The state of Pipelines 2023 report
The 2023 Pipeline Report offers key insights into the Animation and VFX industry, based on survey responses from 110 studios worldwide. Discover how studios are navigating technical challenges, leveraging new technologies, and optimising their pipelines for better efficiency.
Studios represented:
110
Countries represented:
31
More than 10 years experience:
66%
Efficiency gain of Pipeline
(46% of respondents):
>40%
Pipeline efficiency gains
Nearly half the respondents (46%) believe a good pipeline saves them over 40% in time. That’s potentially half of the studio workforce in salaries saved, better pass those savings to the pipeline team ;)
Well-structured pipelines lead to fewer errors, handle more complex projects, and faster delivery times.
Though one-third of studios spend less than 5% of their budget on pipelines, and 38% don’t know how much is spent on pipelines.
This raises the question: are pipeline departments underinvested?
Software usage
Maya is the crowd favourite, regularly used by 75%. Houdini also gets plenty of love, while Blender, the open-source hero of DCCs, sees significant use. Unity and Unreal Engine are slowly making their mark.
In-house pipelines are most common, but when it comes to production tracking, some still swear by spreadsheets.
Barriers to adopting new technologies
Cost (66%), lack of expertise (62%) and integration with existing pipeline (55%) are the top three barriers.
Studios find it hard to justify investing in new technology, and finding pipeline experts to implement them is like finding a unicorn 🦄
Adapting to upcoming trends
Only 8% of studios feel highly prepared to tackle upcoming trends. The rest are somewhere between “we got this” and “we need a miracle.” Embracing change is tough, but essential for staying competitive.
AI and USD are expected to have the most significant impact on pipelines in the next 5 years.
Soon we’ll be prompting experts, generating full productions with a few lines of text… a miracle in the making ✨🤡
Remote collaboration challenges
Data transfer, security, and communication are the top three challenges. It’s like trying to assemble a puzzle with pieces scattered across the globe—tricky, but doable with the right tools, practices, and team.
78% see the biggest challenge as balancing technical complexity and ease of use.
The majority see training and onboarding new artists, and staying up to date with tech developments as other challenges. Think of effective training as providing a clear picture of the puzzle—suddenly, putting the pieces together becomes a lot easier! 🧩
