Daniel Berroteran
3D Lighting Artist | Animation & Film | Atmosphere, Colour & Visual Storytelling
• English (Fluent) • Spanish (Native) • Japanese (Basic)
Professional Summary
Experience
Teaching & Knowledge Sharing
Education
3D Lighting Artist and VFX generalist with 15+ years of production experience across animation, film, compositing, and real-time pipelines. Specialised in creating lighting systems that serve the specific mood, atmosphere, and creative vision of each scene with a strong artistic eye for colour, composition, shadow, and light behaviour. Experienced working closely with art directors, animation directors, and compositing teams to interpret creative direction and deliver lighting that supports the visual and narrative intent of productions. Comfortable collaborating across departments, modelling, VFX, shading, and compositing and maintaining shot consistency across complex sequences. Proficient in Maya, Houdini, Blender, Arnold, V-Ray, Nuke, and After Effects.
Lighting & Technical Skills
3D Lighting Software: Maya, Houdini, Blender, 3ds Max. Scene lighting systems, light intensity, colour, direction, and atmosphere.
Render Engines: Arnold (primary), V-Ray, Corona, Octane. AOV management, render optimisation, shot and sequence lighting.
Pipeline: Houdini + Solaris/USD. Look development and lighting workflows in feature film and animation pipelines.
Compositing: After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Nuke. CG/live-action integration, render pass management, AOVs, colour correction, shot finaling.
Tracking: Syntheyes, PFTrack. 3D camera and object tracking for live-action/CG integration.
Look Development: Shaders, physically-based materials, surface response, texture integration, visual consistency across scenes.
Lighting Craft: Cinematic lighting, atmosphere, colour, shadow and reflection consistency, light behaviour across scale and environment.
Real-Time: Unreal Engine 4 & 5. Lumen, real-time lighting, asset integration, cinematic output.
Optimisation: Lighting and render optimisation for technical and performance requirements across production pipelines.
3D Lighting Artist & VFX Generalist | EERIE Design - 2025 - 2026
• Create lighting systems tailored to the mood, atmosphere, and creative vision of each scene managing light intensity, colour, direction, shadows, and reflections across offline and real-time productions.
• Composite multi-layer shots in After Effects and Nuke, integrating CG renders, live-action plates, and motion graphics into final deliverables with consistent visual coherence.
• Set up and refine shaders and physically-based materials in Arnold, ensuring accurate surface response under varied lighting conditions.
• Perform 3D tracking using Syntheyes to align CG lighting and elements with live-action footage accurately.
• Integrate assets and lighting into Unreal Engine 5 with Lumen for real-time cinematic output.
• Conduct testing and adjustments across lighting, compositing, and render passes to achieve best possible visual quality.
• Collaborate directly with clients and art directors interpreting creative direction and iterating rapidly on lighting and mood through multiple feedback rounds.
• Optimise lighting and render setups to meet technical requirements and production deadlines without sacrificing visual quality.
3D Lighting Artist, Compositor & Art Director | Noho LTD - 8 years
• Contributed to animated feature film 1916 (2016), responsible for scene lighting, atmosphere, and visual consistency across shots within an established animation production pipeline.
• Created lighting systems for animation and CGI productions, collaborating with art directors, animation directors, and compositing teams to ensure lighting supported the creative vision of each scene.
• Composited CG and live-action elements in After Effects and Nuke, managing passes, AOVs, colour correction, and layer integration across a range of shot types and production styles.
• Handled 3D tracking and camera alignment for seamless live-action/CG lighting integration.
• Created character and camera animation with strong focus on cinematic staging, mechanical accuracy, and shot continuity.
• Maintained shot consistency across sequences, ensuring shadows, reflections, and atmospheric effects remained coherent throughout.
• Collaborated closely with Windmill Lane and Glue VFX working within professional animation and VFX pipelines and communicating efficiently with production teams.
• Optimised lighting within production quotas and tight deadlines across multiple simultaneous projects.
• Directed lighting mood and atmosphere for narrative productions themed around fantasy, folklore, and mythology, large-scale productions across several European countries.
Freelance 3D Lighting Artist & VFX Generalist | Various Clients - 3 years
• Delivered lighting, compositing, tracking, and 3D work for VR, real-time, and filmed productions across varied client pipelines.
• Produced lighting setups emphasising visual quality, atmosphere, and mood for performance-sensitive and offline delivery.
• Provided 3D lighting previz for industry projects establishing lighting language, colour direction, and mood ahead of full production.
3D Character & Asset Artist | Glue VFX - 2 years
• Developed character assets within a professional VFX studio pipeline, strong awareness of downstream lighting and shading requirements, topology, UV workflows, and material-ready surface preparation.
Lighting & VFX Instructor | Autodesk Training Center - 8 years
• Taught lighting principles, compositing fundamentals, render pass management, shader setup, and production pipeline workflows.
• Covered rendering fundamentals, AOV management, shot finaling, and optimisation techniques for animation and VFX pipelines.
Lecturer – 3D Production Workflows | Master's Programme - 1 year
• Delivered pipeline-focused training covering lighting, compositing, rendering, and final shot delivery for animation and film production.
Master's Degree: Digital Production Workflows.
Bachelor's Degree: Graphic Design.
Certification: Autodesk 3ds Max Certified Professional.