Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: VEX • RenderMan • OpenVDB

AOV (Angle of View)

Term from Special Effects industry explained for recruiters

AOV (Angle of View) is a fundamental concept in visual effects and animation. It refers to how much of a scene a virtual camera can capture, just like how a real camera lens determines how wide or narrow a photo will be. This is important for matching computer-generated elements with real footage or creating consistent looks in animated scenes. When people mention AOVs in their resume, they're typically talking about their experience working with different viewing angles in 3D animation software like Maya or Houdini.

Examples in Resumes

Managed multiple AOV passes for complex visual effects scenes

Optimized render pipeline by consolidating AOV outputs

Created custom AOV setups for environment lighting integration

Typical job title: "Lighting Artists"

Also try searching for:

Lighting TD Render Wrangler CG Artist Lighting Artist Compositing Artist 3D Artist VFX Artist

Where to Find Lighting Artists

Online Communities

Job Boards

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you set up AOVs for a complex scene with multiple lighting requirements?

Expected Answer: A senior artist should explain how they would organize different render passes, manage memory efficiency, and ensure the setup works well with the compositing pipeline. They should mention experience with troubleshooting and optimization.

Q: Describe a challenging AOV setup you've managed and how you solved any issues.

Expected Answer: They should provide a specific example showing leadership in solving technical problems, managing render efficiency, and coordinating with other departments.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What AOVs do you typically use for character lighting?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate knowledge of standard render passes like diffuse, specular, shadow, and reflection passes, and explain how they help in the final composite.

Q: How do you ensure AOVs are properly set up for compositing?

Expected Answer: Should explain basic workflow between lighting and compositing departments, file management, and quality control processes.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What is an AOV and why is it important?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that AOVs are different layers of an image that help break down a render into components that can be adjusted separately later.

Q: What are some common types of AOVs?

Expected Answer: Should list basic render passes like beauty, shadow, specular, and explain their basic purposes in simple terms.