Technical Artist - a poll.
polycounter lvl 18
This subject came up in a discussion at work the other day. So, to settle my opinion and for the sake of curiosity...
At your studio, what is your definition of "Technical Artist"?
I'm interested in votes from people who are employed in the games industry, so please don't vote randomly for no reason!
At your studio, what is your definition of "Technical Artist"?
I'm interested in votes from people who are employed in the games industry, so please don't vote randomly for no reason!
Replies
It's all a bit nebulous.
I think if someone only take care of developping tools like rigging in a team, he is basicaly a "tools creator" or something like that...
Then the technical artist is probably more angle on some point, have some knowledge about programming an will use it for work more quickly and probavly fmore cleanly!
Then first choice...
But "technical artist" is very interesting subject...
For exemple what about choice from game company?
Do you know if they really need it?
If you recruit a programer he will develop tools and program...
If you recruit an artist he will create lot of art stuff..
This 2 job mean each people will work lot on their subject and grow up more than the technical artist... (for art and programming..)
fmmm I don't know if someone success to follow me...
Finally why will a company need a 50% programer and 50% artist (50% less of knowledge than a full programer or a full artist...)
I personnaly not develop shader.. (and shit I'd like it
But I really practice lot of Mel script and sometines Javascript and php....
But I never understand how programming can helping me to find a job... if my knowledge are really lowest than a normal programmer... And same for artist job...
Does anyone have an idea abot my last question? ... It will help me lot....
E:
- Does little actual art production, writes simple scripts, and helps with tools.
- Sets up rigs, skinning and character lighting for animation.
- Guides other artists in setting up, lighting, FX like cloth, hair, particles, dynamics and complex scene animation.
- Directs/schedules/coordinates character modeling and animation inside and outside of the company.
We call him Lead Animator. *shrug*
We've talked about changing the title, but everyone agrees its just a formality. For a place that previously outsourced all of its character creation and animation, that's what a lead animator does.
Haha same...
When I was working on Paris, a team's member taught Mel script and finally after one years I was creating tools 80% of my time (during 1 year and half). Things like exporter with the company workflow, directory browser stuff with reference system, creating bobslegh slie with physic model, road for race game, etc... and my statue never changed : 3D artist.... haha.... anyway...
And my last experience in England they recruited me for my artist position...
But when I was trying to speak about Mel-Scirpt and the way for work more quickly with some tools and workflow story. they never want to listen about it....
Anyway...
For that reason I think the subject is important, I'd like to know more about experience of other people....
It's always duifficult when you create a motivation letter... I never know if I have to speak about my wish for artist offer or programmer (=tools developer on Maya... I mean...)... O_o....
In France we say something like that : "your ass fly between 2 chairs..."
http://tech-artists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41
There is no definition of a technical artist even at a single studio. We have three people here (myself, Ben Cloward, and David Wright) who do such a side spectrum of stuff, from improptu scripting to writing animation exporters to gameside animation implementation. It is going to vary person to person and studio to studio. Trying to define the role is sort of missing the point... certainly we all have our strong and weak points (mine would be I can't make art for shit anymore so some things are leaving me behind), and to some extent they define what we do, but that is no definition...
Unfortunately that is a question many obsolete leads and directors still ask. Amazingly, we still have to promote the value of a technical artist, because in 'theory' you are right. Unfortunately the theory is obsolete.
Specialization increases efficiency- so where does the TA fit in? The TA is what allows more specialization- his niche is knowing as much as possible, to allow others to specialize better. We are able to do this because we work with both artists and programmers, understand the needs of both and work on providing one with what the other needs. Artists shouldn't have to worry about creating a master bone or rotating something when they export an animation, and programmers shouldn't have art related bugs because someone forgot to export. We are in the business of pipeline automation and efficiency. You can have a programmer support a team of artists, but then he'd be a TA, not a programmer. Anyone whose job is 'programmer' and moonlights as a TA is not doing either thing to maximum efficiency. Art tools need lots of love and programming tools need lots of love. If your artists are working with a stock program, exporting anything by hand, renaming anything, copying files- they need a TA to speed this up and reduce mistakes. A tools programmer writing an exporter doesn't fix this.
TA's are only '50% as good' as an artist or programmer when they are making art or programming. They are 1000% as good when they are doing things a TA does... which any TA tells you, is probably too much.
Often more useful then a master of one.
What would a cell be without mitochondria? What would a body be without lungs? Any functional decent sized development team (and modern society as a whole) is a symbiotic relationship of parts. Are people who only sculpt less useful than those who texture and model as well? Only if they need to do all three. The Technical Artist is not a jack of all trades, master of none (whether that is what got him into that job is besides the point)- he is a master of the technical artist trade.
TA's, as everyone on the team, are only as useful as those around them. The reason they seem more useful is because they are still rare and poorly understood, and fill a need that is new and just as poorly understood, that emerged really only in the past few years and doesn't easily exist on a spreadsheet or outside of the trenches.
Is the technical artist trade a trade of all trades? I certainly wouldn't say that but I suppose it is a matter of perspective- I have exactly 2 weeks professional experience making production art, I probably view the TA role differently than many of the lead animator -> technical artists, who did get into the role as a jack of all trades. But it is a very new, emerging 'specialization'- I think it is time we view it as its own specialization and niche. This doesn't mean we define everything a TA does or can nail down a 'definition', because that would be hopeless. We just need to identify that, like we need people to model, texture, animate, program physics, AI, etc.- we need people to fill an artist support/art tools role.
EDIT: And based on the results of this poll, I think there is still a long way to go in really achieving the specialization and recognition of this trade.
Even though Rob answered it rather well...
A programmer will write tools based on specifications, and those specifications can be loose or tight.
A TA can write tools based on knowledge of the subject. A TA can write tools from the direction of an artists workflow.
A TA can write simple tools for their fellow artists that improve workflow and productivity when the tools programmers are busy knee deep in code that breaks my head trying to comprehend it.
...
In answer to the poll, I chose other. I set up skeletons, I write tools to set up skeletons, I rig and skin, I write tools to rig and skin, I do test after test after test on alpha and exporters and shader settings, I experiment with stuff for the game, and the next game, and the next engine. I work with the coders to get the shaders and tools and effects working.
And I still get to make art.
But definitely more the technical side of it can go from animation to shader work in my experience as well, not to mention particles!
In my opinion the art that dosent involve animation or aestic/character building kinda usually seems to fall in the realm of technical artists.
wow I didin't know this kind of community...!!
Really thank you for your answer!
But it's still difficult to me, to accept I cannot grow up like a "normal artist"... and find a right job with my 2 knowledeges...
And yes, I'm really feelling to lost lot of artist skill days after days...
More my programming knowledge grow up, more my artist side is destroyed...
And when I speak with some other artist friend, I really feel their opinion are still same but I often change mine. It start to be really difficult to accept!
What about you?
I find the hardest part of being in the field is negotiating salary. maybe that's just me. usually companies will try to put you in the artist range, when in-fact, most of us know all the things required to be an effective artist, and so much more. I tend to think of it as a bridge across the gap of artist and programmer. we know enough art to know what artists want, but dont know enough code to be a programmer. It's a tough spot. Some game companies still dont have TAs and dont see why the need for them.
you can always argue you salary to be that snowballed amount higher then a normal artist but just a bit lower then a programmer
That way theres room to atleast negotiate
if not theres always wipping your wang out and placing it on the table and tell them "kiss it"
They generally write max scripts for handy little tools that we need to export stuff to the
game engine .
A oood tech artist will realise that some of us are 'a bit thick' so need it explaining again and
again.
In fact tech artists are not allowed to have chairs as they are mostly busy helping out stupid
people and don't have time to sit down.
They are required because some programmers have aspergers syndrome and can only
communicate through intermediaries
XD you have totaly right!!! mouhahahaha
I think you're the best
This is the right description of my 2 years and half to F4 company
I threw that out there because the first and second lines come up quite a bit when talking about TA's. It's often said out of ignorance of the position. It also leaves TA's feeling like shit because they're a Swiss Army knife not a pair of pliers. Hopefully now they can finish the jingle without having to resort to violence or long winded arguments =P
Person: What do you do?
TA: I'm a Technical Animator/Artist.
Person: What in the hell is that?
TA: I do bla bla blabbity bla...
Person: Oh so a jack of all trades, master of none?
[pause]
Announcer Voice: Previously our TA would punch the person in the nuts and storm off, swearing to never write tools for that person or their off spring. But now they respond with:
[/pause]
TA: "Often more useful then a master of one".
Person: OooOoo... good answer. You almost punched me in the nuts didn't you?
TA: little bit yea...