Enviroment Artist

Andy3D · Jun 2007

Hello all,

your good friend Andy here,

i was just wondering some things about environment art because i really want to get into it

-are Environments all done all in a 3D app like 3Ds max?
-Is a environment artist the same thing as a level designer?
-Are enviroment artists required to unwrap and texture there maps/enviroments?

thanks if i have anyquestions i will edit this post, also, if you have any further information please inform me.

P.S sorry for all the extremely nooby questions

-Andy:)

Tulkamir · Jun 2007

Hey Andy, to answer your questions;

- Environments are done primarily in a 3D app like Max or Maya, however photoshop is used for textures usually, and depending on the engine used it may be built partially in an engine editor as well. (The editor would be used for things like BSPs, lighting, effects, etc... The modeling of any complex object would still be done in a 3D app)

-Not at all. A level designer creates gameplay and gameflow. They are basically designing what interactivity the user experiences in game. An environment artist makes models and textures to decorate the levels the designer creates. In some companies the lines to get blurred though.

-You bet they are.

Hope that helped.

Andy3D · Jun 2007

so an enviroment artist is a prop artist?

JordanW · Jun 2007

It can get really blurry like tulkamir said.

At one job you could be responsible for building the entire mesh of a level based on a given layout. You could be responsible for modeling it and texturing it. Lighting and laying out entities could also be a part of it. For the most part you could "own" the entire level.

At another job it could be more broken up, you could be responsible for lego blocks that a LD places in the level, like columns, arches, walls etc.

A good rule of thumb is if it has "artist" in the title you're going to be required to model, UV and texture.

Andy3D · Jun 2007

Awesome thank you very much

-Andy

Ghostscape · Jun 2007

Prop Artist can also get blurry.

I know at some places it can mean environment decorations, etc, but I'm a Prop Artist and I do things the player uses, weapons and items and pickups or whatever.

Andy3D · Jun 2007

so a prop artist is a weapon modeler with an extension ?

-Andy

Rhinokey · Jun 2007

the answer you seek is "the industry is not unified titles may vary drasticly between companys." learn to do what you want to do for a living, then when you look for jobs read the descriptions and they will tell you if it aplys to you.

Ryno · Jun 2007

Sometimes there will be a seperation between level artist and prop artist, but not always. These are generally different jobs from a level designer position. Some level artists will follow the overall rough design (think boxes) that the designer has mapped out. They will add terrain, large features such as buildings, mountains, whatever, then may place smaller prop assets that the prop artist makes. They'd probably handle lighting, and making sure that everything tied together as a cohesive whole.

Mark Dygert · Jun 2007

[ QUOTE ]
so an environment artist is a prop artist?

[/ QUOTE ]
Sometimes. It really depends on the studio. The bigger the studio the more fractured and specialized everyone tends to be, but not always. In some places environmental artists make their own props in other places that is the job of a specialized prop artist.

Michael Knubben · Jun 2007

You guys, would you be kind enough to condense it into a single sentence?

So Prop modelers are blurry?

motives · Jun 2007

easy

environment artists = awesome

sinistergfx · Jun 2007

Agreed.

indian_boy · Jul 2007

i hope u don't mind me invading this thread with a question of my own?

how do environment artists set up their UV maps. i see some really weird UV maps when i open environment texture files, so how exactly does that stuff work? and how do u set up tiling on a plane surface with only one large face?

just wondering some stuff which was kinda related to the topic at hand.

thanks

Xenobond · Jul 2007

You can uv map faces outside of the 0-1 box in the edit uv window. Everything outside of it will tile.

adam · Jul 2007

One sentence: Your focus is the games environment.

The most important thing to remember is that the title of 'environment artist' will be associated to different tasks from company to company.

In vain of what Rhinokey said, pick an aspect of the art you enjoy and learn that to the bes of your ability. When the time comes that you believe you're ready to work some where with that skillset, just look for it in the job descriptions.

Some good advice on this already.

Enviroment Artist

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