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Salary of a 3d artist?

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I want to go to school to become a 3d artist, and I really do have a passion to become one (prop/environmental to be specific) but I was wondering what kind of money you'd make as one. I'm not going to let a salary necessarily affect my decision of whether I want to do this for a living or not, but I'm just curious.

What kind of money do you make when you start out vs when you are doing it for a long time?

Thanks!

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  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    25k to 200k depending on lots of stuff.
  • low odor
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    low odor polycounter lvl 17
    lots of "depends" in there............... some google brought this up

    http://www.animationarena.com/video-game-salary.html
  • arshlevon
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    arshlevon polycounter lvl 18
    a billion dollars
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    subscribe to gamedeveloper magazine - they do yearly survey of all agmedev related jobs, art included. Also maybe they have that for free... dunno, u can check on google for their surveys.
  • Mrskullface
    check out glassdoor.com
  • YBourykina
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    YBourykina RIOT Games
    hope this works:
    http://gamedeveloper.texterity.com/gamedeveloper/fall2011cg#pg25

    it really depends on the level of the artist, the location, the studio, and other factors, but i think you'll get a decent gist from the survey :)
  • FractaL
    I can't really find any solid information on this. I came here to ask since a lot of you actually have jobs in this industry and I thought it'd be a great place to inquire about it.

    What exactly is the "official" job title for a 3d modeler/artist/sculptor/texture artist?

    Let me define some variables so that I can get a good answer:

    Say that you were an artist for a big video game development company, and your job was to model, sculpt, and texture characters, environments, and props. Also assume that you have had at least 3-6 yrs of experience and you're basically under the art director, making models, characters, environments and props for a game.

    Would a salary of around 65k/year sound reasonable?
  • gsokol
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    gsokol polycounter lvl 14
    Still...depends.

    Depends on where you live, depends on how big of a studio you work at, depends on how good/important you are.

    Your exact "official" job title will be different at every different studio too.

    Bottom line...your not going to get a hard answer.
  • FractaL
    gsokol wrote: »
    Still...depends.

    Depends on where you live, depends on how big of a studio you work at, depends on how good/important you are.

    Your exact "official" job title will be different at every different studio too.

    Bottom line...your not going to get a hard answer.

    Okay, lets talk job security. Just in general, do devs get laid of very often?
    I know that there are also brutal hours involved when deadlines near, but I don't mind that. What are some things I should know if I want to get a job doing this?
  • Vio
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    Vio polycounter lvl 6
    FractaL wrote: »
    Okay, lets talk job security. Just in general, do devs get laid of very often?
    I know that there are also brutal hours involved when deadlines near, but I don't mind that. What are some things I should know if I want to get a job doing this?

    I can't speak for lay off's but I can tell you a few things that might help while your at school.

    Have a portfolio ready when you finish school. You would be surprised how many don't have one by the end, don't be one of them.

    During summer breaks try your best to get a few weeks here and there working in a studio for experience. When I did this it felt like I was the only one doing it.

    Basically just try to go the extra mile at every chance. You need to stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.
  • David-J
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    David-J polycounter lvl 11
    a quick search on the forums would find quite a few recent threads where this topic has been covered.

    cheers!
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    depends on experience, company and where you are (US?). It's kinda like Engineering. There's engineers who build kitchen blenders and there's Engineers who build rocket engines. It's similar in games - totally depends.

    I know people who work on low end browser games and I know people who work on AAA games. Neither of them have to starve, but neither get very rich either (as in "plastic surgeon rich" ;) ).
  • JDinges
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    JDinges polycounter lvl 18
    expect 40-60k when starting out... and then far beyond that if you excel and play your cards right over time.
  • Computron
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    Computron polycounter lvl 7
    As lead Computron of Polycount, I make $0.
  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    FractaL wrote: »
    I can't really find any solid information on this. I came here to ask since a lot of you actually have jobs in this industry and I thought it'd be a great place to inquire about it.

    What exactly is the "official" job title for a 3d modeler/artist/sculptor/texture artist?

    Let me define some variables so that I can get a good answer:

    Say that you were an artist for a big video game development company, and your job was to model, sculpt, and texture characters, environments, and props. Also assume that you have had at least 3-6 yrs of experience and you're basically under the art director, making models, characters, environments and props for a game.

    Would a salary of around 65k/year sound reasonable?

    Well that's a fucking shame, because there is a ton.

    You could definitely start here though:

    http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryGameIndustry#Salary_Research

    Add to that h1bvisa.com and glassdoor.com to find actual salary information.
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    1: if you truly have the passion, teach yourself, a slightly lower starting salary wont sting as much when you are not paying back massive school loans.

    2:my estimate in the usa a starting job getting you around 35/45k, after a few years 60-80k depending on a lot of factors.

    3: titles are studio specific but usualy follow a theme, character artists make characters, environment artists make environments .

    4: rarely, especialy at a large studio would one person do characters, and environments. but the 65k salary seems reasonable, perhaps even a bit low for the 6 year mark.

    5: job security, some studios are more secure than others, but in general this is a very unstable industry, i'm at my 4th job in 4 different states in like 9 years. devs get laid off all the time, and studios close without warning all the time.

    6: saying you don't mind the brutal hours is stupid. the reason game company's can push insane hours on people is because of kids fresh out of school who think its some glorious job working in games that they will work 80 hours a week. and you may think now that you dont mind, but in 10-20 years when you got a wife and kids and they wonder why you are never home. you will change your mind about that.
  • Vio
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    Vio polycounter lvl 6
    If your studying in the UK this year, you won't have to pay any student loans back until your earning 25K and its then about £12 a month.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKKHSAE1gIs"]Dr Evil in 1 million Dollars - YouTube[/ame]
  • glottis8
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    glottis8 polycounter lvl 9
    totally look at i think 2 GD magazine. they had their survey... which i think was posted on that link for gamasutra. It has salaries that people posted throughout the year. It'll give you concise numbers that are pretty average.

    It also depends on where you live. I think its ok money for now. I don't go hungry, i can maintain my family and we have extra to take trips and get anything that we need and pay our loans.
  • Rick Stirling
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    Rick Stirling polycounter lvl 18
    FractaL wrote: »
    Let me define some variables so that I can get a good answer:

    Say that you were an artist for a big video game development company, and your job was to model, sculpt, and texture characters, environments, and props. Also assume that you have had at least 3-6 yrs of experience and you're basically under the art director, making models, characters, environments and props for a game.

    Would a salary of around 65k/year sound reasonable?

    That's probably a bit high.

    About £30,000.
  • Fomori
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    Fomori polycounter lvl 12
    People shouldn't be throwing around ??k numbers without being clear on what currency/country. Did FractaL ever state what currency?
    Anyway, it's one of those "how long is a piece of string?" questions.
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    You people should be ashamed, asking for money to do the thing you love, rabble rabble rabble...

    Seriously though, yeah, it really depends on where you live, country and area. So the question should be a bit more focused.
  • Matroskin
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    Matroskin polycounter lvl 11
    Totally agreed with McGreed.
    If you are asking that sort of info just as an extra knowledge, but you have decided to deal with games industry anyways, why would you need so precise data?

    The summary of all this is :

    it pays not bad, definitely better than casual so-so jobs. Yes, there is a risk of layoffs, but to me its like in any other profession unless u occupy a govenment provided job:P
    In any case there is a big turnover of ppl inside this industry, so even if u get laid off at some point its easier to find a new job.

    It can offet you a good quality of life for sure. Maybe not right at your fist job when u have no experience, but with time it will get higher and higher.

    In any case it seems like the least stressfull job in CG in general, because for example in movie/SFX field most ppl work on a temporary contract basis while in videogames most of studio positions are permanent.

    Though its a highly competitive field. So while it does can provide with satisfactory salary, more important question that should probably be with you all the time is how do get better than someone esle to get better chances to actually get to the salarry you so much want to know details about.
  • Envart
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    Envart polycounter lvl 6
    The Crunch Cast had a good episode on salaries.
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i85z7r4GbAM&feature=plcp"]CrunchCast 25 Salaries and the Future - YouTube[/ame]
  • David-J
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    David-J polycounter lvl 11
    Matroskin wrote: »
    Totally agreed with McGreed.
    If you are asking that sort of info just as an extra knowledge, but you have decided to deal with games industry anyways, why would you need so precise data?

    The summary of all this is :

    it pays not bad, definitely better than casual so-so jobs. Yes, there is a risk of layoffs, but to me its like in any other profession unless u occupy a govenment provided job:P
    In any case there is a big turnover of ppl inside this industry, so even if u get laid off at some point its easier to find a new job.

    It can offet you a good quality of life for sure. Maybe not right at your fist job when u have no experience, but with time it will get higher and higher.

    In any case it seems like the least stressfull job in CG in general, because for example in movie/SFX field most ppl work on a temporary contract basis while in videogames most of studio positions are permanent.

    Though its a highly competitive field. So while it does can provide with satisfactory salary, more important question that should probably be with you all the time is how do get better than someone esle to get better chances to actually get to the salarry you so much want to know details about.

    That also depends. In the US a lot of game companies do a lot of contract work.
  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    It's also a really unfortunate mistake to assume that a full time position at a game developer is going to be permanent - there are a lot of layoffs in this industry, a single title can make or break a developer and if you're owned by a publisher you can sometimes be cut just to save something else at another studio deemed more important.
  • marks
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    marks greentooth
    $8-10 per hour is what I read somewhere.
  • slipsius
    Honestly, for a junior, it really depends on where you get a job. A bigger, well known studio. Probably between 35k - 45k. I think a lot of AAA studios start juniors around 40k. But, smaller studios, it really depends on the studio. It can go anywhere from minimum wage to 35k. Do your research, but definitely don't EXPECT 40k. Seems like more and more studios are paying less and less since they have more and more people jumping at whatever they give them.
  • Autocon
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    Autocon polycounter lvl 15
    And in reality your not making 40k if your making 40k.

    A huge chunk goes to taxes, so you will prob get what? Like 27k after that/medical/dental. Half of that then for rent so then your down too 13.5k (depends on where you live). Then half of that for bills and food, possibly more if you have things like student loans, car payments, baby mamas.

    So at the end of the year your make a profit of 6.75k if you dont have a lot of bills and this dosnt include any frivolous spending. Obviously a rough estimate but its good to think about these things haha
  • Alberto Rdrgz
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    Alberto Rdrgz polycounter lvl 15
    i better make millions! god dammit!! LMAO
  • maze
    less than a lawyer, more than a clerk.
  • D4V1DC
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    D4V1DC polycounter lvl 18
    Autocon wrote: »
    And in reality your not making 40k if your making 40k.

    A huge chunk goes to taxes, so you will prob get what? Like 27k after that/medical/dental. Half of that then for rent so then your down too 13.5k (depends on where you live). Then half of that for bills and food, possibly more if you have things like student loans, car payments, baby mamas.

    So at the end of the year your make a profit of 6.75k if you dont have a lot of bills and this dosnt include any frivolous spending. Obviously a rough estimate but its good to think about these things haha

    This run down is so depressingly true, why are we all allowing this abuse and not just Game Artist, ANYONE... :poly127:
  • Selaznog
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    Selaznog polycounter lvl 8
    It just plain sucks. So hard for a person to make a living. I have no idea how people can afford to actually buy a house.
  • Alberto Rdrgz
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    Alberto Rdrgz polycounter lvl 15
    The USSA taxes more then communist china. TRUE STORY! taxes should be at ZERO! there shouldn't be an income tax on regular people. That's the problem. My salary isn't an INCOME it's a trade for MY LABOR!! this country sucks donkey penis. (acutally i should say this government, i love USSA!)
  • PeterK
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    PeterK greentooth
    Some reason you guys are not posting the salary survey and extensive data provided therein?

    http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/980/game_developer_salary_survey_.php
  • Damytria
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    Damytria polycounter lvl 7
    marks wrote: »
    $8-10 per hour is what I read somewhere.

    dear god no
  • scotthomer
  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    PeterK wrote: »
    Some reason you guys are not posting the salary survey and extensive data provided therein?

    http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/980/game_developer_salary_survey_.php

    Because it's in the wiki link I provided.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19
    The game dev salary survey is pretty accurate, at least for artist. I live in the Austin area and I'm going to look into buying a house next year, I've seen decent stuff in the $100k - $200k range.
  • ikken
    marks wrote: »
    $8-10 per hour is what I read somewhere.

    please keep all trolling here, ty
  • Dazz3r
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    Dazz3r polycounter lvl 12
    well I can talk about mine...I'm a Junior Artist for 6months nearly, and I'm on £15k not sure what that is in dollars...
  • Rik
    You can want to do what you love, and want to be paid well for doing it. Wanting to make bank as an entry-level artist may not be realistic, but it's a fair concern to have. We all have financial obligations (those perentages are too accurate, Autocon :( ) and the more you make, the more comfortable you can live. Obviously the more I make, the faster I can pay off all these student loans and start allocating that money somewhere else. Not to mention having money to buy stuff that may be an investment to my career like faster computer parts, new software packages, or passes to events like Industry Giants or conventions like Siggraph, GDC and others.

    This is a career choice, and a universally enjoyed one. Wanting to know that you're being well-compensated seems justified.
  • glottis8
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    glottis8 polycounter lvl 9
    I think the second to last issue of Game Developers magazine had a very concise and extensive article on this. You might find it in Gamasutra. But it had salaries all over the place for which position, for how many years. It was great. I would look for that. Specially since people form the industry were surveyed for this info. I remember i filled it out.
  • Fomori
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    Fomori polycounter lvl 12
    Dazz3r wrote: »
    well I can talk about mine...I'm a Junior Artist for 6months nearly, and I'm on £15k not sure what that is in dollars...

    That's very low. I would want it to go up a lot after a year.
    My first job was £19k and that was nearly 7 years ago. Also, it was in Wales, so my costs of living were pretty low.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    The USSA taxes more then communist china. TRUE STORY!

    >facepalm< seriously, you don't want to switch. Grab a beer and think this argument over carefully ;)
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19
    Kwramm wrote: »
    >facepalm< seriously, you don't want to switch. Grab a beer and think this argument over carefully ;)

    Massachusetts tends to drive conservatives a little crazy - maybe it's time to move south?
  • Alberto Rdrgz
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    Alberto Rdrgz polycounter lvl 15
    Kwramm wrote: »
    >facepalm< seriously, you don't want to switch. Grab a beer and think this argument over carefully ;)

    hahaha i'm not willing to go back on my statement... give us a couple of years. in 08 china lowered their corporate tax rate from 33% - 25% while we went to 35% from 39%... it may not be perfect but they're starting to get it. and i also see changes to rates happening faster over their than here.

    @JUSTIN, what in the hell did you just call me?! ;)
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    yup. in a couple of years we may have lowered our standard of living enough so we're on par with them ;)

    It makes for good shock argument to compare with commie china, but if you know how the place is run it ain't funny. This place is just so far behind the west. Lots of money and some skyscraper don't make a modern country.

    seriously, I rather pay more tax for having uncensored in internet, no institutionalized discrimination, freedom of speech, having courts that can actually sentence you not guilty at all, no arbitrary justice, where you can own property (In china you can not buy property, you lease it for 75 years from the govt), being able to live in any city I want and enjoy all its services or just going to a doctor of my choice (I'm not even mentioning that there's no privacy at all during doctor visit - get used to 4 or 5 chinese starting at you and the doc while they discuss your issues ;) ), or having corruption on non chinese levels (Chinese are laughing about how little money US politicians are taking! Not to mention, the 10 most powerful people in the Politburo have 10 times more money than the 10 richest people in Congress, despite not being allowed to run a business and getting a ridiculously low salary). Pretty much every Chinese with some money and education has been thinking of leaving this country and living in the west at some point, and those who cannot are at least busy transferring their money there (look up the Bo Xiliai case).

    Chinese economy is like the traffic here - people's lives don't count and the government feels like a games of thrones episode sometimes.

    I really like it here in China, but only because I'm not Chinese. The experience for locals often sucks pretty damn badly. If I learned one thing here, it's that I value the freedoms of my home country much more than I did before coming here. Little bit higher tax is a small price to pay.
  • Hazardous
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    Hazardous polycounter lvl 12
    Super interesting writeup Kwramm, would really like to know more about your experience in China :)
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19

    @JUSTIN, what in the hell did you just call me?! ;)

    sorry, when I was in MA I knew some conservative guys that were driven crazy about living in "Taxachusetts".

    luckily I'm not a corporation so my taxes are pretty low. Most American's fall in the 15% range after factoring in exemptions. All in all, I take home about 80% of may paycheck - no big deal.
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