Is it wise to specialize in only one "field"? ( 3D Modelling)-(nub question)

Thessera

(I'm still a student btw.)

I have been modelling everything from simple objects, to characters,cars...
and i come to think about it.. isn't it wise to mainly specialize into one thing..like..
if you like modelling interior... you will only model that and become super good in that..

My dream is to model models for game and such.. but seeing how much competition it is..
it's nearly impossible ..unless you're the best ..
and there  is quite a lot competition on " character modelling".. obv

and i have been thinking about.. specialize  in 3D - where there is less competition 
Like:
decorative objects,small  household objects..and such.. and maybe environment...smth
i mean it's not impressive or.. "woah" but it's a necessary detail.. if you see the whole picture..

is that a bad way to go? ( useless?)
idk where to specialize

Eric Chadwick

Here
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Game_Industry#Art_Disciplines

yukonwanderer

Why do you say environment art isn't impressive?  I think it's one of the most, if not the most important part of any game - its the discipline responsible for shaping this alternate universe we'll all be playing in.  Without the environment we'd have literally nothing to play.  Except in games that are just arena fighting games or similar.

almighty_gir

There's a really interesting psychology (i think anyway) with games, both from a consumer and a developer point of view:

Character art positions are extremely competitive, sure because there are fewer of them but also because character artists are seen as the rock-stars of the industry. From a consumer point of view, for a loooong time characters have been the focus of what looks great in games. Though this has been changing lately, now that the technology is there for environments to get a lot of love. So everyone wants to be a character artist.

But i'm with @yukonwanderer on this one... Environments can make/break a game in a far bigger way than characters do. And in my opinion (as a character artist), it's probably the most impactful field you could be in.

yukonwanderer

I'm remembering all the games I used to play - Deus ex, starcraft, star wars nights of the old republic, morrowind, then the newer games of the witcher, deus ex, mass effect, etc etc....I don't play too many but these are all games where the environment really stood out for me and made the game extra awesome for me personally. 

miguelnarayan

If you are a student, experiment, see what you like to do the best and then focus on it, you won't know what you like to do until you've tried a little bit of everything. There will be always someone wanting you instead of a rock star, for your style. I'm sure there will be people out there who will smack me for saying this but that's the way I see it. We are not machines, everyone does different stuff, has a different style, you're doing artwork, no matter how good the others are at what you want to do, you may mess up and they don't, you may get lucky and they don't. We are not algorithms.

Thessera

miguelnarayan said:

If you are a student, experiment, see what you like to do the best and then focus on it, you won't know what you like to do until you've tried a little bit of everything. There will be always someone wanting you instead of a rock star, for your style. I'm sure there will be people out there who will smack me for saying this but that's the way I see it. We are not machines, everyone does different stuff, has a different style, you're doing artwork, no matter how good the others are at what you want to do, you may mess up and they don't, you may get lucky and they don't. We are not algorithms.

That's what i have been doing the past 2 years, lately i been modeling humans and animals ( semi realistic style) as i am practising modeling hair, clothing and such.. i find it is fun.. but  it isn't something i would work with in a job..

I have modelled cars,trains and such.. and it wasn't for me .. 

so i know i wouldn't be modelling that..

I hate having huge responsibilities,  as i have really high expectations of myself..

and i always think others wants much better then what i can make..

like nothing is good enough.. 

So i want to place myself in a posion where i can feel safe.. and that  i can be confident in  my own work..

Brian "Panda" Choi

@Thessera
What's the goal for the next year, then?  Or what do you want that goal to be within just your career?

Thessera

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

@Thessera
What's the goal for the next year, then?  Or what do you want that goal to be within just your career?

i will be starting to model  for my portfolio, which i will be doing in my free time,..
and study game design ...
I am also to improve my  drawing skills..
( for consept art, cartography  and architecture.)

But my main focus will be my studies and 3D ofc..

i have studied for 6 years years now

4 years : art

2 Years with 3D and Animation/SFX..

so now i want to narrow it down..

My goal is simply to get a 3D job in a game company..doesn't matter if it's small or big .. at last for now

Once making games become "easier" ( in the future somewhere lol) i may make my own game..

If i can't get that career
i will .. get another  job and do it in my freetime..

after all it's not just a job..it's my hobby too

(as i plan to  have no family of my own ( no children)..

i will have more free-time than most adults..)

Brian "Panda" Choi

Have you worked on any games as an artist during your time in school?  Not even as a job, just as part of a team or on your own?

Thessera

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

Have you worked on any games as an artist during your time in school?  Not even as a job, just as part of a team or on your own?

Yes;

I along with 2 others  made a game together.. as our final exsam..

( we only had 2 months on us, most of the game ( demo ) was already done,

we only missed the visual parts..(models,texture,animations and such ) 
We also had some  interdisciplinary exams in class..

Joost

Thessera said:

Once making games become "easier" ( in the future somewhere lol) i may make my own game..

The barrier to entry for making games is already incredibly low  with the advent of UE4 and blueprints. NOTHING is stopping you from creating your own game. Of course, the easier way out is to just find a job at a game studio but you might find that to be much less fulfilling than you'd expect.

Chimp

Yeah, if you enjoy not specialising, you don't have to -- make your own game -- I love that I get to do a bit of everything as an indie, though when you inevitably let your scope balloon, you start to hate it haha.

PyrZern

Problem with UE4 Blueprints is it's made by programmers.... So I still have to think like one... Which if I could, I would use C++ in the first place...

Kind of.

Joost

PyrZern said:

Problem with UE4 Blueprints is it's made by programmers.... So I still have to think like one... Which if I could, I would use C++ in the first place...

Kind of.

Perhaps I'm a bit more technically inclined than most artists but I was able to start using blueprints in my freelance work with very little previous experience. And my only coding experience is a bit of Maxscript. So far I haven't come across any problem that couldn't be solved with blueprints and I've worked on some fairly complex mechanics. Although good AI is a bit of a struggle with BP. If you need to create custom gravity or something like that you'll probably have to use C++ instead.

I have no idea how hard it would be to learn c++ compared to blueprints, but I can only imagine it would be significantly harder.

Chimp

PyrZern said:

Problem with UE4 Blueprints is it's made by programmers.... So I still have to think like one... Which if I could, I would use C++ in the first place...

Kind of.

Yeah well photoshop still requires you think like an artist even though you dont have to deal with the paint you can't build a house if you don't on some level think like an architect otherwise it will fall down, etc. It has to be made by programmers, and you'll always have to think on some level like one, it will just require less and less manual low level fiddling and allow for more higher level conceptual thought.

Don't wait for something thats magically artistic, you'll be waiting a long time. instead, bite the bullet and learn to think like a programmer -- you don't need to be a genius programmer, anyone is capable of taking on the basics that you need to use blueprint.