How do people generally react when you tell them you're a 3D Artist?

3DFM

I find it kind of weird that whenever someone asks me what I do, people tend to be awestruck. Sometimes it's almost as if the whole party/dinner/whatever just stops and gets all wide-eyed and listen intensely as if I was telling some epic stories from 'nam.

I mean, in the end it's just another grind. Personally I don't really care that much about what people do for a living as im sure the majority of people dont.


Standard.

Muzzoid

Every now and then i get teenagers going. OMG YOU WORKED ON FRUIT NINJA. KAWAII!

Then from anyone in the industry its generally the opposite reaction.

Farfarer

"Oh wow, I'd love to get paid to sit and play games all day."

or

"So you program the art then?" at which point I just say yes because it's not worth explaining it.

Andreas

Muzz wrote: »

Every now and then i get teenagers going. OMG YOU WORKED ON FRUIT NINJA. KAWAII!

Then from anyone in the industry its generally the opposite reaction.

Hoo hoo I get the same with Cooking Dash!

Kwramm

I tell them it's like CAD engineering except that we don't have to care about statics or safety or anything. This takes away all the magic for them.

If I want to impress people I go "you've seen shrek/toystory/whatever", "yeah!", "I work on stuff like that", "cool!"

If I want to have my peace I just tell them I do mostly programming and that it's not too different from other programming - now they don't know what other programmers do either, but since it's not glamorous my job isn't glamorous and they leave me alone.

As for epic stories from 'nam... I envy the guys in our 'nam studio because they can really tell epic stories from 'nam

cptSwing

Farfarer wrote: »

"So you program the art then?" at which point I just say yes because it's not worth explaining it.

This x1000

uncle

Mostly they say 'pics or it didn't happen'.

Envart

I get like 20 high-fives then we all start break dancing.

Rick Stirling

"So do you design the games then?"

Jonas Ronnegard

Sometimes it doesn't even matter how hard i try to explain, especially here in japan, they just don't get it, even the hardcore gamers. Kinda interested to know how they think games and movies are made.

Alphavader

Farfarer wrote: »

"Oh wow, I'd love to get paid to sit and play games all day."

this -1000000 times

also
and "then you like eating pizza all day and read comics ?"

SaferDan

I normally tell people I am an environment artist which leads them to think that I just graffiti everywhere ¬_¬

binopittan

what the hell is 3d artist

actually.. im an IT

oh okay

Bertmac

This



or this

skylebones

Farfarer wrote: »

"So you program the art then?" at which point I just say yes because it's not worth explaining it.

I get this a lot. Not a programmer.


Also, when I was working at Disney Interactive I often got "Oh, what movies have you worked on?" And now that I'm at Cartoon Network I get "Oh, what shows do you work on?

Skillmister

Kwramm wrote: »

I tell them it's like CAD engineering

This is the easiest way i find to explain it. I basically just relate it to using pro desktop in college and my mates understand. Anyone without some kind of similar background i just don't even try.

Torch

Woman: "Oh ok, so you work on stuff like Pixar movies?"

Me: "Uh...yeah, kind of..."

Woman: "I love how they made the clay models in Toy story appear so realistic"

¬_¬

mLichy

Farfarer wrote: »

"Oh wow, I'd love to get paid to sit and play games all day."

or

"So you program the art then?" at which point I just say yes because it's not worth explaining it.

HAHA! Yep... exact same reaction. "Program Art" or get to sit and play games. Or that it's all fun and games, isn't really work.

leleuxart

Some of these posts. I'm dying! !

Most of the people interested in what I do are women my age(20s), I just have to open up Maya or UDK in front of them and they are no longer interested due to an instant, massive headache.

WarrenM

I actually came up with a decent line that let's me explain quickly.

"You know when you're playing a game and you're fighting guys in, say, a castle? It's my job to build the castle."

Muzzoid

Andreas wrote: »

Hoo hoo I get the same with Cooking Dash!

What the fuck is cooking dash?

adam

"I do the backgrounds you see the characters running around in. I'm an environment artist."

And it stops there. Unless they ask more, I leave it at 'do'.

Mark Dygert

I try to keep it at "I animate characters for games".

Or with people who tend to be insulting "when are you going to get a real job", I try and make them go away but in a nice way, a bit like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5QOnLyk9DY

Geezus

It depends on the person.

People in/near my generation definitely have a better grasp on what it is I do, and are typically "jealous" of the lifestyle they assume I have.

People in my parent's generation think it's cute, and don't realize the magnitude of a lot of the projects. Though, my Mom and I grew up as gamers, and she loves telling people that I work in the game industry. It's taken many years to explain to her that I don't "paint the backgrounds of the '3D game worlds'"

People in the younger generation think I'm a rockstar that makes CoD/Halo. But, they also think that I "get paid to play video games all day."


I, personally, love having nephews in their mid-teens. I get to give them video games for their birthday/xmas, and I'm the adult that can hold their own when playing CoD with them. They love it, and it makes me smile.

Andreas

Muzz wrote: »

What the fuck is cooking dash?

http://youtu.be/vlzVWH1nuaA

The Mad Artist

Yeah, I've had pretty much every response that has been posted here, more or less.

Outside of my parents and brother, no one in my family has a clue what I do. The lone exception being my great-uncle. Very smart man, in his late 80's, that completely understood what I was talking about and asked me the type of questions that showed that he understood and I didn't have to dumb things down too much, outside of the terminology used. It was pretty cool actually.

So there IS hope for people that are older.

JKMakowka

You are not very special though... pretty much any specialized kind of job that people have very broad preconceptions about will get those kind of responses.
My line of work might be even worse, and one would think it would "get you the chicks"... but it really doesn't (no I am not a porn star ).

D4V1DC

"You play games all day, I wish I could"

You should give in then just say yes and ask, You jelly? 20/h Bitch, how you doin'? lmao(to refrain from crying at the truth.)

Like most just explain It like, you know the guy you ran as in a game, I make that guy.
Or adjust to your position, weapon modeler: "I make the weapons".

That should work.

Some funny as posts thanks for the laughs.

Andreas

JKMakowka wrote: »

You are not very special though... pretty much any specialized kind of job that people have very broad preconceptions about will get those kind of responses.
My line of work might be even worse, and one would think it would "get you the chicks"... but it really doesn't (no I am not a porn star ).

gynecologist

JO420

It's never gotten me laid and that's all that matters

rolfness

Im in the mining industry

I never try to explain what my job entails its boring to repeat the same shit everytime..

I tell people I sell dirt for a living..

if they ask about it

I just say oh I dunno I dig the stuff up and people line up to buy it.. I dont get it either..

which makes them laugh and I change the subject

I sometimes mess with girls that ask what metal and I say gold..

then ask if they're a gold digger.. xD and say that I can give em a job

funny thread by the way

Justin Meisse

I say I make video games and people are usually pretty interested in the topic. I'm still super hyped about it and I guess people pick up on that.

Mask_Salesman

I used to get that same old confused look they give you but recently I was out one night and my friends and I were talking to some people and you know how it goes around, "oh and what do you do?" and it kept going up and up in status, from like 'on the dole, low level data management, teacher, engineer etc and I could see it was coming round to me, the dread started building up, nothing to do with geekyness I stand tall and proud, but just because my friend next to me works on nuclear submarine's cores.. I mean c'mon I'd have to work at NASA to top that... yet amazingly when it got to me they were actually all more impressed by my job haha. Strange as it seems the world is changing !!

Shogun3d

glottis8

The reactions i get usually are a long the lines of:

Persona: What do you do for a living?
Me: I'm an artist.
Persona: What kind of art do you make then?
Me: I do environment art for games.
Persona: Cool, like the programming?
Me: Not really... more like what you see on screen, the graphics.
Persona: (is ignoring my reply by now) Oh really? Can you get my son/daughter a job? He goes to computer science and he could really use a job or internship.
Me: They can send their paperwork and application to HR...
Persona: Maybe they can send it to you. He/She is really hard working.
Me: o_O
Persona: Let me go get my son/dauhgter.
Me: *gone

I have had so many times where they ask me for a job.

Other people just look at me perplexed, then i have to explain them what i do, and then a light bulb lights up, they say that is awesome. Then they proceed to ask me if i can get someone a job.

Very weird.

Hang10

Me: I do some 3D work in my spare time.
Them: 3D? Like Video Games?
Me: Ya, I'm like, huh, Game Artist.
Them: What's that?? A gay artist?
Me:(ya, that's it) sigh..


Has happened a few times already.

maximumsproductions

Hang10 wrote: »

Me: I do some 3D work in my spare time.
Them: 3D? Like Video Games?
Me: Ya, I'm like, huh, Game Artist.
Them: What's that?? A gay artist?
Me:(ya, that's it) sigh..


Has happened a few times already.

lolz, love this thread

The Mad Artist

glottis8 wrote: »

The reactions i get usually are a long the lines of:

Persona: What do you do for a living?
Me: I'm an artist.
Persona: What kind of art do you make then?
Me: I do environment art for games.
Persona: Cool, like the programming?
Me: Not really... more like what you see on screen, the graphics.
Persona: (is ignoring my reply by now) Oh really? Can you get my son/daughter a job? He goes to computer science and he could really use a job or internship.
Me: They can send their paperwork and application to HR...
Persona: Maybe they can send it to you. He/She is really hard working.
Me: o_O
Persona: Let me go get my son/dauhgter.
Me: *gone

I have had so many times where they ask me for a job.

Other people just look at me perplexed, then i have to explain them what i do, and then a light bulb lights up, they say that is awesome. Then they proceed to ask me if i can get someone a job.

Very weird.

Damn I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets asked this! Normally it's not even wanting me to get them a job where I'm at, just ANYWHERE in the field.

reverendK

me: i make art for games
them: are you a programmer
me:...no
them: like the 3d stuff?
me: sometimes
them:...huh. how does that pay?
me: ...sometimes...

except for my uncle. He went from machining to designing with solidworks, so i tell him what I do and he instantly gets it. Then he gets jealous that I don't have to make things that are actually required to function in reality

Frump

I usually start by saying 3d artist, who makes all the men on the screen. Then I try to explain that what I do is more like sculpting, but in the computer...

Showing a Zbrush timelapse video seems to help people understand, I think. I have no idea if they actually understood.

Autocon

I usually go with I'm an Artist for a studio that creates video games. Most people think I draw all day, design the game, or just play lots of games.

Most people totally don't get what I do and never will. I usually try and explain what I do if they are interested in what an Environment Artist is by telling them I make the world you run your character around in a game. Bacially I make everything that isnt a character or vehical.

If they ask how, I say, its a lot like building worlds out of Legos but on the computer.


Without pictures I find it almost impossible to really explain what I do to someone who knows nothing about this industry.

lloyd

Farfarer wrote: »

"So you program the art then?" at which point I just say yes because it's not worth explaining it.

I actually laughed out loud at this! SO AMAZING

i'm stealing it

r_fletch_r

Working in animation is no better.
'I'm a compositor'
'Oh we have one of those bins in our Garden'

bugo

the_Adri

Mom: What are you going to do with your life?
Me: I want to work for the gaming the industry.
Mom: Why don't you grow up and get married !?!
Me: :poly006::'(

glottis8

Autocon wrote: »

Without pictures I find it almost impossible to really explain what I do to someone who knows nothing about this industry.

I agree.... i have shown people like a max scene or a sculpt and then how i set a primitive and extrude or sculpt on a zbrush sphere. To which i either get a "you are a nerd look" or "the is freaking awesome look" haha

Either way. It never gets old to tell kids that i get to mentor that i make games and that they can make games as well. They go berserk haha

Stinger88

Here's my "peoples ideas of game art"

littleclaude

"Do you have to programme all the lines? Or do you have to draw them? And how do you colour them in?"

Yes we program them ¬-_¬- oh is that the time, got to go!

dpaynter26

I usually just say "I make art for video games, anything that's not a person, animal or monster, I make" lol

Joopson

Me: I make 3D art
Them: Yeah, like the kind that pops out of the screen?
Me: No. More like the art in videogames.
Them: *Confused

People just don't seem to really get it.
Like, they don't even realize Games are artwork; they just think it's automatic or something, I guess.

Also:
Me: I go to school for game-art
Them: LOL, Gay mart.
Me: That doesn't even make sense.

But that's just the nature of this business.

Kwramm

r_fletch_r wrote: »

Working in animation is no better.
'I'm a compositor'
'Oh we have one of those bins in our Garden'

lol. I never heard that one before