managed full audio workflows including sync, refinement, and bespoke sound design where required to support tone and narrative impact.

    Technical workflow included DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Nuke and Photoshop, maintaining attention to detail across both moving image and stills. Alongside video work, carried out professional image retouching for clients, including object removal, background cleanup, and advanced composite preparation.