someone could tell you that it is a handicap and you aren't a true artist or character modeler if you cant someone else might say it's nonsense and that every studio they worked at used base meshes if the goal is to get a job i think that it makes sense to try the path of least resistance first and only upgrade your…
I wouldn't say its time wasted, every application you make counts and most studio's really do keep your profile in their database for future opportunities. There is the perspective that a rejection means "portfolio is not good enough", "there are other artists better than you" and while this might be the case, its…
I was hired in my first AAA job as a character artist and my task was working on player heads for FIFA 23/FC 24 My coworkers came from a variety of backgrounds and all of them had different hiring experiences, from my lead who works on marvel/dc statues and came from a background in construction, to coworkers with…
Maybe the advice to focus on high poly with regards to automation taking care of much of the repetitive tasks was more specific to my case? I do think that since a lot of time is allocated to learning pipelines at the studio, it may be advantageous to streamline the more repetitive aspects of a workflow provided there's a…
I think at minimum, having a Linkedin and keeping it updated is a good thing to do. It's pretty much a database of searchable resumes where recruiters like to hang out, so it is helpful in that regard. You don't have to post a lot or try to "network" by commenting on things. Just have it, keep it updated, maybe post stuff…
Clothing and shaders you can learn about alongside anatomy. I expect you will be using Marvelous designer for clothing and shaders would start with substance painter for textures. While character creator (the software I recommend) would cover a lot of ground, you could also look into the metahuman workflow.…
Oof, that went to the bone, haha. It is true, though. I can't really look at things I make and not think they're dogshit. But it really is true I have many faults; I'm painfully aware of the things I just don't know properly enough to do anything good with. Although, when I think that my whole life is like that, I start…
Simulating clothing from Marvelous is great to get the clothing to fit. After that you can add more detail using zbrush's simulation and cloth brushes. Clothing simulation does require a proper base model, so that's where anatomy comes in but with focus on larger anatomical forms. This is why the emphasis on smaller forms…
I think the most cost and time efficient thing to do is to make models as good as you can and as often as you can bear, and gather as much feedback as you can (for free) from communities like this. Experienced professionals will give you in depth critiques for free! Some of those schools might give you a big leg up on…