Animation - Which path should I Take?

Fordy

HI all

Well after about 3 years of messing about, trying to paint, model, animate and build levels for games, I have finally decided to take on modeling/animation and attempt to get into the games industry at a place (Code Monkeys in Leeds) where I once went for an interview.

Now to get to my point, I expect to take about 1.5 years to get a decent portfolio together so my question is this:

1) Should I try and model/animate fairly low (4k to 7k) poly characters say and add a good normal map to it?

or

2) Concentrate on the actual animations and higher poly models (say 8k - 12k) and forget about the normal map?

If you were hiring for the role of an animator which would you prefer? Would the animator just get the completed model to animate or is he/she expected to be a jack of all trades?

Thanks in advance!

MoP

If you're looking for a job as an animator, I'd say that you should focus purely on the animation. With that in mind, it shouldn't really matter what character models you choose, as long as you can show a good range of rigging skills.

Obviously any knowledge about animation itself is entirely transferable, so as long as they can see you know all about motion and timing and things like that, you should be ok.

Of course if the company you're applying to generally make Nintendo DS games, you don't wanna be showing off your high-poly modelling skills since it'll be entirely superfluous. They want to know that you can do what they'll want you to do.

Rigging a 450-polygon character is a considerably different process to rigging a 10,000-polygon character, with different things to bear in mind and different pitfalls. I'd say demonstrate as wide a range as possible. Rig and animate a really low-poly model... rig and animate a 3-5k poly model, rig and animate a 10k poly model if you want. The more you can show you understand about the whole process, the better.

I wouldn't worry about normal-maps or anything like that. As an animator that would not be one of your main concerns anyway. As long as the characters you choose look good and deform well, you'll be fine - they're looking at the motion in the end, not the character design.

Bronco

hey Fordy

Here is what is in my opinion a nice animation reel and perhaps shows the type of thing you should be aiming for.

http://www.dumpflakes.com/Pages/demo.htm

note the pretty basic models for the most parts and textures only when nessary or to help make things stand out.

Good luck

john

Fordy

Cheers MoP I was hoping that would be the case with the normal maps. I still want to learn them but after your advice its not quite as urgent now.

John - I downloaded that video and have saved it. Its pretty good, not somthing i'll copy but it did spark the odd creative idea (if anything sparks in my brain these days its a bloody miracle!).

Thanks for replying guys! Highly appreciated.

Frankie V

As for an occupation. It’s probably better to focus on and become insanely great in one single discipline. Every thing else that you will learn comes along for the ride as a nature side benefit. In a “large” company you are not an island on to your own and there will be enough people around that can at least help you through the rough points until you can get up to seed.

As for your portfolio or reel the best time to start on it is yesterday and the second best time to start on it is now. Everybody has something that they can show and you should make it a habit to always be improving it. Why wait a year and a half when if you start now you will have something insane in a year and a half.

As for what I would hire on????? Well just me but skills are a dime a dozen and if you don’t have the skills to at least impress me enough to earn a sit down interview then you probably need more practice or what you have demonstrated is probably what I’m not looking for at the moment.

If I’m actually sitting down with you then you can take it for granted that I’ve noticed or you shown me something that leads me to believe that it is worth wasting my time to actually talk to you face to face.

At that point I’m looking for someone that I can work with and others on the team can as well. It’s just a human nature thing, people like to work with people that they like.

In the mean time if you have to ask should I do this or that just do it. It can’t hurt

aesir

Some of my favorite animation reels had no actual models in them at all. There were only custom rigs showing animations. I'd suggest not doing any models and following that path.

Ruz

hmm, still don't know why yu are giving up on environmental modelling .your work was really good as I recall.
perhaps you were doing something wrong presentation wise.
there seems to be loads more demand for environment guys anyway these days . might be worth a rethink on this IMHO

Fordy

Frankie - the reason it'll take about a 1.5 years is because I have very little spare time. That is for a reasonable sized portfolio though. I do hope to have something worth showing much sooner.

aesir - Id prefer to have models on the rigs, to show I can actually rig a model as well as animate it!

Ruz - I'll probably set my animations in some kind of suitable environment anyway as there wont just be animations in my portfolio. My old work was ok but its all at least 4 years old now.