2D Product Standards

This article explains the ActionVFX Marketplace 2D Product Standards as well as the review process to reduce the need for revisions and rejections. This guide explains how to ensure your product meets our standards, our review process, and the most common issues leading to rejection.

Collections must meet the minimum number of assets required depending on the product type.

These are standards that have made ActionVFX the best in the industry. They are standards we set for ourselves and we share this knowledge with you, the contributor, so your product can be successful on the Marketplace.

Each asset must look impressive, purposeful, and professionally made.

While not every asset needs to be as visually exciting as an explosion, every clip should demonstrate a high level of quality and craftsmanship. It should be clear that the asset belongs in a professional VFX pipeline and is suitable for high-end productions.

Every collection should showcase strong variation across its clips. This variation can be achieved through:

🔹Camera-based variation – Different focal lengths, camera angles, and perspectives.

🔹Element-based variation – Changes in effect size, behavior, intensity, etc.

🔹Environment-based variation – Adjustments in lighting conditions, wind, surface interaction, and more.

A well-varied collection allows artists to seamlessly integrate multiple assets into a single scene without repetition.

Each clip must offer substantial value as a standalone product.

For example, a muzzle flash clip that has only one muzzle flash may not provide enough value to the customer. A better approach would be including multiple flashes per clip, similar to what we have done in Muzzle Flashes Vol. 2. Each clip should provide enough material to be useful on its own while also contributing to the overall collection.

Each clip should also last long enough to provide value. A smoke element that lasts only 5 seconds is not very useful. In most cases, continuous effects such as smoke and fire should be at least 15 seconds and no longer than 30 seconds to keep file sizes manageable.

A well-curated collection ensures that every clip serves a purpose and contributes unique value.

If a collection contains 50 clips, but 10 of them are identical, those redundant clips should be removed. This helps streamline the selection process for customers by eliminating unnecessary clutter. However, subtle variations of an asset can be valuable—such as multiple fire variations in Small Ground Fires. In these cases, having multiple options makes sense, as artists need slight variations to create a natural, realistic effect in a scene.

Each clip should be trimmed properly to eliminate dead space before and after the effect.

For instance, in Dust Explosions Vol. 2, the effect begins almost immediately, with only a single frame of empty space before the explosion starts.

The same principle applies to assets with a clear start and end such as those in Electrical Sparks Vol. 2. The clip should begin as soon as the effect is visible and end immediately after the effect fades out.

File names should be clear, descriptive, and numbered in sequence.

Good file naming practices help streamline asset organization and usability. While our internal team will finalize file naming conventions for website integration, initial naming should still follow best practices:

✅ Good Examples:

❌ Bad Examples:

At ActionVFX, all contributor-submitted assets must adhere to our Technical Standards to ensure they meet the high expectations of professional VFX artists. While our Creative Standards define what makes a product visually compelling, these Technical Standards guarantee that assets remain high-quality and reliable even after extensive compositing adjustments.

Below are the key requirements for all 2D assets.

To ensure a clean and professional key, all assets must meet the following criteria:

Exposure is a critical factor in making assets usable.

Assets must not be overexposed or underexposed to the point of degrading the asset.

Proper framing makes assets more practical and visually effective:

GOOD: The asset is not breaking frame.

BAD: The asset is breaking frame at the bottom.

GOOD: Fills the frame with acceptable empty space.

BAD: Too small in the frame with too much empty space.

Every camera angle should be intentional and enhance usability:

Clean, high-quality footage ensures optimal compositing:

Most CG Assets benefit from having an OpenEXR file that contains multiple layers for creative control in the compositing process.

Common Render Passes for Most Effects

RGBA - Beauty pass with alpha channel

Light Passes - Individual light passes for main, fill, and rim lights.

Depth

Normals (Or RGB Light Pass for Volumes)

Shadows - A separate render with ground shadows. Essential for products like exploding debris that have complex interactions with the ground.

Additional Render Passes

Motion Vectors

Object ID / Masks - Masks for specific portions of the image such as Fire/Smoke masks for explosions or a mask of the inside surfaces of a large ground crack.

Volume Light - A light pass for volumetric lighting such as that which would be in an explosion.

UV - A pass allowing artists to re-texture surfaces.

Position

The Beauty Pass (RGBA layer)

The beauty pass (rgba of the final EXR) should be able to be rebuilt by simply combining the provided render layers. For example, when merging the key, fill, and rim light passes of an element from the Assorted Trees collection with a plus operation, the “rebuilt beauty pass” will match the original beauty pass (rgba) perfectly.

Layer Names

Layer names should be left as default in most cases such as with Normals, Position, Depth, and other utility passes.

However, there are cases where the render layers should be renamed. This helps make the assets easier to use.

Examples:

Light Passes should use the following naming convention: light_[light_name]

i.e. “light_key”, “light_fill” and “light_rim”

Mask or Matte layers should use the following naming convention: mask_[mask_name]

i.e. “mask_fire” and “mask_smoke”

The lighting of assets should be done in a way that makes the asset usable in many lighting conditions. A typical 3-point lighting set up is typically best as it ensures there is directionality to the lighting but it’s not too strong in any one direction. Including different lighting passes in the EXR versions of an asset can help give a compositor even more creative control.

Tips on creating useful lighting and shadows:

If your submission is flagged during the review process:

Our feedback is designed to help you refine your product to meet the marketplace standards. If you’re uncertain about any part of the feedback, we encourage you to reach out for clarification.

Before submitting, please review the following questions:

We want to see your products succeed on the ActionVFX Marketplace. Following this guide and the asset-specific Creative & Technical Specifications will help your submissions move quickly through the review process and reach customers faster.