Transition from programmer to 3D artist
Hello there,
Here's a question for you guys,and i could really use some input and advices especially from people who were in the same situation(if any).
I'm 23 years old,and i'm from Romania(Europe's equivalent to huts and pigmeis) and i'm currently working as a front-end developer(html,css,js ..the works) to support myself.
It's all nice and well,but my real love,the thing that makes my soul vibrate is 3d art&concept art,more specifically game art.The number of oportunities for a job like this where i live are close to zero,so i figured i'd work and study on my own and try to change cities/countries in search for opportunities.
So i guess my question is,can i do this transition?is it too late?any tips for something like this?
Thanks and best wishes.
Here's a question for you guys,and i could really use some input and advices especially from people who were in the same situation(if any).
I'm 23 years old,and i'm from Romania(Europe's equivalent to huts and pigmeis) and i'm currently working as a front-end developer(html,css,js ..the works) to support myself.
It's all nice and well,but my real love,the thing that makes my soul vibrate is 3d art&concept art,more specifically game art.The number of oportunities for a job like this where i live are close to zero,so i figured i'd work and study on my own and try to change cities/countries in search for opportunities.
So i guess my question is,can i do this transition?is it too late?any tips for something like this?
Thanks and best wishes.
Replies
Just don't doubt yourself, find some tutorials if you need to, and just start making stuff. Do it in your free time until you get good at, put together a portfolio and just keep practicing! Once you feel confident sites like PC are great for getting your work critiqued and finding fellow members who all love the same thing.
Moving seems to be a big part of the industry too, so unless you end up doing freelance you'd most likely end up moving even if you lived somewhere else.
Hope that helps!
- Set up a simple portfolio site to add work to as you complete projects. It's surprisingly motivating to have some repository for your work when it's done, even if you cycle it out later.
- Allocate a specific amount of time for 3D each week, at least eight hours. More if you can afford it. Treat it like client work, it needs to get done.
- Decide which area of game art you want to do (character, environment, props etc.) and focus on it.
- Make it a point to learn something specific with each project, e.g. working with UDK.
- When you've decided on a project, cut it in half and double the amount of time you think each step will take. That will give you a more realistic time table.
- Churn out work like a machine. Some projects turn out better than others but it's more important that you keep producing.
- Seek crits from the Pimping and Previews section. The feedback you can get here really is invaluable.
Good luck!
My own background goes like this:
I began early adult life studying programming databases in college but found it rather boring. In my early 20s to early 30s instead of a career as a programmer, I followed my passion for art into a short lived career as a 3d game artist. Now I'm relearning programming again in the hope of making my own games for a living or at least for fun.
Also,about webGL and three.js this is a game i made but using some free models from the internet.
http://tbsgame.byethost9.com/
Lots of reasons... When the first company I worked for closed and I was laid off (which was very sudden and unexpected) it had a horrible affect on my life. The freelance work that followed was pretty unreliable, Even though I was able to eat and pay rent etc. it was too stressful. No local opportunities. Family obligations left me unable to move. The years that followed the big economic crash saw many industry closures and mass layoffs which left me pretty worried about any future as an employee in the game industry even if I had job offers and could move.
If I had worked harder on my art skills I probably would've been more skilled and thus more able to stay employed or attract reliable freelance work. But at the same time I was slowly losing interest in making mainstream 3d game art. AAA games are always pushing for more realism which leads to more difficult workflows, longer hours, and higher budgets which in turn lead to more risk for the companies -> more closures and layoffs.
So with all of that in mind and the fact that I still want to make games, I figure the only way it'll work out for me is to make them on my own. I'd also mention that the indie game developer movement has had a large impact on my choice as well.
Cool, I like tactics type games
Though on a side note your website's host byethost9.com seems to have ~4% malware infection rate which would normally make me not want to run any JavaScript...
One more thing if you will.When you first started working as a 3d artist what was you skill level and experience?What was your specialization(character,enviroment etc)?And what were the tools(3ds max,zbrush..) that you were good at?
PS:the game was made for my bachelors degree project and i used a free host because i couldn't afford anything else.
After that I learned Max and Mudbox on my own for freelance work and did only props/environment work. My skills got a lot better working freelance on AAA games, though I never turned into a great artist (maybe 3-5 more years at it...). Around the tail end of my time doing freelance work I picked up Modo and used it for personal projects. When I stopped working professionally I'd say my skill and knowledge level was "OK".