Which 3d package and accreditation

thebeetle

Hi all,

Just finished an animation degree (BA) there was no 3d as part of the course. It was a traditional one. I decided I want to go into the games industry. So I have to choose which package I should learn.

I have heard Maya and 3D studio max and the ones the industry look for most. Are there any others ? Can you get accreditation for them. (For example, MCSE for microsoft) or is the games industry not intreseted in that ?

Thanks for your time.

Kwramm

accreditation, certificates, etc. don't matter - unlike the traditional IT world the 3D industry has stayed free of vendor specific certifications (thank god!). what matters is how good your art looks.

if you come from the animation side...keep in mind that there's also a lot of 2D animation being done for flash games, portables, etc.

Eric Chadwick

Yep, certification means nothing to us. Portfolio quality is king.

Some advice here that should help you.
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryGameIndustry

Opinions differ about exactly which software to use,
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryTools#Popularity
but having familiarity with one of the top two packages (Max or Maya) is a wise idea. If a studio doesn't use the tool you're familiar with, it will be pretty quick for you to learn the buttonology of their toolset.

ceebee

Get cracking on some rigging and animation. Or just use prerigged characters to practice your animations. I've heard XSI's animation is pretty snazzy, Blur seems to like it.

Fomori

I would start with Maya as it seems a bit more refined with animation than 3D Studio Max. You can learn Max after and whatever else. In the end it will just be about learning to get familiar with the interface as essentially they're all the same with keyframe animation when it comes to 3D.

Unfortunately because you want to get into games/CG you will have to learn to deal with motion capture software and things like Motionbuilder. But you never know you might like being half animator half animation technician.

Mark Dygert

Your accreditation is the proof you show in your portfolio. If you successfully show that you can merry your artistic talent with your technical know-how you shouldn't have a problem landing a job.