Need some advice from Technical Artists

i772

Hey guys, currently I am accepting a role as a tech artist (TA) at a company. I start next Monday on the 26th. I just have a few questions for TA's out there.

What should I expect? I have been learning Python in Maya and can do it well enough next I will move towards Mel.I can do shader programing in both unity - ue4 node - and openGL so I can do that when it comes to it.
Is there anything you suggest I know? What should I be studying?

They advised me to ramp up on Python, Mel, and C# in that order.

Anything you could tell me would greatly help me.

Avvi

Ask them about what have been the technical difficulties so far. Who will use your add-ons? and for what tasks?
I would really use the time left to:
-contact members of your new team
-say hello
-ask them about their needs and try to code something like that
Just a self-check of your skills and a warm-up.
(it's a general advice, because you didn't say much about why you want to work there, on what projects )

Fomori

Avvi already touched a bit on this, and I am not a technical artist, but I think a very important aspect of a TA's job is personal and cross-team communication. People, communication skills and being pro-active in that regard.

Other than working on having a long list of impressive technical skills, talk and communicate with artists and how they work. In a non-disruptive way, help guide them to break out of inefficient habits, find quicker solutions to repetitive tasks, refine the pipeline - you get the idea. But communicating with artists and between teams is super important.

Kwramm

TA is a wide field. I'd check with your new lead what they think you should start working on and then ramp up skills related to that.

In general, when I hire new junior TAs I would expect the following:
* get a working knowledge with regular Python
* learn good coding habits - e.g. proper variable naming, separating code in classes and modules
* being able to document workflows, solutions to the problems you fixed, and basic code documentation.
* being independent: i.e. structure your own work. Give supervisors eedback and estimates (you can refine them later), keep your eyes open for problems and report them. Talk to the rest of the team to avoid re-inventing the wheel.
* if you're supporting a project: don't hide behind your desk! walk around, talk to people, find out where the problems are - communicate!

However, a good shop would give you some time to settle in, learn the ropes, get to know the people, the procedure, their tools and their codebase.

good luck!

i772

DustinBrown >> To me many companies are different, some want a shader programmer, some want tools creator, some want Mel or python programming. Each interview I go to wants something else for a multi talented person. Eg some companies I went to need working knowledge of 3D applications and others don't care.

Just trying to see what someone who works in the position is looking for. to what Kwramm explained perfectly.

Thanks everyone who gave me some advice! I understand now just talk with the team on the job, what I have been finding with this position is that it is more take it as it comes job.

Thakns

Add3r

Interacting very closely with TA's at my current position, their primary role is in game performance evaluation/corrections, Shader/material work (in both engine based tools, and HLSL, which I recommend at least getting familiar with at a basic level), Tool building (a lot of this) and event script building and fixes related to bugs that come in.

Other secondary tasks include technical environment work like lighting, material polish at later stages in project, file and source control management, and just overall helping bridge the programming and art.

Definitely master Python, Mel is helpful, and C# is def a language that you should get comfortable with. All three of those listed already, obviously. I have also seen the tech artists create simple block out meshes, help optimize game assets (both textures and models), and create things like Vista fog cards, clean up sky boxes, create cube maps, etc. You have to be able to do it all. Obviously really dig into skills you enjoy most, but a tech artist is absolutely a generalist at the very core.

monster

A couple of things not mentioned yet that I do a lot, as a Technical Animator.

1. Rigging and skinning. Being consistent with bone naming, and even animation names.

2. Performance profiling tools. Unity has a Profiler window that has troves of information about every frame rendered. Being able to find the one damn mesh particle that is slowing everything down will make you a hero overnight.

haiddasalami

Kwarmm speaks the truth though weird they suggest python then Mel. IMO once you work with python and understand it you won't want to touch Mel ;P Though would just try to understand how to program then learning a language. Rest is just syntax

DireWolf

People usually move from MEL to Python Once in a while you'll need to pass command directly to MEL because the equivalent does not exists in Python (such as doCreateGeometryCache) and that's it.

My experience is that, as a pipeline TD, my colleagues in other department would voice their concern how certain things are slowing them down. As a TA my task is to look into it, identify what can be done automatically and jump right into creating tools to do just that. Some tasks that my colleague need to spend all day doing, I was able to cut down the time down to no more than 5 minutes

marks

Expect to be secretly crying inside every time anyone mentions the word "gamma" lol