[Portfolio] Vcortis, Modeler/Texturer *urgent

vcortis · Mar 2010

Hey guys, since I've been here last August you've all been incredibly helpful and I need your help once again! I'm going to GDC next week and I am running out of time and need to start burning demo reels and print offs.

Please critique my Demo Reel, and Website/Content. I am looking for a job specifically as an Environment Artist who can dabble in Character stuff (also show I can make statues etc.)

Your help is greatly appreciated!

http://victorcortis.com

I'm in the process of updating my shot breakdown and resume, but was waiting until I heard some critiques first. At the moment I'm unsure if I should add more texture sheet/UV stuff or if I can just put that on my website for them to look at.

cholden · Mar 2010

The Temple is your strongest piece followed by the Bonsai Tree.

Your character work looks like characters made by someone that doesn't know how to make characters. As in, you could learn, but it's not at the level of someone that specializes in them. This may more draw attention away from your good, environment pieces. For example, the merc guy's joints are all destroyed by the pose like rubber hoses bent instead of joints. It's those "ew" moments that'll be remembered more than how dope your temple was.

I'd remove all wips

Unless they are really outstanding, life drawings don't add anything. My mom and brother can lifedraw just as well as anyone, but that doesn't put them up for any position considerations.

It seems like this would cut your content down, but having the variety of three piece showing fantasy, realism and natural environments presents you in a more positive light.

Laughing_Bun · Mar 2010

My main crit is that for a demo reel you have your best piece (the temple) as static images. You should do a simple fly through of it at least. Your character work is decent, but its also the most uninteresting part of the reel, So you may want to get rid of it...not sure. But the rest of your stuff looks good. The texture sheets are pretty much pointless in a demo reel, but if you want to display some 2d work make the picture span the whole video and scroll across so you can actually see whats on it.

vcortis · Mar 2010

Alright great points so far! As for fly through should I do it through UDK or Maya? And just so I have it straight I should remove all the characters, and just have the environments in Maya/UDK? I should note that the main reason the characters look like that is because they are not rigged, and just posed in Zbrush which gives that wirehose feeling

Texture sheets or no texture sheets?

Edit: Just finished porting my Alley over to UDK so I'll be adding this into my reel I think...

alexk · Mar 2010

You should definetly continue to port your temple and tree into udk. Don't forget to bake the lighting, the alley shot seems like its missing some shadows.. like the props on the ground.

I think you should show textures if you know you did a good job on them

Not just to show your work on the diffuse but also efficiency in the UV packing and size choices, and where you used tiles and where you used uniques

I also agree with removing all the character work, wips and paintings. And I would just commit to being an environment artist. I think presenting your self to potential employers at GDC as an enviro artist would be more effective than "environment artist who dabbles in character art"

vcortis · Mar 2010

Alright great info Alexk. I'll pick my best textures out. See if I can't fix the lighting on the alley with the shadows... and remove the not so great work I have lol.

So right now I'm thinking for my new reel...

Temple Scene in Maya walkthrough. Followed by still screengrabs from UDK and texture sheets.

Turntable of Tree, followed by UDK screengrab and texture sheets.

Then Turntable of Alley, followed by UDK screengrab and texture sheets.

How's that sound? Think it'll be good enough to get a few nibbles of interest?

roosterMAP · Mar 2010

you got some very impressive work there! However, on your site you should have separate pics of your models, just in case a potential employer is too lazy to look at the entire demo real.

JaySmitt · Mar 2010

I feel as if the demo reel takes to long to go through your 3D scenes I think they need breaking down a little so it's more quicker, I also don't think it's such a good idea to show your traditional work in small boxes in the end; I'd suggest your traditional art is a full shot that fades in and out of each piece for only a few seconds. But yeah work wise I think your scenes are great.

warby · Mar 2010

i like your stuff alto reminds me of the locations of uncharetd 2 alot

i am sure you'll find a job with that reel !

Mark Dygert · Mar 2010

Loverly stuff, that temple is rockin.

I think the character stuff is hurting you, it also leads off with its weakest image in your gallery, a wireframe of the low poly. Probably start off with a beauty shot and then show the breakdowns?

I'm not sure the Ancient Mercenary is a good piece to have in there, it looks pretty stiff and has a lot of surface noise and the overall shapes are kind muddled and lost.

Rurouni Strife · Mar 2010

I'd think about leaving the gargoyle in. It looks pretty nice, and overall while I love the merc, the Gargoyle looks right while the merc isn't. It is probably part posing.

Anyway, from a video editing perspective, I'd attempt to avoid stills as much as you can with the temple. Everything else that is 3D has movement, your temple doesn't. Why? To lazy to render? I know your not but maybe someone would think that? If your pressed for time, try to use Unreal for the movement and search for a screen capture software.

Your traditional art? Eh I like it but I also think your a kick ass artist. Depends on what the polycount vote is. I feel that it could be better to have it on say an iTouch or iPhone as a seprate video or slide show vs a 3D Reel. But I don't see it harming you if you left it in.

Good luck at GDC Vic, I'm serious. Naughty Dog!!! Show them that Temple!

Karmageddon · Mar 2010

I'd recommend cutting down the time on your reel to about 1 minute long. I know it sucks to pour yourself into a project and only display it for a short amount of time but I think a long short could end up boring those who review your work. Seems like the suggestions here are to remove the characters and drawings and show just environment so cutting down the time shouldn't be too difficult.
Just as a bonus tip, maybe have your name and contact info at the bottom of the screen the entire reel.
Also make sure you have a printed portfolio on you at GDC. Business cards are a plus as well.

Feel free to meet with me; we are neighbors. I really like your work

vcortis · Mar 2010

Thanks Everyone, I'm in the process of rendering out the temple scene in Maya for a 10 second walk through.

I'm going to ditch all the characters, afterall I'm going to be applying for
environment artist positions.

The 2d traditional art I will keep hidden from employees unless they ask about it.

My new reel (whenever I'm done renedering) will lead with with the Temple, then Tree, then Alley. Starting with Maya Beauty Render/Wireframe, then UDK Screen Grabs, and finaly maybe a few texture sheet/props.

That'll probably cut the time down to 1:30 or less. It may be another late night and late update though...

Vig: You make a good point with the wireframe/beauty shot thing. Should I reverse it in my demo reel too? Start with Beauty then move to wireframe?

Zilk: Thanks for the tips, I'll probably try to meet up with the other polycounters for a bit at GDC

I'm not in WA, right now unfortunately... although I wish I was

ExevaloN · Mar 2010

Have you also tried putting in some ambient music or something else? It helps set the mood and move it.

vcortis · Mar 2010

I had some Mozart in my earlier ones. I'm just cautious about putting anything in then because I know that no sound doesn't offend anyone, but sometimes certain songs just rub people the wrong way.

If anyone has suggestions of demo reel eleveator music let me know lol

Reverenddevil · Mar 2010

Hey man, the temple is your strongest piece as a lot of people have said. I would keep the 2 characters but not in the current state. I would re work them with a stone texture and use them as statues, especially that gargoyle. Chunk it up, crack it give it a cool bronze or stone feel. That kind of stuff fits perfectly into environment art. The anatomy does not neccesarily need to be spot on. Just use it as a prop piece.

I would also have your images be the first thing. I want to see what you're showing me, then if I am interested I can view the reel.

Good luck.

Rurouni Strife · Mar 2010

Music: Fuck the Pain Away by Peaches. That'll offend no one and it's great music too!!!

No seriously. Do it....:)

vcortis · Mar 2010

Hey here is my updated reel

[ame]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzbQDeYQNM[/ame]

Still updating my website...

System · Mar 2010

Nice portfolio

Only thing I can say is that your work seems to be very dark and moody, not saying that's a bad thing but it would be nice to see something brighter and a bit happier.

ExevaloN · Mar 2010

What Reverenddevil said about the characters being used as prop pieces in the form of statues is genius. It keeps it in the demo reel, displays your character work but also shows you can work props to a good degree.

vcortis · Mar 2010

Yeah I think I might rework them and put them on my website as that... I was fulling around with that yesterday for a bit, but didn't want to focus too much on it. If I have time I'll put them in and if not then they'll just be on my website.

Laughing_Bun · Mar 2010

huge improvement in the new reel. Everything looks a lot more cohesive. I also think the statue idea is a good one.

vcortis · Mar 2010

Thanks, also just got back from kinkos getting stuff made for GDC... only took me 4 HOURS!!!!! Kinkos printers have some crazy inability to print what's on the screen and actually make it look like that. When my black and white images were coming out yellow I knew something was up lol...

cholden · Mar 2010

nice update. Adding that fly-through and UDK version fo the alley was a good move.

vcortis · Mar 2010

Thanks Cholden, really appreciate the help you've given. Your website is awesome btw.

[Portfolio] Vcortis, Modeler/Texturer *urgent

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