Crytek vs Unreal

System

Hiya, I'm looking to build an online portfolio and want to include some game engine assets but my only experience is with Radiant and TS2.
What I would like to know is the learning curve from the engines I know to the latest and what employers would prefer to see.

Thanks in advance.

low odor

Dont know about crytek, but UED3 is pretty easy to learn the basics. There are a heap of tuts out there

Jonathan

Unless Crytek's engine is licensed a whole lot more, you'd be better of just useing UnrealEd/UE3. It works great, and you'll find a lot of help.

CE2 is cool, but the workflow is a bit slow IMO compared to UE3. In Unreal Engine 3 you can also enjoy using the node-based material editor, which can help you in several areas regarding shader structures across several other engines.

thomasp

why don't you try out both and see what works better out for you? don't think it matters much else for an artist. chances are, the places you'd apply to are using something different anyway.

System

Cool, sounds like UE3 is the best bet then. I would love to try both out but if ones more accepted than another and there's more material/support out there for it then it has to be the quicker learner.
Node based material editior sounds like fun, that's similar to Maya right? Hah another program I haven't played with yet!

Jonathan

Yeah, I guess you could say somewhat similar to Maya's Hypershade editor, but Maya's, for whatever reason (IMHO), feels outdated.

bluekangaroo

Jonathan wrote: »

Yeah, I guess you could say somewhat similar to Maya's Hypershade editor, but Maya's, for whatever reason (IMHO), feels outdated.

Agreed. Comming from maya I personally couldn't stand its hypershader....unreals material editor is much more user friendly imo

Jonathan

BTW, Hourence website is a great place to get started. He has a lot of useful information on there.
http://book.hourences.com/tutorialsindex.htm

Mark Dygert

I don't think it really matters much when it comes to creating assets. Wrangling a modeling into whatever engine is pretty much a no brainer with most of the major engines. It might be handy to be familiar with UE3 but most of the time that's not the skill set they're looking for when they look at someone who makes assets.

Now if you're looking to be the guy that places those assets and builds the levels then yeah knowing your editor inside and out becomes much more important.

Just showing off assets, could be done in anything that doesn't make them look like ass, including 3dsmax or Maya. Showing it off in game really won't make or break the asset, at most it might provide some creditability to your resumes claim to know UE3. They'll be looking at the skills that went into making that asset, not the tiny skill set it takes to place it.

Quokimbo

Vig wrote: »

I don't think it really matters much when it comes to creating assets. Wrangling a modeling into whatever engine is pretty much a no brainer with most of the major engines. It might be handy to be familiar with UE3 but most of the time that's not the skill set they're looking for when they look at someone who makes assets.

Now if you're looking to be the guy that places those assets and builds the levels then yeah knowing your editor inside and out becomes much more important.

Just showing off assets, could be done in anything that doesn't make them look like ass, including 3dsmax or Maya. Showing it off in game really won't make or break the asset, at most it might provide some creditability to your resumes claim to know UE3. They'll be looking at the skills that went into making that asset, not the tiny skill set it takes to place it.

Good post...

System

Jonathan - Thanks for the link :thumbup:
Vig - Gracias to you too, that actually puts my mind to rest as my knowledge on current engines is nil I just figured that a 3d game artist would be responsible for modelling, texturing, rigging (if and when necessary) and then porting to the engine. So is this all a totally segregated procedure or does this depend on the company?

Kovac

Definitely true for a lot of the bigger companies, GCMP, but if you're looking at the smaller studios (not that many use UE3), we're always looking for well rounded people. I personally cover asset creation, exporting, level design/building, cascade, PHAT, animation tree work, lighting, matinee, and mild kismet stuff...basically everything an artist is able to work on without pissing off coders .

Of course I agree with vig that getting your art looking good in max and just throwing it in UE3 to show you know how to export it is most important, it can really look good to make a scene of the whole thing... such as creating an entire scene of your own assets at a small block of a gas station or whatever.

Xenobond

Crytek makes your normal maps look faster.

sprunghunt

Artists should import their own assets into the engine. Anything else is a recipie for disaster in my experience.

"It's not finished until it's in-game" is my motto.

Mark Dygert

"Art is never finished, its always abandoned in a near perfect state" heh

I agree that importing assets into a popular engine is something every artist should probably do once or twice and be familiar with. But I don't think they should center their training around it unless they want to use the editor every day. When someone says they want to "make assets" they should work on the skills that help them achieve that goal with just enough attention to the peripheral work to get it done.

Too many people get caught up in the how-to's and tutorials and end up wasting their time on skills they don't need or don't plan to use. It's important that people don't scatter their learning too thin and become a "jack of all trades, master of none".

With that said, Kovac hit the nail on the head. It really depends on the place and just about every place is different. Everyone understands that you won't know the pipeline inside and out on the first day but they hope that it will take an afternoon to fill in the holes instead of a week painstakingly going over every nut and bolt.

Long post short: Learn what you need to, but don't neglect your core skills.

Lee3dee

I'd learn Crytek as a hobby, but I'd focus on Unreal for job opportunities.

System

Thanks again guys, need to go get me a copy of Unreal sometime, watch some vids and start that editor :icon60: In the meantime, as suggested, will keep working on assets and worry about that stuff later.
Xenobond - What did you mean by Crytek making normal maps look faster?

Mark Dygert

Xenobond - What did you mean by Crytek making normal maps look faster

Same thing as painting anything red, especially your car will make it go faster and get better MPG. Whenand if gas hits $5 a gallon I'm going to start selling MPG kits that are nothing more then a spray can of red paint and a pamphlet that explains the risks and benefits of painting the windows red.

or was it black...

System

Hah, should have realised, I thought it was something to do with animation! Yes, the screenshots are quite staggering in quality and diversity of texture/lighting display that nothing seems to compare to the Cry engine, at least in my limited experience.

Filbot

UT3 Collectors Edition (Bundled with Tutorial DVDs) is $19.99 on the Target website right now. Can't beat getting the tools and the dvds for 20 bones.

Oneil

I shoulded read this post before posting mine. LOL. the info that I was looking for was here thanks Vig, as usuall. LOL

Neox

i remember a friend saying, ue3 is the whore everyone fucked with once in his life, so you can ask anyone he can tell you how to fuck that bitch

[HP]

Neox wrote: »

i remember a friend saying, ue3 is the whore everyone fucked with once in his life, so you can ask anyone he can tell you how to fuck that bitch

ah ah ah, that was hilarious, but yeah i totally agree with it!

About the CE2 vs UE3 thingie, I guess it all comes down to what style you are aiming to.
For instance, if you want to do "photo-realistic" kind of props, maybe it's a good idea to use CE2, everyone knows how realistic that engine can look.
On the other hand, if you'r looking to make something more high tech, a little bit more stylized with blooms and shit, maybe it's nice to use UE3.