Switching to GAME Production, where do I start?

defiantsigma

Hi everyone!

I've been a lurker at Polycount for a bit and have really enjoyed a lot of the work that's been posted here, and its been really inspiring! I've been wanting to switch to game production for a while now specifically to become an 3D Environment Artist. I have a background in CG (Modeling, Texturing, Surfacing, Lighting) for projects like short films, but most of it is product rendering. I'll list my software knowledge below. 

I did sign up for the Environment Creation for Games course at Gnomon but I am waitlisted. So for now, I need help to set a track for me to keep to and have a portfolio ready piece at the end of the year. I have an idea of where to start but not something concrete. 

Software Knowledge:

• Maya
• Blender
• Mari
• Mudbox
• Marvelous Designer
• Photoshop

From what I understand, I need to know these too:

• Substance Designer
• ZBrush
• Unity or a Game Engine
• More?

I understand software knowledge is one thing but my main concern is understanding how an environment artist gets from start to finish, more like the lifecycle of a project? Where does the Environment Artist fit in the overall pipeline? Does a 3D Env Artist do concept as well? Photo-realistic vs stylized? Etc.

I hope I'm asking the right questions. Any additional advice would be amazing!!! 

I love you guys! Thank you!

CrackRockSteady

The main things you'll probably need to learn are the optimized workflows used in games, for example learning when to use normal maps vs geo, how to optimize your models for real-time use, etc.  The Polycount wiki is a great place to start, there's a ton of useful information and tutorials for these topics.

For your other questions the answer is "it depends".  Depending on the size of a studio, the sort of project they're working on, team size, etc, an environment artist's role may vary.  I work at a smaller studio so I end up wearing a lot of hats, sometimes I make vehicles, sometimes I build/light environments, sometimes I do destruction simulations, pretty much whatever comes my way.  At a larger studio on a huge team there might be lighting artists who primarily do lighting, or artists who do primarily world building, or primarily making props.

Environment artists generally don't do concepts but the ability to do some drawing or painting certainly can't hurt if you need to try to communicate ideas visually to someone else.

Style also depends on where you're working or what you're working on.  If there's a particular studio you'd like to work for it makes sense to tailor some of your portfolio work toward their projects.

defiantsigma

CrackRockSteady said:

The main things you'll probably need to learn are the optimized workflows used in games, for example learning when to use normal maps vs geo, how to optimize your models for real-time use, etc.  The Polycount wiki is a great place to start, there's a ton of useful information and tutorials for these topics.

For your other questions the answer is "it depends".  Depending on the size of a studio, the sort of project they're working on, team size, etc, an environment artist's role may vary.  I work at a smaller studio so I end up wearing a lot of hats, sometimes I make vehicles, sometimes I build/light environments, sometimes I do destruction simulations, pretty much whatever comes my way.  At a larger studio on a huge team there might be lighting artists who primarily do lighting, or artists who do primarily world building, or primarily making props.

Environment artists generally don't do concepts but the ability to do some drawing or painting certainly can't hurt if you need to try to communicate ideas visually to someone else.

Style also depends on where you're working or what you're working on.  If there's a particular studio you'd like to work for it makes sense to tailor some of your portfolio work toward their projects.

Thanks for all the info! I will definitely check out the wiki.