How long should a modeling art test take?

mikey3d

Hey guys,

I got an art test to do for a potential job today. I basically have to model two things. They are fairly simple in design but one design is very detailed, the other object is a rough sketch and cant see the other side of the object, so I have to use my creative freedom on it. What time frame would be good for two objects. I was thinking 2-3 days, I don't want to rush it and make it look sloppy though. What do you guys think?

Treboras

It's near to impossible to give you an estimate because a) we don't know how fast you are with modeling / how long you are doing it and b) we have no idea how complex the models are

CrazyMatt

There is a difference between rushing and just being able to do it fast. A person who rushes the test, doesn't care about quality, but knowing they got it over with. While a person who finishes fast, is a person who is confident in their decisions and can operate at a speed that is great, but still obtains quality.

If I were handing out art tests where I work. I wouldn't care about the time of the person doing the test. Just as long as the quality speaks louder to me despite it took long or short to do.

ZacD

They didn't give you a deadline? I doubt they will care too much about how many days it takes you, they do not know how much free time you have to work on it.

tottot

Most tests I've done give you an hour time limit, usually 40 hours. Theres little to impress someone with if you can simply do something fast if the quality isnt there. If you are concerned, simply shoot them an email asking.

wolver

tottot wrote: »

Most tests I've done give you an hour time limit, usually 40 hours. Theres little to impress someone with if you can simply do something fast if the quality isnt there. If you are concerned, simply shoot them an email asking.

not having done an art test before i'm curious about the 40 hours part. Do you mean they say to make it in normal work hours (8hours a day) for 5days, or do you mean 2 days of crunch, or do they simply give you free rein and you tell them how many hours it took to make at the end of the project? : )

aajohnny

Take your time and do it well if they didn't give you a deadline. Be smart about it though.

Mcejn

From your description, my guess would be they want to see if you can maintain a consistent quality with the two objects and have them play nice together.

Take your time and work smart. Try not to end up in a situation where one part of the test is completely overdeveloped and the other suffers greatly for it.

Good luck!

Alphavader

ist it bad to ask for a deadline ?

Mcejn

Alphavader wrote: »

ist it bad to ask for a deadline ?

Never been my experience. If a candidate was unclear about anything, I'd want them to message me as soon as they could. Asking questions and not knowing isn't a weakness.

ZacD

If you are going to be working in a studio enviroment, there's going to be deadlines, I don't know why a studio wouldn't want to give out a dealine for an art test, even if it was like only spend 40 hours on this, you have 3 weeks.

tottot

wolver wrote: »

not having done an art test before i'm curious about the 40 hours part. Do you mean they say to make it in normal work hours (8hours a day) for 5days, or do you mean 2 days of crunch, or do they simply give you free rein and you tell them how many hours it took to make at the end of the project? : )

Recently Ive done two back to back 40 hour environment tests. The 40 hours were the maximum allowed time to be spent on the test. How you spend those 40 hours is up to you, there wasnt a due date, they didnt dictate how I used my time.

Tekoppar

tottot wrote: »

Recently Ive done two back to back 40 hour environment tests. The 40 hours were the maximum allowed time to be spent on the test. How you spend those 40 hours is up to you, there wasnt a due date, they didnt dictate how I used my time.

How do they know you actually just spent 40 hours doing the art test and not 42 hours if there isn't a date? It feels like a lot of people would just lie about how many hours they spent working on it and the guys being honest would suffer from it. I can understand that if people spent 200 hours working on the project it would eventually tell when he gets to a real life situation on the job, but if you just worked 1-10 more hours it might not show.

WarrenM

It should take as long as it takes, as long as you finish by the deadline.

Justin Meisse

from my casual observation: if you don't give a set deadline people with bad time management skills choke

tottot

Tekoppar wrote: »

How do they know you actually just spent 40 hours doing the art test and not 42 hours if there isn't a date?

I think the 40 hours is there to show you what they expect in a weeks worth of work hours. Spend your time wisely and do your best. Sure people might lie, but its also hard as the one giving out the test to demand something by x due date when people are working on it during their free time. If the quality isnt there, lie or no lie, thats what matters. I dont think 2 extra hours is going to save a failed test.

Blaizer

2-3 days for two textured objects it's fine. If it is only a "grey model", they should be done in less time depending of the detail, and more if you use Zbrush!.

Mark Dygert

How long should a modeling art test take?

As long as they give you? If you don't finish with some time to spare then it's probably not a good fit. Either they work their people too hard or you need to focus on improving your speed.

When you start focusing on speed you should already be able to hit the quality level, other wise focusing on speed is a useless exercise, no one wants to hire someone who cranks out crap but does it really really quickly. So focus on quality first and through practicing quality you will find ways to become faster.