Decisions...

Keg

Trying to decide which route I should focus on. Due to muscular dystophy, texturing anything is near impossible for me. My arm gets sore after just a minute or 2 of tablet use.

What I am looking for opinions for is whether I should focus on annimation, level creation, or modelling. I am comfortable with my modelling skills, but I don't think I could get work doing just modelling and uv mapping alone.

Just trying to find sort things out and opinions of others would be greatly helpful.

aesir

so, you can handle working with a mouse though for long periods of time? Just not a tablet?

Straight modeling seems like a hard job to get. Animation can also be a popular job choice for many people. Have you considered particle fx and other types of visual fx? Level design is another cool option, but you've gotta be really good at design and able to think about lots of different gameplay related things besides aesthetics.

What do you enjoy doing the most?

Scott Ruggels

Particle FX is desp[erately needed, but it does take some texturing to do. If you model, go for environments rather than characters, as those are needed desperately as well. Animation is more mouse intensive, but... it kind of is sort of an "on or Off" thing, either you have the talent for timing, or you dont.

Pardon my ignorance, but will this get worse, or better?

Scott

oXYnary

Can get worse .

Show em Keg! Don't give up your dreams.

Have you thought about alternative input devices like pucks or such? Just supply your own at inteviews.

pogonip

I say go for animation !

Keg

oxy is right, it can get worse. right now I have very bad shoulders and am unable to do must lifting. The specific type of muscular dystrophy I have affects the arms, shoulders and face primarily.

I'm okay with a mouse. Modelling is what gets me going. I love modeling and plan on doing more environmental models, but without texturing i'm afraid that won't help me much in getting work.

I've been without solid employment for quite some time now and am unable to afford custom interface controls, still wouldn't make texturing easier. I'm fairly good with a keyboard and mouse setup since I have things ergonomically setup. I'll try to post my demo reel from 2003 which has some animation to it, nothing i'm proud of, but it'll give most of you an idea where my animation skills are at.

JBoskma

Good! Never underestimate the ancient en noble art of modeling my friend. That's the path you want to choose. You might want to talk a bit with Skullbox who had a bad ass amount of wrist pains. He seemed he has recovered quite well.

SkullboX

Don't focus on anything, it's an illusion your sore arm has anything to do with your texturing more than general computer use. I got a similar problem using a mouse and keyboard while modeling and animating.

The first thing you should do is excersize and make sure you work ergonomically. Just because you have a fancy desk, chair and monitor set up doesn't mean you sit correctly behind your pc. I personally went to see a cesar therapist, somebody who specialises in anything related to 'working physique'.

I also started using a tablet instead of a mouse, which is more ergonomically any day. It hepled mainly because using a tablet forces you much more to be in a proper, upright position, and it also releases a lot of strain from your forearm by not having the ulna and radius twisted. Either way take it as easy as possible and slowly build on from there. It took me quite a lot longer to heal because I figured a simple change in my working pattern would turn things back to normal.

Keg

the problem I have with using the tablet is my whole forearm cramps up after very little use. I unfortunatly can't really exercise much because with muscular dystophy your muscles don't repair themselves properly. so instead of gaining muscle from working out, i'd lose muscle, which isn't the best thing in the world.

oXYnary

Skullbox is back!!

Not to pry, but is it the kind that weakens your heart as well Keg?

Keg

oxy: thankfully no. I have facioscapularhumeral dystrophy (FSHD for short). affects the face, shoulders and arms.

Ninjas

I wonder about texturing using a vector program and moving over to photoshop for highlights and dirtmaps...

If you focus on cars and whatnot, there isn't much in the way of textures to do. Mostly shader setup.

High poly, movie studio stuff may be what you'll want to aim for if you want to do just modeling.

KMan

There are other types of environment positions you could shoot for. Here at work there are some environment guys that make the terrain, and place environment pieces in a realistic/interesting fashion. I think it also might be doable to get into doing UI's, although it might have some technical stuff involved in it somewhere.

Just some thoughts.

Keg

I'm actually considering applying for a game programming course at the art institute of vancouver. partially because I've always been somewhat interested in how things work, but never had the motivation to teach myself.

ElysiumGX

place the tablet on the floor next to you and hold the pen with your toes. after about a year, you'll be a professional.

JKim3

Ah...Ai: Van-Burnaby. I went there when it was called CDIS. Wonder if Ai turned it into even more of a shit hole.

If you want, I can ask a friend who works there what the programming course is like.

Keg

That would be appreciated jkim3

JKim3

Gah. Totally forgot about this.

He said that you should avoid it like the plague. That it's not even a programming course anymore. Better off going to SFU, which I hear has a games program that is really shaping up. The game design course is based around the book Rules of Play, which I'm told is a very good text. When I asked him why it was so bad, he said that they don't teach any programming that's relevant to game programming.

Of course, just keep this information in mind and do your own research into things.

Keg

thanks, i've heard from other people to avoid that course. I'm looking at some programming courses at bcit.

adam

Keg, I think I told you at the Polycount dinner we had that I've been doing lectures @ AI. My perception is that its a general "video game design" course that they offer there. So if you go for programming you'll also be doing some model, design, etc etc.. the works.

My best friend Richard is in his 3rd year of programming at Seneca college and is specializing in videogame programming. His course was specifically programming with the option of choosing a specialization in his last year.

If you're thinking of doing computer programming, perhaps you can do what Richard has done.

Hope this helps.

Keg

Adam that's why i'm looking more at bcit, take the basic computer science course and the second year is more focused. although there isn't a gaming program. I couldn't find much about sfu's courses due to some bad links. I wouldn't mind sfu as I go up there on a weekly basis for a club.

Zergxes

This might be left field, but would a trackball help any? I spent about 10 minuites on someone else's rig with Maya and the thing worked better than I thought it would. There's also a variety of space controller things that you can use.

Have you tried mounting your tablet onto a desktop easel? Having it in front of you at a 45 degree angle might be more ergonomic than holding it flat on your lap. At my last place I had a Cintique at my station (that I miss oh so much) and I found it was set up in a way that I never got any kind of strain from it.

Keg

zergxes: I have no issues with using my mouse. for my tablet i've considered setting it up on my keyboard tray, but i'm a leftie and only have a side tray for my mouse. I use my mouse like a right hander. been planning on seeing about getting a second tray for the left side to put my tablet.

Big problem I really have is not having the motivation to start projects or to follow through with them. which isn't helpful when trying to put together a portfolio. The free lance work i've done i've been quite proud of, but it's not the type of stuff for use in a portfilio aimed for a gaming position. I'm applying for jobs here and there, that I know I don't have much chance of getting, but apply in hope that someone is willing to take a small chance on me.

Keg

One thing pointed out about the art institute of vancouver's program course is that there's the modelling and such to help give the programmers knowledge of what the artists are doing so a team can work better together.