For those who don’t know the tool: Think of the Elemental Suite as a real-time VFX kit that exports flipbooks, image sequences, VDB, and caches for DCC and engine work, with EmberGen, LiquiGen, IlluGen, and GeoGen sharing the same ecosystem.

The program, now with a permanent spot

The Layoff Assistance Program is now a permanent offering, built around a simple promise: artists affected by layoffs or studio closures can request licenses to the elemental tool suite free of charge for up to six months, specifically to rebuild portfolio work.

What you actually get for six months

When a layoff license is approved, it grants access to the toolset that sits under the Elemental Suite. That includes the core apps named for the program in current materials: EmberGen, LiquiGen, IlluGen, and GeoGen.

Each tool targets a different kind of content, EmberGen is positioned as a real-time volumetric fire simulation tool that can simulate, render, and export flipbooks, image sequences, and VDB volumes. The value proposition is iteration speed, with real-time tweaking while looping a timeline and a built-in renderer for immediate results.

LiquiGen focuses on liquids, with real-time meshing, forces, sparse simulation domains, and a real-time path tracer. It is described as able to generate flipbooks, image sequences, and Alembic caches, and it explicitly calls out foam, spray, and bubbles as controllable elements.

GeoGen is framed as a node-based workflow for terrain and planet generation, built with games in mind, and presented as part of the same suite.

The net effect for an artist in rebuild mode is straightforward: six months of hands-on time with tools that cover volumetrics, liquids, procedural asset generation, and terrain workflows, under one licensing umbrella, without paying during that period if approved.

Rules that matter when you are building a reel

The program terms are not hand-wavy. The Layoff Assistance Program spells out the intended use and the boundary conditions.

The layoff licenses are strictly for non-commercial use. They are meant to help upgrade skills with new tools and assist with new portfolio pieces. Approval is discretionary. A request can be denied. Commercial use requires a purchased license. That clarity is useful because it prevents the most common licensing misunderstanding: portfolio work is still work, but portfolio work is not automatically commercial work. The program draws the line itself, and you are expected to stay on the correct side of it.

It also means studios should not treat the program as a back door for production seats. If your use case is client deliverables, the license you want is not the one that comes through the layoff portal. If you are rebuilding a porftolio, the terms match the real-world need: get access, make work, learn, and do it in a way that does not collide with commercial licensing.

How to apply without turning it into a side quest

The application flow described in the official program materials is short. You create an account, or you log into an existing one. You submit a request for a layoff license through the portal linked from the program page, using the Apply Now button. Requests are reviewed. If approved, a license key is issued by email and also appears in the account. That is the whole process , with no extra hoops listed on the program page itself.

The program messaging also asks people to share the page with anyone who might need it, which is a rare example of a support initiative that is designed to spread by simple forwarding rather than by gatekept referrals.

Pricing, for when you are back on your feet

Even if you are applying for the six-month program, pricing matters because it tells you what comes next when the clock runs out, or if you need commercial usage.

The official pricing page lays out an Indie and Hobby tier for revenue or funding under 1 million USD. For the Elemental Suite, the price shown is 525 USD for the first year, with 315 USD for optional maintenance annually. For individual tools, the page lists 300 USD for the first year for EmberGen, 300 USD for the first year for LiquiGen, and 300 USD for the first year for IlluGen, each with 180 USD for optional maintenance annually. For GeoGen, the page labels it as beta and lists 150 USD for the first year, with 90 USD for optional maintenance annually.

The pricing page also notes that displayed prices do not include taxes and that final prices are shown during checkout. It states that tier calculations use revenue, project budgets, and funding depending on whichever is greater. For artists who are currently laid off, the immediate takeaway is that the program offers a time-limited, no-cost runway. For artists who land a contract mid-runway, it is also a clean reminder to switch to a commercial license if the work moves beyond non-commercial portfolio building.

A note on intent, and a note on reality

In the accompanying message around the program, the founder describes frustration with recurring layoffs across the industry and positions the program as a way to help artists stand back up, using tool access to support portfolio rebuilding. The same message states that over 100 artists were assisted with free licenses last year.

None of this changes the usual production reality: every new pipeline ingredient should be tested before you depend on it. Even when a tool is fast, friendly, and installed locally, you still validate exports, check integration points, and run a small end-to-end test before you bet a deadline on it.

If you qualify and you are rebuilding, the offer is practical: time, access, and a clearly labeled license boundary. That is not a job, but it can be the difference between stalling out and shipping that next reel shot.

https://jangafx.com/layoff-assistance-program

The post JangaFX makes its layoff assistance programme permanent first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

JangaFX has launched IlluGen, a new node-based tool for procedural VFX asset generation, aimed directly at real-time games and technical artists. Released on July 28, 2025, IlluGen is now live and available to anyone via a 14-day free trial—no credit card or pre-commitment required. The tool is immediately included in the Elemental Suite, alongside EmberGen, LiquiGen, and GeoGen.

Core Features and Pipeline Integration

IlluGen enables procedural creation and manipulation of the core assets used in game VFX: 2D and 3D flipbooks, tiling noise, flowmaps, normal maps, caustics, procedural geometry, mesh trails, and more. The workflow centers on a node graph interface—familiar territory for anyone with Houdini or Substance Designer experience, but focused exclusively on VFX asset creation for games.

Infinite variations of a magic impact in IlluGen. Build your graph, set your parameter bounds, and roll the dice! pic.twitter.com/VUlpMEZL31

— Nick Seavert (@nickseavert) May 7, 2025

Typical use cases include decoding EmberGen flipbooks, tiling or looping them (for example, with Voronoi nodes), and exporting the results back as optimized, game-engine-ready flipbook sheets. The April 2025 livestream demo, , covered a “smoke flipbook” pipeline completed in minutes: decode a sheet, tile and loop it, then re-encode for seamless playback. Other nodes shown include mesh generators for energy beams, impact craters, UV distortions, and stylized effects like mana orbs and animated wings. Node graphs are fully animatable.

Exports support the standard VFX formats: Alembic caches, flipbooks, and baked textures, ready for Unreal, Unity, Godot, or in-house engines. Direct pipeline links to EmberGen, LiquiGen, and future JangaFX products are included by design. Batch and hand-painted texture support is confirmed.

Elemental Suite Pricing and Access

The 14-day free trial applies to the full suite—users get full export capabilities and support (JangaFX Pricing). A Permanent License is 300 Dollars in the first year, with a 150 Dollar Maintenance after that. Or 20 Dollars per Month in a Subscription.

What’s Next for IlluGen?

JangaFX has announced further feature development for IlluGen, including destruction simulation tools and deeper direct exports to Unreal, Unity, and Godot. Upcoming updates across the Elemental Suite will be presented during JangaFX’s “Elemental Week,” running soon.

Not a “Do Everything” Tool—But Built for Game VFX

Nick Seavert, JangaFX CEO, states that IlluGen’s target is not simulation or rendering, but asset authoring—procedural, flexible, and designed for the fast-moving needs of real-time VFX teams. The node graph replaces the “chain of Photoshop, Maya, and Substance” in many classic FX workflows, condensing mesh, texture, and flipbook asset prep into a single tool.

Production Artists: Always Test Before Rollout

As with any new tool, the usual caveat applies: test before deploying IlluGen in production environments. Check export quality, node graph flexibility, engine compatibility, and support for non-standard asset needs. As of launch, all claims are based on live demos and official feature lists—further stress-testing in studio workflows is essential.

The post IlluGen Drops: Node-Based VFX Tool from JangaFX Now Public, and Free for 14 Days first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.