3d environment art masters suggestions?

Kaede

Hey guys, I'd appreciate some help/advice on choosing the right school - and even though I've searched the forum a lot, and haven't found any specific suggestions for what I want. (If it exists! ;p )

I already hold a masters degree in architecture but I've decided to change field and turn to 3d environment design for games -and not only. I am, therefore, searching for a masters course that would mostly focus on that (and not character sketching, for example). Any suggestion from anyone knowing or attending a master like that?? In Europe, preferably.

I really have no experience in the field, and i know i should take some 3dsMax or Maya courses before applying to some of the masters, but I still wanna know my options. And i know that self-practice is the most important thing, but I still believe that I need a school for the basics:]

jfeez

Your best option imo is not to do a masters but to use a tutorial site(s), such as digital tutors or eat3d (there are plenty others) to teach yourself maya/max/a game engine, there are plenty great tutorials that are alot cheaper than a masters and you will learn more than doing a masters course. And obv post your work on forums like this for crit =D

Kave

Don't do it, a masters degree aint shit in the games industry if you dont have the skills to back it up.

Fwap

http://workshops.cgsociety.org/courseinfo.php?id=442

If you are super super quick, you can enroll in this.

visoutre

You should get a few months subscription to 3Dmotive, they have lots of environment art tutorials for UDK/Maya and it's really cheap considering how informative the videos are. https://www.3dmotive.com/

There's also some good youtube channels, here's just 2:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Futurepoly
http://www.youtube.com/user/d1v3rsion/videos

maximumsproductions

Well if you've searched the forums I don't think there is a point in getting a credible degree in games and especially a masters. I mean you already have a masters in something useful that I imagine means more in an application than a 3d Environment art masters.

I suggest that if you really want to go to a school for the stuff you pick carefully but from what I found there's a few if I had the money I'd like which is

SMU Guildhall
Gnomon
Futurepoly

Else you're capable of learning the stuff on your own.

*Also just read you're doing it for the basics. Personally I completely disagree here. I believe your money is being payed to the education for mostly connections and advanced techniques.

Xoliul

I'll say it again man:
Do not fixate on a masters degree. Masters degrees for games are almost exclusively going to be bad news and useless for getting a job. If you're open to a bachelors degree you will be able to find some decent stuff. (I linked you my school in a previous post, which I can highly recommend, plus it will be cheap for you).

You could also just teach yourself like others are suggesting, if you're disciplined enough for that.

Lazerus Reborn

3D motive, Eat 3D. Spend 1% of the cost of a masters on those sites and you'll be in the same position.

Use the search function and see the sheer amount of information surrounding education in the games industry.

Kaede

Thank you all for your replies, I'm definitely checking the sites you suggested. Everybody seems to support tutorials over schools..I was wondering though, do you say that because you've already gone to a school and decided it was not worth it? I can tell that one can achieve many more things if they are dedicated and hardworking, rather than by just attending a course, but is it really "bad" to start your education from something like that? I personally find it harder to learn everything from scrap without someone guiding me, and all the connections and techniques, as maximumsproductions says (and I agree with that, it was wrong saying that I just wanna go for the "basics"). Maybe it's just a matter of discipline, but I think it's not only about that.
Xoliul, your school seems promising and affordable - I'm afraid though I cannot invest 3 more years in just studies. I'm already of an age:p
P.S. Random question regarding the sites you suggested: should someone interesting in environment design start learning Max, or Maya? I've only used some Rhinoceros (and 2d autocad) during university, so i'm at point zero for both softwares :poly122:

Elyaradine

I haven't done a Master's myself -- I got a bachelors in maths and got through two years of an art degree before dropping out to work in games instead. But I have worked with people who have Masters degrees who have interned where I work.

And it's the most heart-wrenchingly tragic thing.

"How's the Master's? How's your portfolio looking?"
"Oh... yeah... I haven't had much time to work on it lately because of my dissertation."
"..."

We also had a kid come intern straight out of high school. He started teaching himself blender when he was 14, and by the time he got out of high school, while his work wasn't great, it was good enough that we could use it without having to get him to redo stuff all of the time. At the same time, we had a Masters grad interning too. It was fascinating having the two of them there, and being able to compare them: one having had ~4 years of teaching himself in high school, with the other having ~5 years of formal education, with two years of postgraduate study.

The Masters student was pretty fun to talk to. But her actual practical work was almost worthless. And while it's unfair to compare individual people (the high school kid might just have been quite bright?), I find it really hard to swallow how bad her practical work was after 5 years of formal education.

I think postgraduate study has a place in the game industry, specifically if you're pushing the technology, the way we see PhD folks doing at SIGGRAPH. And in the humanities, it may have a place in terms of critique, and helping to push our industry to think about what it produces (being more mature about feminist/queer/religious/etc. issues). But as a practical thing, where you're actually getting down to doing the nitty-gritty making a freaking game, it's really weak.

WarrenM

School and a piece of paper are only useful if you plan to work in a different country. If you're sticking to your home country, skills are all that matter.

MagicSugar

http://www.etc.cmu.edu/site/

But if the goal is working for a real games studio and not a research or "seriousgame" type of studio, I'm with the majority opinion that a Masters is an overkill route. Nobody's gonna pay you extra for holding a masters when you apply for entry level positions.

Artist you might be interested in: http://www.sketchupartists.org/spotlight/artists/robh-ruppel-google-sketchup-in-game-design/