befores & afters - #52 - Avatar: Fire and Ash Paperback – February 5, 2026

Issue #52 of befores & afters magazine covers James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash. The film contains 3,382 visual effects shots. Previously, on Avatar: The Way of Water, Wētā FX had already introduced several innovations in its workflows. Among them were a neural network-based facial technology (APFS: Anatomically Plausible Facial System), a new water toolset (Pahi), an in-house simulation framework (Loki), and real-time depth compositing. The visual effects studio continued to build upon those earlier advancements for Fire and Ash, while adding to them with new developments in fire simulations (Kora), skin deformation (BodyOpt), and other technologies. In this special issue of befores & afters magazine, we talk to key members of the VFX team and break down several of Fire and Ash’s key visual effects sequences, major environments, landmark characters and creatures, and the new VFX technology employed on the film. Read more