What are the current term dates?

The current April term classes run through the end of June 2008. You can join any time during the term and have full access to all the course classes. The next term starts in July 2008.

What is the best way to understand what fxphd is?

You've started out in the right place. In addition to this page, we suggest you check out the QuickTime introductory tour of fxphd -- It explains a lot of the concepts here. After reading this page (highlights are on the right-hand side), you can check out our course listing page.

What is fxphd?

If you want a serious job in the post-production or gaming industries, in feature film or video - locally or overseas - or you want to produce your own work, the professors at fxphd will teach you the real world facts and techniques you need to know.

Each course in fxphd is run by a practicing vfx or editing professional -- what we call a Professor. Each has been hand picked for the expert knowledge in the field.

The professors come from a background of working on a wide variety of projects.

Here are some of the projects the professors of fxphd have worked on:
Films: X-Men 3, Poseidon, Fantastic Four, Aeon Flux, Lord of the Rings, Hunt Angels
Music Videos: Sugarbabes, Will Young
Commercials: Ford, Samsung, Sony, Disney, Budweiser, ESPN, McDonald's

The key is that fxphd is not random tips or disjointed quicktime tutorials. It is a full professional training center online and 24/7. You can learn during renders, at night or weekends,it is up to you.

As you work through the courses, your professor is available via our online forums to answer questions and guide you. There are practical files to download from real shots and projects. You can then compare your results with the final.

Who is behind fxphd ?

The founders of fxphd are the team from fxguide.com.

Do you have discounts for facilities or multiple users?

Yes..definitely. We offer discounts for 3 or more users, as well as facility discounts. Contact billing@fxphd.com for more details.

When can I join fxphd?

Almost any time. You can join fxphd up to week 8 of a term and have full access to all the past class downloads for the term. If you can access this payment link, it means you can sign up for our classes. Why do we have a cutoff at this point? It's because we feel it would be too difficult to catch up with all your classes before the end of a term -- and so much of fxphd is based upon the dicussions in our online forums. Each term, the courses we offer varies, so you can join at any term without worrying about having missed a previous term at fxphd.

What courses are you offering in the next Term?

We don't announce new courses until a couple of weeks before the term, but we do have a listing of repeat courses that we'll be offering. You can download the course structure pdf file. This also gives you an outline of the various streams or concentrations we have in compositing.

What's a postgrad?

A "postgrad" is what we call our paying members....its for fun and it fits in with the university model of the site.

How are the courses organized?

We're using a university metaphor for fxphd to help you understand our class structure. Consider going to university -- you start out your first year in 100 level courses and then work your way up to 300 and 400 level courses by your fourth year. At fxphd you don't have to start with the 100 level. We suggest that you compare your skills with the Course Level Overview on the right side.

We'll be offering introductory 100 level courses for many applications. These get you going and allow you to learn an application fully - even if you know almost nothing about it when you start. Maybe you are flame artist wanting to check out toxik, or a shake artist wanting to learn some 3D, or an editor who wants to learn advanced Final Cut Pro, but also get into keying and compositing.

After you've completed the 100 level courses -- or if you have been using the software and have a base understanding of its concepts -- you move up to the 200 level intermediate courses. These dive into the more complex details of the software and approach learning the application from a project-based level.

You then move up to the 300 level courses which are our advanced courses. The bottom line is that the 100 - 300 numbers give you some guidance as to the content level of the courses:

We don't require you to take 100 level courses before you move on to higher level ones. We feel it is too difficult for us to remotely judge your skill level -- so we rely on you to pick appropriate courses. Once you become a paying member of the site, you can sample the first two classes of all courses to make sure you're making the right selections.

Do you have preview downloads of the courses?

When you pay and become a member of fxphd, you can preview the first two weeks of classes for all courses before making your final selections. This will aid you in determining what course is right for you

Before you pay, we offer free previews of several of the courses on the course listing page. Just check for the preview links scattered throughout the page. The home page also has a variety of free quicktips you can download -- check out the right hand column.

So how does it work?

Just like a university, the course curriculum at fxphd is divided into terms (or semesters). Each term has 12 weeks of classes. In each term, we offer a selection of courses from which you are able to choose up to three in which to take part. In addition, you'll automatically receive a mandatory additional course called Background Fundamentals.

Every week during the term, you'll get instructions on how to download a 20 to 30 minute QuickTime movie for each of your classes. This effectively amounts to 80 to 120 minutes of DVD quality training per week. That's before you attempt any challenges or tutorials of your own.

In addition, we have online forums where you can discuss the classes with your professor and other artists in the classes. Since everyone is viewing the same class material, the forums will be a great place to discuss what you've seen in the class movie. The professors will post setups and other information in the forums about their classes. The forums plus classes is really what sets fxphd apart from others -- no more watching DVDs in a dark room by yourself.

Can I take more than 3 elective classes per term?

Yes. For an additional charge, you can take 4 or 5 "elective" classes -- classes you choose in addition to Background Fundamentals.

What is the Background Fundamentals course?

Background Fundamentals is a required course at fxphd. The course is a TV-style program which forms the foundation of our curriculum at fxphd. The class covers a wide variety of topics which apply across all applications. Content of the show varies widely, but past episodes have covered previs, matte painting, 3D Tracking, DI workflow, HDR, and legal issues for freelancers.

What courses are you offering next term?

We rely a lot on feedback from users, so we don't finalize our course offerings for a term until about a month before the term begins. The selection will include new courses and repeats of old favorites. This ability to respond to our postgrad members is one thing that makes fxphd great.

How much does it cost and how do I pay?

You subscribe to fxphd for a standard cost of $330US per term. If you wish to take an extra class, it is an additional $90US per term. We accept VISA and Mastercard via our online secure site. If you would like to pay another way, please feel free to contact billing@fxphd.com.

Do I have to commit to a contract or some long term thing?

No. You will be automatically renewed at the end of the term, but you commit per term only, so you're not locked in. If it happens that fxphd is not for you and you decide you want out, simply send an email to billing@fxphd.com and we'll cancel your auto renewal billing.

What is VPN?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection is used to securely connect your computer over the internet to our VPN license server. This way, you can obtain licensing to run VPN versions of different software packages we have here on fxphd -- the software applications ping our server to make sure you can run the software. You must be already connected to the internet in order to access the VPN. VPN connections can be dicey at times and many business don't allow VPN through their firewall...so we can't guarantee you'll be able to run the software from your workplace. Where you have control over the firewall, we can generally quite easily make things work.

What software do you offer via VPN?

Monet/Mokey/Motor from Imagineer Systems - Linux/Windows/OSX

Nuke 4.7 from The Foundry - Linux/Windows/OSX

Fusion 5 from Eyeon Software

PFTrack from The Pixel Farm - Linux/Windows/OSX

Maya 8 on Linux/Windows/OSXOver the VPN, we offer Maya Complete version 8 for all fxphd students

The Toxik 2007 Windows XP version (we don't offer a Linux version of the application) we run here at fxphd is an experimental version which uses a different database structure than the official release. There are also some very specific graphic card and hardware requirements in order for you to effectively run the software. Please see the Autodesk web site for specifics - note the Windows requirements. If your hardware isn't listed here you may still be able to run the software, but you may experience issues that other users will not.

The toxik install has limited support via fxphd -- not through Autodesk.

What are your current course offerings?

Please see our course listing page for the latest offerings.

Can I use the material on my show reel?

Absolutely - that is the point. One of the great things about fxphd is that we provide you with high quality footage for you to use in creating your own composites. We will give you real clips to work on so you can get real shots on your reel showing what you can do.

Is the video streamed?

No. You get to download and keep the footage.

When can I join?

You can join at any time. The courses are designed so there are always introduction courses being run, and then different advanced courses per term. fxphd has been designed to be flexible and work with your schedule. Even if you're in the middle of a term, you can still join and download all classes which you missed.