A portfolio quandary.

Steve Schulze

Hey guys.
I've asked a few people this already but have yet to reach any real consensus. I'm currently knocking together a portfolio before going job hunting for something a little more next-gen. I'm currently working at a studio primarily on DS and PSP stuff. I've got a few nice pieces that I've put together in a professional capacity, but they are all very low in the polygon and texture resolution departments. My question is: Do you think it's worth having any of this stuff on a portfolio if I was looking at studios that develop Xbox, PS3 or PC titles?

Sage

I think it's important to show off what you have done at your previous job provided that the quality is good, which I'm sure it is in your case. I have had potential employers wanting to see what I have done for previous employers. However it won't be enough to get you a job which you already know. I would show more current gen (next gen) stuff that is relevant to the position you are applying for and have some of the professional work in there since it would show that you can work within strict restrictions and can texture, but just a few pieces.

Alex

Eric Chadwick

If you had a bunch of lower-res stuff, that was extremely high quality (top-notch topology and awesome texturing), plus you had a single quality high-res sculpt, that would be enough for me to see you had the potential to rock and roll. But... if another applicant had similar artistic skill but it was all high-res stuff, then the job would probably go to them.

I say submit what you have, and keep updating your site with new high-poly pieces. Every month or so when you have stuff to show, re-submit. Puts you on the top of the pile again, and shows you have new work to evaluate.

SHEPEIRO

YES- those skills apply to next-gen, but its getting more specialised as more applicants are becoming speciallised.

Ott

Knowing how to texture, create shaders, model effeciently, UVWMap, be professional, have experience, present well.....these are all skills that an established portfolio will show, regardless of the target platform for that studio. I agree that having a couple really nice "This-Gen" - and next - quality stuff would be a benifit, but don't assume that you would need to have a portfolio full of that and not show your old stuff.

Joshua Stubbles

I got my job with a pretty old portfolio. 1-2 crappy normal mapped assets (which I should farken redo), and a bunch of stuff from the last PS2/Xbox title I worked on. Regardless of how powerful modern consoles are, knowing optimization is ALWAYS a good thing.

If you're looking for something a lot more high end in terms of graphics (ID, Epic, for instance), then I would suggest much less lower end and as much high end content as you have. Afterall, those studios are not hiring you to make pong.

Steve Schulze

Thats a pity. I could probably handle a next gen Pong bat.

Thanks guys, you're making me feel a bit less apprehensive about this whole business. Time to get that portfolio sorted.