Tips for beginner props artist
polycounter lvl 2
Hello polycount members
I want to be a prop artist. That’s why I am trying to make models of environment. I have been doing 3D for a year but I don’t see any progress in my work. My models are simple and don’t look good.
I just want to ask you for an advice. What should I do? What should I learn and what way to choose? Maybe I need to pay attention to something.
Replies
I can suggest you the same that good guys on polycount told me once. Make a story. If your wheelbarrow was used when you helped your family in your summerhouse or smth - add some country-side tools, shovel for example. If you where planting veggies - add some soil, some additives, a watering can or something. Make it tell a story. It doesn't need to be a full environment set or game level, just add some props to answer as many as possible of the 5W questions:
You can work on the presentation a little, like set the wheelbarrow in a tiny scene.
Imagine that thing sitting on a bit of grass with its wheel sunk into a puddle of mud for example
You can definitely improve your materials tho, wheelbarrow is the easiest to point out.
The wheel consist of the rubber, the green-painted metal, the red-painted metal and the mud
but the reflectivity is basically uniform all around, making it feel like a toy.
Maybe break that up a bit? make the rubber less reflective and have water accumulate in different parts.
That would make the mud pop right away as well. I always try to contrast different types of materials when putting them next to each other in terms of their physical properties.
The thickness of the rust also makes it feel more like damaged concrete instead of metal,
combined with the fact that the other metal bits look relatively new.
Like the user above me said, make up a story, and apply the rules of the story to the entire material.
Its only a Matter of time when stuff that can be Scanned will be Scanned. It already Happens even in Indie Level.
Also Nobody really wants to See another fire Hydrant.
If realism is your Thing, Go for Things that can Not Just be Scanned. Be it due to Not existing anymore (ancient, medieval, Fantasy) or that doesnt exist yet (science fiction, Close Future, Further away Future or crazier things) If you can Nail believably realistic Things you can also do fire hydrants in a Production. But my prediction is, If it can be Scanned or simulated it will be and Likely cheaper than you could Offer.
Like Dekogon makes props that are very commonly found, or you could model and sell in asset stores.
In the long term its great to make something complex and out of this world.
But again studios will react to this differently, a studio that is looking for a run of the mill artist to fill a vacancy might not necessarily pick you just because you have an asset that's out of this world in quality.
What they want to pay you factors into that as well, as well as talent and relocation costs + paperwork for on site jobs.
If you enjoy doing realistic stuff that exists, its a competitive market but work exists, might want to look into vfx and rendering/simulation companies, advertising and product design aside from games.
For example, that HK UMP 45 looks to be a prime candidate for nexgen 'makeover' by authoring one kickkass high fidelity result matching what the pros output. With this in mind, leverage tutorial content these seasoned artists share on Gumroad, Udemy, Cubebrush.....etc.
As an aside I've also periodically made use of them when a particularly challenging job was hand balled in my direction, for instance guys like Tim Bergholz and Tor Frick despite HS modeling far longer than your good self, anyway nontheless some food certainly for further thought.