Industry specialism report
Being in the second year of a design for games course, I have been exposed to a few various aspects of the gaming industry: from concept art, to the contextualisation side of games, to writing narratives, and, most importantly, to 3D modelling and animation. This is what captured my attention and what I would like to develop further, to gain more and better skills at, and ultimately, this is what my ideal job will be after graduation.
In order to gain experience in this sector, I have secured an internship during my second year of studies, with Interactive Systems Studio, part of Plymouth University and who are also involved in delivering the very popular Computer and Game Development Course inside Plymouth University.
Before I have started this internship, and in order to figure out what was expected of me, I have done some research into what the 3D artist job in the gaming industry entices. The first job description I came across, was on the Blitz Academy website.
Below, is what they consider the main duties and responsibilities of a 3D modeller to be.
3D Modeller & Texture Artists
As the name suggests, the 3D artist's working day consists of creating objects, characters and scenery in three dimensions. Most of this work will usually be achieved in one of the major 3D software packages, such as Maya, 3D Studio Max, Softimage XSI or Lightwave among others.
The artist usually works from a piece of concept art and creates the model (otherwise known as an art asset) from start to finish. This includes building the initial model, the creation and subsequent application of texture maps, the addition of project-specific blind data, and in some cases visual effects nodes, and even hardware graphics shaders. Though this all sounds rather daunting, the ability to model and texture well will get you through the door - after that the rest will come as you learn on the job.
Some companies make a job role separation between 3D Artist and 2D Texture Artist; however, most expect the 3D artists to complete the texturing phase as well as the modelling.
When I applied for this Design for Games course, my intention was, once graduated, to create my own IP, in the form of an animation, cartoon style, or a mini game for children. I have been exposed to a lot of cartoons in the past 4 years or so, due to the time spent with my daughter, and all this, has opened my mind and my imagination. I have a few ideas that I would like to develop, but the main role I am looking to fulfill in any project, would be that of a 3D artist. However, I realise that it might be very difficult to develop an IP straight away, so taking the employment route first, would probably make more sense to start off with.
For this, I was very interested to find out what the local gaming companies are requiring from a 3D artist, as, due to family commitments, my intention is to stay local. The main gaming companies in the Plymouth and surrounding area are: Remode Studios( which while I am writing this, unfortunately has closed its doors...), Mutant Labs and Total Monkery.
Unfortunately, there are no job vacancies for 3D artists / modellers in either of them, even though, on the (still active) Remode Website, it is stated that: " We’re particularly interested in artists who have a broad set of skills from concept art to 3D modelling"
( http://www.remodestudios.com/pages/jobs ).
Searching for Game 3D artists on the internet in general, though, I have come across this:
"...
3D ARTIST
Liverpool
- Job Type
- Permanent
- Pay
- £35000-£45000
- Reference
- 2064581
3D Artist – Game Development – Liverpool - £30000-£40000
The ideal candidate will have impeccable skills in character modelling, texturing and animation. You'll be working as part of a team of game developers. The environment is a matrix managed; fast paced development team and you will assist in helping drive the delivery of 3d gaming products.
We are looking for a hard-working individual who can fit into our current team and also bring the team forward to be a leading edge company within 3d gaming products. They must have a thirst for the latest developments within the 3d gaming sector and instil that attitude within the team.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
§ Design and creation of 3d models (animals, humans and scene environments)
§ Character rigging and animation.
§ Developing visually stunning textures.
§ Improving the quality of existing 3d models
§ Assisting the development team with ideas for improving the quality of the visual effects
§ Develop high quality realistic game environments.
§ Modifying and improving motion capture animations.
§ Brainstorming with the team to develop ideas for project scope expansion
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Skills expertise:
§ Proficient with Blender or 3DS Max.
§ Realistic human and animal modelling and animation
§ Understanding of requirements for Unity3D and workflow from your preferred animation package into Unity3D solutions.
§ Expert with Photoshop or Gimp
Able to understand technical constraints of the systems and work within these constraints
Knowledge and experience:
§ A proven track record of creating beautiful models and realistic animations.
§ An up-to-date portfolio of work demonstrating your skills.
§ Understanding of conceptualising new artwork in line with an existing product.
§ Appreciation of project development cycles and timelines.
§ Some knowledge of shaders would be advantageous but not essential
Attributes:
§ Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to establish positive relationships with employees at all levels of the business as well as external partners.
§ Resilient, approachable with the ability to work successfully in a dynamic, fast paced pan – European environment.
§ Ability to operate as a team player, with a flexible and positive attitude.
§ Always operates with the highest levels of honesty, integrity and fidelity, acting in the best interest of the business at all times.
Ability to work to tight deadlines, effectively prioritise and deliver to a high standard whilst under pressure."
Looking at the skills required by this job, I have decided to set myself SMART targets, for the next 3 months initially, while on work placement, and for the next year after that, until I graduate and will be looking for a job. This is SMART targets are:
And this is what I have set for myself:
My SMART targets
Specific - increase my 3D modelling skills
Measurable - create at least 10 different models, starting off with various primitive shapes
Action - Complete 1 model per week, different from others built before
Realistic and Relevant - Minimum requirement per week, is to build one different 3D model from any previous ones created before
Time based - Time limit is end of March
And through setting myself these SMART targets, I have realised there are a lot of things I need to learn in order to achieve my targets, so a SWOT analysis was the next logic step to do.
My SWOT analysis
Strengths - I consider my main strength to be my commitment and my ambition to learn and develop my skills, my determination to be able to be called a 3D artist
Weaknesses - My family life and my equal commitment to them will probably be my weakness. But I know I can overcome it with good time management, planning and organisation.
Opportunities - My eyes are always open, I am constantly keeping myself updated with what happens in the industry. I have signed up for monthly emails from Gamasutra, on Twitter, I am following a few influential "players" in this industry, such as Infinite Playground, ExPlay, Digital Art Group, Union of Artists, Guardian Tech. I have got a LinkedIn account, where I have connected with reprentatives from the industry (see
https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=227470510&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile )
Threats - My main threat will probably be time...And by this I am referring to the time I will allocate to work outside college, due to the constant balancing of family and personal development (college work) time I am dealing with.
No comments:
Post a Comment