From a professional's point of view, what is the difference between a 3d touch up artist and an entry level 3d artist? Is this a good way to start in the industry? On average it's $15 an hour in the San Francisco bay area.
It wouldn't be the worst way. You would learn a lot about optimization I would assume and you'd be working with art directors and other artists, as well as QA people. If you can afford to live off 15/hr and want to start in that way, go right ahead. If you have the skill and education (or knowledge) to get you an entry level position though, go for that!
You also have to look at the size of said companies and see if thats where you want to be--if you want to work your way up the chain at a AAA company vs become an "every-man(/person)" at a smaller studio.
Something to keep in mind, while this may be an entry position the work can be quite difficult sometimes. You're essentially the garbageman tasked with cleaning up other people's poorly made work which can get very frustrating in the long haul.
I've done this before with a few clients and most of the time i ended up remaking the asset because the work was so far away from being useable that it wasnt worth the time messing around with it.
Though the exact nature of what you'd be touching up can vary from job to job so just something to consider.
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You also have to look at the size of said companies and see if thats where you want to be--if you want to work your way up the chain at a AAA company vs become an "every-man(/person)" at a smaller studio.
I've done this before with a few clients and most of the time i ended up remaking the asset because the work was so far away from being useable that it wasnt worth the time messing around with it.
Though the exact nature of what you'd be touching up can vary from job to job so just something to consider.