Modeling or animating?
polycounter lvl 12
I don't have much experience in this industry and I plan on further studying by going to VFS. I would like to know between modelers and animators who have it better off, amongst the two which one usually has a higher opportunity for finding a job. I know this may be a very "noob" question but please bare with me and I would just like some input form all of you more experience people out there that what would be better to specialize in.
Thanks
Thanks
Replies
The best way to increase your chances of getting a job in a specific field is your aptitude/passion for the field.
I would say I have more passion for making stuff too, though at the moment Im not very good at it. Then again I do not have much knowledge about animation, so I guess i should give animation a try, though I still feel that the idea of making things to be more appealing.
Its just that if im spending so much money on VFS, I would prefer doing something over there which gives me a greater chance of finding a job.
I would really appreciate it if you guys could check my website and critique my work. My knowledge of anatomy is very poor and I am currently studying anatomy, so thats one thing I know I need to learn. Other then that what do you guys think I should work on to improve.
http://www.m-marri.com/
It looks like you already have a good artistic foundation from your site. So in theory VFS should give you the time and drive to push further in modeling. But who knows, you might dabble in vfx or animation and like it more than modeling.
Job wise, Modeling and Animation is already a competitive market. But if your also technical that will give you an extra edge over others. Studios are always on the look out for Technical directors or Tech Artists. A good friend and classmate actually got hired before grad and became a Junior TD and Soon was working on Hulk, and Reciently District 9
Now what would you like to do Modelling or animating, in my eyes i think this is just a silly question destined to end in a argument ;D
Damn Americans! =]
As a hard surface modeller I love creating things, because anything in my imagination can come to life, as sad as it sounds.
I definately agree IEatApples though, you do struggle immensly telling the ladies that you create things in 3d haha.
Anyways be specific on where you want to go, having options is good but it could be detrimental to your knowlegde compared to someone applying for the same position.
A quote from Stephen Reid from NC soft, love what you do and do what you love!
Chaos there is a place called Escape Studios based in London which is suppose to have a good reputation, the guy from them came into my uni and spoke to us about it, not sure my opinion on it though. I do a course that covers most things anyway, film, animation, modeling etc, I always think its a good idea to have a brief understanding of as much as you can.
I think your modelling skills look pretty strong and there's alot of potential.
Having said that you may well have a great talent for animation.
So, going to school can help you figure it out. Ask the teachers and other students their opinion on where your talent lies.
And definately after a few months at school you'll have a clearer idea of where you want to go, but I would definately choose before the first year is up as you really want to push your time into your talent and passion.
Most people get turned off to animation at the rigging/skinning phase but don't start there. That takes another skill set and if you're an animator the technical side shouldn't be your first concern. Creating realistic believable motion should be your first.
Honestly, start with a bouncing ball and the 12 principles of animation as a rough guide, some flat out don't apply and they weren't delivered on clay tablets so don't think you have to hold to every last one.
If that goes well start with a prebuilt rig that animates well. There are tons floating around the 11second club resource page is a good place to start. If you're building a portfolio for games let me know what app you plan to use and I can suggest some really good rigs.
Learn to use whatever rig it is, and dig into the fun part of animation. Do some walk/run cycles, reactions to being hit, some push/pull. If you like it, then take a month or two to dig into the skinning/rigging side of things. If you can tolerate it long enough to get back to the fun stuff then you might just make it.
Or if none of it seems fun, go model.
http://www.vimeo.com/2537742
Also, dare i say modeling can get old? Well it can, it's nice to have other skills you can fall back on to keep things fresh from time to time.
Pic Relevant, its me, haha.
I was told by this frosty old cow on the end of the phone that I probably had a pirate copy of softimage and that I would n't be able to cope anyway.
way to sell the course to people missus. quite amusing really
Who cares...
Just say you're an Artist then, if you're not the other one. :P
You'll have a wider net so to speak the more skills you have (especially if you go freelance/contractor route later on). But if you're just starting out, no experience and all, I recommend just trying to land a specialist position at first (character artist, enviro artist, or combat animator, creature animator, sfx, etc.).
There are small companies that hire generalist under the title "3d artist" where you're basically a 1 man art department. Fun if you have the chops, looks impressive on your resume/reel but along with these pluses you may be dealing with a lot of annoying and boring tech related issues as well. Like taking care of bugs resulting from your work (both modelling and animations), stuff not exporting right into the engine, rigging/skinning fixes, finding alternative solutions to show particle or fluid animations in-game, etc. And since you're the de facto lead artist of the project, you'll be the one dealing directly with the lead software engineer. Significance of which is: you may need to do a lot of explaining to him or her what 3d solutions works or not for a particular bug (so it'll be an easy fix for you so you can go back to the fun stuff right away or at least let you leave the office early
Under a tight deadline, can you balance your creativity with tech support abilities? Maybe yes maybe no. If you're not sure it's best to get a year or two of actual production experience as a specialist before applying for the multi-role positions.
If you do get a specialist job, you can still freelance as an artist in areas that's not the same as your day job (prop modeller by day weapons animator by night etc.). Or offer your skills to non-profit mod teams, preferrably with loose deadlines, in case you're worried of violating your contract's non-compete clause.
This way, you build experience and folio materials for both skill sets. Maybe expand your network too.
Unless the girl in the bar is me ;D
The annoying thing is actually when I tell people what I do they're usually like "that's not work, that's just play". Could also look on that as a possible compliment too I guess.
Ok back to work.