Career in Games or VFX ?

taro_29

Hey all! I'm a first year student in the UK and I'm currently studying games art. I'm interested in hardsurface modelling, texturing, and sculpting so I can see myself getting into props/environment art. I have until next year to decide whether I go down the games or VFX pathway but I'm honestly having trouble choosing between them. I'm hoping someone with knowledge in either discipline could lend me some advice. 

I know roughly the differences between props for games and VFX. For example games uses high to low poly workflow vs vfx using high poly and or displacement maps, and there's obviously the difference between all quads vs ngons and tris. Vfx uses a lot more texture sets, and the main software for texturing being mari vs primarily substance for games. The biggest difference for me is not the pipeline or software but the job security. Games production lasts a few years, jobs are more stable, whereas VFX gigs are short lived which does seem quite stressful long term. 

Right now I'm leaning more into vfx production, the only issue is whether my skills will be in demand and if I can even make it with all the news going on in the industry recently. 

So my question is, what are the pros and cons of working in Games vs VFX as a modeller/texture artist?  Also how is the demand looking for these positions in either industry?   

Ashervisalis

Don't let your school convince you that the majority of your skills wont be transferable between industries. In my portfolio, I made both game res and sub-d art. If you have a couple pieces of each, there's not really a reason why you couldn't switch back and forth; plenty of artists do that. Sometimes its easier to break into cartoons for kids, and then progress to other areas where you would prefer to work.

taro_29

Ashervisalis said:

Don't let your school convince you that the majority of your skills wont be transferable between industries. In my portfolio, I made both game res and sub-d art. If you have a couple pieces of each, there's not really a reason why you couldn't switch back and forth; plenty of artists do that. Sometimes its easier to break into cartoons for kids, and then progress to other areas where you would prefer to work.

 I never thought of it like that. I'm not sure which path you started with but is the transition from games to vfx easier or the opposite? I feel like the restrictions of games makes prop art a lot harder than vfx so choosing games is  a better place to start. 

Ashervisalis

I think there are difficulties in each path and neither of them is necessarily more difficult than the other. Once I got a job in animation, I had game studios here and there reaching out to me. The thing is, if you're making game art, you gotta know how to make a sub-d model and then bake those details down to a lower poly model. A lot of animation studios, thats the job, minus baking down the details. Also, I'm finding that with the recent updates to UE5, there is a lot less worry about poly count. If you want to open doors to each path, maybe try making sub-divided high poly meshes in an environment, rendered in Unreal. That would show you can use Unreal. But also make sure to have a few props on your portfolio which are lower poly game meshes.

taro_29

Ashervisalis said:

I think there are difficulties in each path and neither of them is necessarily more difficult than the other. Once I got a job in animation, I had game studios here and there reaching out to me. The thing is, if you're making game art, you gotta know how to make a sub-d model and then bake those details down to a lower poly model. A lot of animation studios, thats the job, minus baking down the details. Also, I'm finding that with the recent updates to UE5, there is a lot less worry about poly count. If you want to open doors to each path, maybe try making sub-divided high poly meshes in an environment, rendered in Unreal. That would show you can use Unreal. But also make sure to have a few props on your portfolio which are lower poly game meshes.

I haven't properly learned unreal yet but I'll definitely get into it. Thank you for all the advice  

Ashervisalis

NP