Design is King
by Andy Hawkins · in General Discussion · 07/17/2006 (5:06 pm) · 13 replies
I've been hearing from a few people from various industries and while I thought the road to success in 3d animation and film is for one to focus on vocational skills ie learning particular popular packages, something rang true for me.
Weta said, they can train any monkey to push the right buttons to make a photorealistic glass, but it takes a special kinda person to make that glass look good - we want that person.
Pixar said that it doesn't matter what packages you can use now, because we have our own software that only people who work for us know how to use.
However, it's only my opinion, but from my experience of teaching 3d animation, blue screen techniques and games production, I found that the students were more interested in the end result than the skills required to get there.
For example when teaching games production I thought giving them a solid grounding in C++ and DirectX would ensure that they would be empowered with essential skills to be able to make games. However the way forward should have been to grab Unreal or Doom engine and teach them to mod that, allowing them to focus on the level design, art design and playability.
With the 3d animation and blue screen techniques I noticed that while I spent time with each student teaching them how to use the 3d application to generate particles, motion paths etc. when I left them they were stumped. In the end, their final productions only contained the technical bits I helped them with (and only those bits) with very little applied knowledge beyond that - it was too damn hard - because it is. What I should have done is given them a simple 3d package, a simple video editor and a simple comp package and let their creativity run wild.
So the moral of the story? Focus on your design skills (form, shape, concept, playability, use of space etc), not your 2d/3d application skills - if you can draw, you can draw, y' know? If you can't afford Max/Maya/Lightwave, and you want to be a 3d modeller, get Blender. If you want to be a texture artist and can't afford Photoshop, get GIMP. It's your portfolio that will land you that dream job, not the packages you know how to use.
Weta said, they can train any monkey to push the right buttons to make a photorealistic glass, but it takes a special kinda person to make that glass look good - we want that person.
Pixar said that it doesn't matter what packages you can use now, because we have our own software that only people who work for us know how to use.
However, it's only my opinion, but from my experience of teaching 3d animation, blue screen techniques and games production, I found that the students were more interested in the end result than the skills required to get there.
For example when teaching games production I thought giving them a solid grounding in C++ and DirectX would ensure that they would be empowered with essential skills to be able to make games. However the way forward should have been to grab Unreal or Doom engine and teach them to mod that, allowing them to focus on the level design, art design and playability.
With the 3d animation and blue screen techniques I noticed that while I spent time with each student teaching them how to use the 3d application to generate particles, motion paths etc. when I left them they were stumped. In the end, their final productions only contained the technical bits I helped them with (and only those bits) with very little applied knowledge beyond that - it was too damn hard - because it is. What I should have done is given them a simple 3d package, a simple video editor and a simple comp package and let their creativity run wild.
So the moral of the story? Focus on your design skills (form, shape, concept, playability, use of space etc), not your 2d/3d application skills - if you can draw, you can draw, y' know? If you can't afford Max/Maya/Lightwave, and you want to be a 3d modeller, get Blender. If you want to be a texture artist and can't afford Photoshop, get GIMP. It's your portfolio that will land you that dream job, not the packages you know how to use.
#2
When ever I looked at the portfolio of a person applying for an art job, I rarely read their resume, and always looked at the digital stuff after looking at any traditional basic stuff they had, even if it was just a handful of pencil sketches for some junior collage art class.
If I saw that they had some talent and a basic understanding of fundamental skills like composition, use of light and shadow, etc THEN I was interested in reading the resume and learning more about them.
Having said that, I know a couple of guys who have done very well as "technical artist", capitalizing on their detailed knowledge of various graphics packages, scripting, etc. They will never be the "great artist" (whatever that is), but they fill a niche that I could not fill.
07/17/2006 (6:10 pm)
Before going indi,When ever I looked at the portfolio of a person applying for an art job, I rarely read their resume, and always looked at the digital stuff after looking at any traditional basic stuff they had, even if it was just a handful of pencil sketches for some junior collage art class.
If I saw that they had some talent and a basic understanding of fundamental skills like composition, use of light and shadow, etc THEN I was interested in reading the resume and learning more about them.
Having said that, I know a couple of guys who have done very well as "technical artist", capitalizing on their detailed knowledge of various graphics packages, scripting, etc. They will never be the "great artist" (whatever that is), but they fill a niche that I could not fill.
#3
Art in games does not work on its own. It has to be incorporated in the whole to look good, feel good and run smoothly, and this is where the "boring knowledge" comes in handy.
For some reason I remember the story (urban legend?) about development process of Daikatana. They had essentially two groups of artists in company- ex-Quake-mappers and really creative bunch of artists from outside who had no real understanding of how games work. One of them was tasked to make a skin for arrow projectile and after a week presented really gorgeos skin... in ungodly resolution, he coulda printed it in glossy magazines. That for an object that whizzes past you in game as couple of pixels.
Well, thats an extreme example, but I think we shouldnt underestimate the importance of technical knowledge, because it could make or break the whole end experience after all.
07/17/2006 (10:26 pm)
Well.. on the whole its true.. kinda. The thing is, in gamedev that technical knowledge is essential to make stuff look good. There are limitations, workarounds and whatnot. I think that technical knowledge is really important, mostly because I dont think I possess a whole lot of it myself and it kicks me in the nudgers whenever I rush to google some tiny little piece of info.Art in games does not work on its own. It has to be incorporated in the whole to look good, feel good and run smoothly, and this is where the "boring knowledge" comes in handy.
For some reason I remember the story (urban legend?) about development process of Daikatana. They had essentially two groups of artists in company- ex-Quake-mappers and really creative bunch of artists from outside who had no real understanding of how games work. One of them was tasked to make a skin for arrow projectile and after a week presented really gorgeos skin... in ungodly resolution, he coulda printed it in glossy magazines. That for an object that whizzes past you in game as couple of pixels.
Well, thats an extreme example, but I think we shouldnt underestimate the importance of technical knowledge, because it could make or break the whole end experience after all.
#4
07/19/2006 (8:28 am)
Its not a lack of technical proficentcy Andy writes about, its the lack of creative flare or any sense of artist style that accompanies the focus on techical skill. In other words, its common to be technically advanced but stylistically challenged in game develpment. You, on the other hand, have a great sense of style but lack advanced technical know-how. Which puts you in a better postion. Anyone can be taught the technical end or find answers on the net, but Andy's point is you can't teach creativity or style to someone who doesn't already have that inclination. 
#5
Just as a matter of curiosity
From your teaching experience
Good 3d animators and good 3d modelers are also , generally speaking, good artists "tout court" , even using traditional tools , I mean?
Thanks in advance
07/22/2006 (3:41 am)
AndyJust as a matter of curiosity
From your teaching experience
Good 3d animators and good 3d modelers are also , generally speaking, good artists "tout court" , even using traditional tools , I mean?
Thanks in advance
#6
To get back to Andy's point: I think that it is much more helpful to learn fundamenal game development skills using an existing framework. This forces students to learn what makes a game fun rather than stuggle with basic technical hurdles. Case in point: I went to school for game design (well, computer art with a focus on games). Most of the classes were targeted at one particular app, like Maya, and only taught the ins-and-outs of the program. The problem with this is that they didnt lay down a framework for understanding 3d design. So many students were making some basic 3d mistakes (excessive poly-counts, etc.). It would have been way more helpful to teach how to generally model in 3d, rather than focus on one specific suite of tools.
Later in my studies I took a 'level design' course which was a bit more insightful. This class was focused on the design of a level from a gameplay point of view. The teacher wasn't even a game designer, he was a professional architect! So he taught us things like how to make your level flow, avoiding bottlenecks with a circular design, things like that. We were using the Unreal engine so we could easily prototype ideas in class, hit "run", and play the level right there without worrying about the technical aspects. I found that pretty much everyone had a great looking level to play at the end of the term. We even dedicated time at the end of the class so we could do a LAN game and fight each other in the levels we made. This was a lot more fun and because of that, seemed to be a more valuable learning experience.
And yes, Andy, nobody gets hired just because they have some impressive professional tools listed on their resume. People are going to look at the shots in your portfolio and make an assesment on that. The tools you use to make it are largely irrelevant as long as the end product is something amazing.
07/22/2006 (4:30 am)
I think that, in general, a good artist becomes so because of their appriciation for style and the visual aesthetic. This goes for digital media or traditional fine arts. Anyone can take a few figure drawing classes just as anyone can take a few seminars in in Maya. Really good artists will be able to use any tools at their disposal to produce compelling art. While there is a learning curve on the toolset, anyone can learn a program if they really wanted to. But some people, for whatever reason, seem to lack design sense or any understanding of color theory.To get back to Andy's point: I think that it is much more helpful to learn fundamenal game development skills using an existing framework. This forces students to learn what makes a game fun rather than stuggle with basic technical hurdles. Case in point: I went to school for game design (well, computer art with a focus on games). Most of the classes were targeted at one particular app, like Maya, and only taught the ins-and-outs of the program. The problem with this is that they didnt lay down a framework for understanding 3d design. So many students were making some basic 3d mistakes (excessive poly-counts, etc.). It would have been way more helpful to teach how to generally model in 3d, rather than focus on one specific suite of tools.
Later in my studies I took a 'level design' course which was a bit more insightful. This class was focused on the design of a level from a gameplay point of view. The teacher wasn't even a game designer, he was a professional architect! So he taught us things like how to make your level flow, avoiding bottlenecks with a circular design, things like that. We were using the Unreal engine so we could easily prototype ideas in class, hit "run", and play the level right there without worrying about the technical aspects. I found that pretty much everyone had a great looking level to play at the end of the term. We even dedicated time at the end of the class so we could do a LAN game and fight each other in the levels we made. This was a lot more fun and because of that, seemed to be a more valuable learning experience.
And yes, Andy, nobody gets hired just because they have some impressive professional tools listed on their resume. People are going to look at the shots in your portfolio and make an assesment on that. The tools you use to make it are largely irrelevant as long as the end product is something amazing.
#7
Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
07/26/2006 (7:30 am)
We've recently started hiring at a production company I work at and with anyone that sends me work, all I care about is their portfolio first, resume second. I can tell in two seconds whether or not I don't think the person is right for the project and/or team, so you artists keep this in mind. Make sure you diversify. I can't tell you how many portfolios I've received that have *only* a specific genre or kind of art. If you're really good at fantasy or sci-fi and you're looking to get hired, make sure you have 2-3 pieces of the 'other' genre anyway.Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
#8
Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
07/26/2006 (7:45 am)
We've recently started hiring at a production company I work at and with anyone that sends me work, all I care about is their portfolio first, resume second. I can tell in two seconds whether or not I don't think the person is right for the project and/or team, so you artists keep this in mind. Make sure you diversify. I can't tell you how many portfolios I've received that have *only* a specific genre or kind of art. If you're really good at fantasy or sci-fi and you're looking to get hired, make sure you have 2-3 pieces of the 'other' genre anyway.Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
#9
Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
07/26/2006 (7:51 am)
We've recently started hiring at a production company I work at and with anyone that sends me work, all I care about is their portfolio first, resume second. I can tell in two seconds whether or not I don't think the person is right for the project and/or team, so you artists keep this in mind. Make sure you diversify. I can't tell you how many portfolios I've received that have *only* a specific genre or kind of art. If you're really good at fantasy or sci-fi and you're looking to get hired, make sure you have 2-3 pieces of the 'other' genre anyway.Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
#10
Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
07/26/2006 (8:00 am)
We've recently started hiring at a production company I work at and with anyone that sends me work, all I care about is their portfolio first, resume second. I can tell in two seconds whether or not I don't think the person is right for the project and/or team, so you artists keep this in mind. Make sure you diversify. I can't tell you how many portfolios I've received that have *only* a specific genre or kind of art. If you're really good at fantasy or sci-fi and you're looking to get hired, make sure you have 2-3 pieces of the 'other' genre anyway.Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
#11
Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
07/26/2006 (8:03 am)
We've recently started hiring at a production company I work at and with anyone that sends me work, all I care about is their portfolio first, resume second. I can tell in two seconds whether or not I don't think the person is right for the project and/or team, so you artists keep this in mind. Make sure you diversify. I can't tell you how many portfolios I've received that have *only* a specific genre or kind of art. If you're really good at fantasy or sci-fi and you're looking to get hired, make sure you have 2-3 pieces of the 'other' genre anyway.Anyway, sorry for that little rant, but on another note, don't just send the portfolio. Write a cover letter and include your resume. If you're artwork is almost there and you didn't bother to write a cover letter I'm throwing your stuff in the reject bin.
From a student standpoint, the reason why I left school was because my teachers were so convinced that they knew how gaming should be taught, and they were so wrong. By the time I hit college, I had learned everything they wanted to teach me/could learn any software package they wanted to throw at me; it's a matter of creativity. It's also a matter of knowing what the hell you really want to do. I've seen a lot of 'three track' majors that split up courses into CG, web development, and gaming, and you CANNOT do that to an aspiring game developer. If you've got the game development bug, you know it, and you're not gonna stray from that path. Don't waste your students time and money. Let them mod Unreal or Doom3, (not Source), as a team and they will be much better off.
I'm so glad to hear you've realized this Andy Hawkins, it gives me hope. :)
#12
(PS - I think you've hit refresh a few times which accounts for the multiple posts - you can delete them using the trashcan icon.)
07/26/2006 (8:06 am)
@Ryan - thanks for the info - this is valuable information for those looking to apply for work/focusing on gaming. I'm always learning... I think some famous guy once said, "He who thinks he knows everything, knows nothing." I like that saying. It's humbling.(PS - I think you've hit refresh a few times which accounts for the multiple posts - you can delete them using the trashcan icon.)
#13
07/26/2006 (8:09 am)
Ease up on that Refresh button there Ryan. ;) 
Torque Owner N R Bharathae
As an artist you have to strike a balance between technical skill and true talent. Not having one or the other isn't going to get you anywhere. And if you favor the talent side of that equation then you're 50% ahead of the competition.
If you don't and you want in on game production or CG animation you'd better study art first and get a solid grip on what it means to create great imagery. The technical stuff will follow suit.