[Portfolio] Any ideas how to improve?
polycounter lvl 6
Hey guys, just finished uni now im really trying to get into the industry been sending a lot of CV's off and getting no reply's, so i just wanted to check from the pros if my portfolio is alright, i think it needs some high quality renders of individual assets for one thing but im not sure of the best method for going about it, any crits would be great, thanks guys 
:thumbup:
Port: http://www.msouthall.com
:thumbup:Port: http://www.msouthall.com
Replies
In general the environments seem a bit flat, try and add a bit of contrast into them or something.
Here's a quick paintover I did of the church in PS (just added a gradient map, could pretty easily implement this in engine with UDK's color grading):
Original:
the exception being temple grounds scene which feels more modern but it also blinds my eyes with its ultra bloom fest.
another thing is photosourced doors, they stick out since they look quite different from other textures.
@mystichobo : thanks for taking the time there with the paint over, looks like a pretty cool effect. might need to Google gradient maps :P
@ivanzu : yeah that's really all i have though at the minute, working on another piece but its large project so im not sure weather to make a smaller environment that's not going to be soo taxing hmmmmm.
1) Get rid of all the unecessary social networking links, leave professional services such as LinkedIn, Resume, Contact info on there.
2) The Max,UDK,PS icons on your large thumbnails are distracting, make them smaller or get rid of them completely. You can state what programs you used easily on the break down pages.
Outside of that, looks good, just need to push your environments and keep your top shots on the front page. Good luck!
at the minute im working on light the church and just improving in general, think iv got already got much better lighting using the grading feature.
I agree with what other people are saying about improving what you have up there now. But one gripe I have with your portfolio is that its just...forgettable. Not to say the quality is necessarily bad on anything, its really not...but nothing resonates with me after seeing your portfolio.
Try to work on an environment that hasn't been seen 100s of times before...something that people will remember. The rage inspired one is my favorite so far...but its not finished.
That being said, I don't think your portfolio is too bad, you've proven that you know the basics...now you need to push it to get peoples attention.
I think the tea garden is looking much too washed out and too bright. Some of the details are getting lost.
Your site layout is fine; no gripes with that. Everything's arranged nicely and easy to get to from what I see.
One nitpick I have is with how you present your wireframes on your presentation shots. You might want to have the wireframe overlay on the actual 3D model next to the beauty shot of the model so it's easier to see how the wires correspond to the model.
Overall not bad at all. Just keep plugging away!
thanks for the comment yeah i need to really work on these pieces, btw Ur fantasy environment looks amazing!!
Im using grading to try and change the look but i cant achieve my desired result:(
Something that would sell it too, I think, would be the adding of a dominant directional light (night time one) over the top right of the church. A bright moon in that large gap with the moon light hitting the church in a sweet way would totally improve it IMO
The same with the outside of the church; you have a moon there, it would be casting a brighter light than it is now
Here's a tutorial on creating an animated skydome that you might find helpful:
http://juarez3d.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/tutorial_animated_skydome_v1-3.pdf
Good work overall, its just polishing that needs to be done!
http://msouthall.com/
you might wanna to tell us why .
thank you
What engine are you usung to light this?
Btw here's a decent ref:
http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/light.htm
Maybe remove all textures, and light it with a 50% grey material applied. This will help calibrate your lights.
If the levels look wrong after that, it's maybe your textures/materials.
JacqueChoi @ yeah im using UDK.
lighting isn't really my strong point i know that, but what are the areas where my lighting needs to improve?
i thought the overall lighting was much better more contrast compared to the original desaturated image but where am i going wrong?
That sounds like a lot of work. Just look at other peoples lighting, see why it's good, look at yours, see why it's bad, adjust. That's all I can really say without putting effort but it's a good starting place.
Edit: didn't realize I already replied to that...