Is it worth it becoming 3D Artist?
polycounter lvl 2
I was around 16 when I started getting into modeling and it was fun when it started and it's still fun now, it's just I don't really know if it's worth the trouble becoming a 3D Artist, I don't want to get screwed over and waste my time trying to become a better 3D modeler and have no future for it, I read this article https://polycount.com/discussion/108342/education-in-the-games-industry-yes-or-no#latest and after going through it I'm still unsatisfied with myself. I don't want to blow 80K at an art school and I lack the discipline to work on improving my skills on my own. I want to become a 3D Artist and make it my career but I don't know if it's just better to find a safer career choice.
Replies
Yeah and why do you lack discipline?
If you don't have it you should start questioning yourself why, maybe because you don't like it so much or maybe you want a simple full time job like the majority of people and that's it.
After that i can tell you that you can certainly become a 3D artist without going to school, i did it, but you should be ready to sacrifice A LOT in order to improve and learn all the theory ( both artistically and technically ) stuff that you must know in order to become a professional ( professional = people pay you for your works because they are good ).
Schools in my opinion are good only if you have the possibility to go in one of the top schools for CG: Gnomon or Vancouver Film School but Gnomon is the best i think.
If you plan to go to an university of "game design" or similar, i read that is just a waste of money.
I can't tell you if it's true or not because in my country ( Italy ) there are no schools or universities to learn CG except some 6 months courses that are still expensive ( 6k - 8k € ), so my only option was to self teaching my self because i can't afford to spend 80k € to attend Gnomon+expenses to live in Hollywood for 3-4 years.
But if your question is "do i automatically get a job after finish my studies ?" the answer is no, even if you are very good there are a many other factors that can keep you from getting a job like competition, where you live, VISA issues, years of experience etc.
If you want the security of landing a job after school it is probably better if you go study for a normal degree like engineer, medical field etc.
If you feel it necessary to get a degree, there's nothing wrong with getting it cheap at a community college.
No, developers generally need to understand there's a big difference between playing games and making games. Relaxing, given the goal, sounds like a bad idea given the market for competition.
Dare I say 25 to get started is not impossible, but it's late a lot of times especially if your intention was to game art a while ago. There are grad students who are going to take the jobs you wish you could be competitive for.
@Steelhardt If you're spending more time playing games than making game (art) and you want to enter the industry, something is very wrong and your priorities need reassessment.
I'm talking to a 29 year old Virginian right now who has multiple times told me he wants to be a character designer, has yet to even have a sketchbook that he draws in as a habit, but has definitely told me of his plans to rank up in Overwatch from silver while doing an informational Twitch channel, which, if it gets 1000 suscribers, will finally put him in a position to make enough money to sustain his art passion.
Does he want to make games, or play games?
sacboi said:
Yeah and why do you lack discipline?
*Self Quote*
Discipline supercedes Motivation, period.
Actually, there's an insightful thread lying around here someplace discussing a broad range of perspectives why motivation isn't what it's cranked up to be.
(...my old Squadron Sergeant Major would whip anyone and/or thing into shape - god's honest truth!)
I might contradict myself on this, but when it comes to the job-hunting phase, avoid playing a bunch of games. You'll eventually manage your time on what you want to focus on. (There are times where I'll just watch walkthoughs on the side, on games that I know I won't be playing).
Again, it's worth it. This part's new to me, but when looking at what goes after being a 3D Artist, it might be more on the creative side or managerial side.
Ex. Artist Intern>Junior/Associate 3D Artist>3D Artist (Mid-Level)>Senior 3D Artist>Art Lead>Art Director or Art Supervisor>Creative Director? or Game Designer?
I'm still trying to get a grasp of that, but when looking at it further, it can lead to other avenues, still in games or 3D related. And heck, many Devs often switch to different departments, like Lighting, Materials, Level Design, or even switch completely to becoming a teacher or professor, teaching game art or design. I'd recommend looking into this stuff, it gets pretty interesting.
Now, if you are like me, you might find yourself in the situation that subjectively speaking working in as a 3D artists is the only thing that really makes you happy while working a regular office job (or anything else really) drives you to depressions. In that case, if working is something that is important to you to be happy and fulfilled it is worth it with all the pain and trouble it comes along.
If you are not certain that this is the only path for you, you probably should go with the alternative. Art requires too much effort and passion to be persued when its not a necessity for your happiness. There are not enough jobs to beat those who are passionate about it.
If you dont feel the same, just do what you do.
In case you feel that your time is running through the fingers - prepare for the hard times. Currently I opened a legal company, cut my "developer" hours and work mixed 10+h a day to get required skills for a good 3d artist as soon as possible. Its hard, really hard. But again, it depends, i know a lot of people who have their 8/5 job, so called "stable" job, and they are very happy with it.
I will be very disappointed in my 60ies realizing that I just wasted my life cause i have chosen stability over excitement.
Also life has a habit of throwing curve balls at you.
Like if we all wanted to reach the pinnacle of success, we'd ideally have to sacrifice everything for it, unless we get lucky somewhere along the way.
I know several stories of really ambitious game artists attempting to go the long haul (want to join naughty dog) then meeting a girl and settling down where they started.
Several of them have given up on their original plan.
I personally think its worth it. I do plan to explore more ways to express my creativity (not limited to video game development)
I really like the little cartoony house! Liked and followed.
The thing is how far do you want to go. You can always work at McDonald's. Heck, you can win a lottery. But if you want to do the job that the next person (artist) to you has been doing for a while, and has been really "bleeding" for it, then you got to respect that and try to keep up. Eventually you will get to some point where you can feel safe. Also, making long lasting friendship with your coworkers will help you in the long run. But you'll still have to improve like everyone else. Nobody is going to wait.
I'd advise you to think it through, lay out all your options. A lot of awesome artists gave you gold info and tips in this topic, for free!
If you still want to do 3D after all, then know that you have to keep learning, trying, and eventually you'll get there.
As for education, if you know what you want to do (as in specialization in 3D art), there are a lot of affordable options out there. There are tutorials on youtube, gumroad, and other sources (everything is at your fingertips now because of the internet). Also, forums like polycount are great for feedback, to help you improve. I feel like going to an art school is good for exploration, but if you already know what you want to do in the art field, it may be unnecessary. Most people use the diplomas to help boost their resume so it is easier to get work visas in the industry. On the other hand, if you can find a school that strictly does your specialization, the structure and guidance may help you improve quicker. Some schools are online that are more affordable than going to the actual place, such as CGMA, Think Tank Online, and CG Spectrum (and may be others that I haven't listed). But in the end, you just have to put in the hours to get good enough to be considered "hireable."
As you can see, this forum may be a little biased towards a more stable life because most of us have chosen the "follow your passion" route.
Or find something you can tolerate enough to continuously improve at and hustle for that will bring in a comfy paycheck, then pay for mentored classes after hours.
It depends, but it can get more expensive in the long run, and it can be more difficult for some, especially if either you're new to the field or you don/'t have any connections. This article/thread explains it better: https://blenderartists.org/t/im-quitting-3d-art-and-animation/1353938