In this episode, I’m joined by Grayson Cotrell, technical artist and destruction specialist, to break down how real-time destruction actually works in modern games.

Grayson shares how he builds AAA-quality destruction systems, how to make game effects feel alive, and why blueprinting might be the most important skill for technical artists today.

If you’re a game dev, technical artist, VFX artist, or someone curious about real-time procedural systems this one is packed with insight.

We dive deep into:

• Houdini to Unreal Engine workflows

• Importing simulations (FBX, VDB, VAT)

• Blueprint systems for interactive destruction

• Niagara particle layering

• Real-time vs pre-simulated effects

• Cinematics for game VFX

• Mentorship vs recorded courses

• Time management for large creative projects

• How to stay consistent (even 20 minutes a day)

_________________ COURSE AT DOUBLE JUMP ACADEMY ______________________

The Real-Time Destructiom Course: https://doublejumpacademy.teachable.com/a/aff_gg65yh1h/external?affcode=1768064_qhpnr4-x

_______________________One On One Mentorship at Vessel Forge _______________________

https://vesselforge.com/services/technical-art-mentorship/

_________________ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ______________________

- Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3VHRDYNMFJ3KW

- Get one of the Courses: https://linktr.ee/jack.the.generalist/shop

________________ Find Jack on These Links ______________________

https://discord.gg/jC7YEsvwWp

https://www.instagram.com/jackthegeneralist/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-gutmann/

_________________ Find The Guest on These Links ______________________

https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayson-cotrell-00400a1bb/

https://www.artstation.com/graysontheplug

______________________ Timestamps ______________________

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:02:00 – Building a complete destruction course

00:06:30 – 20 minutes a day philosophy

00:12:00 – Mentorship vs recorded courses

00:18:00 – Blueprint systems in Unreal

00:24:00 – Houdini to Unreal pipeline

00:30:00 – VDBs, VATs & optimization

00:38:00 – Real-time vs cinematic VFX

00:46:00 – Multiplayer destruction challenges

00:55:00 – Making effects feel alive

01:02:00 – Why VFX is the ultimate generalist role