1:20 "How do you feel about just talking about our jobs for this podcast episode." "This again?" YES. It's so valuable to hear people's perspectives in the industry! I'm learning Maya and Substance to be an environment artist, but videos like this help me realize what exactly it is like to work in the field.
Following on an artist that dosen't specialize and stands out, I think Tyler Smith is deffinaltely a great example worth checking out. Btw, great chat! Keep up the good work!
That's interesting point to bring up Javier, because he definitely doesn't specialize in terms of technical skill but in terms of artistic skills and thematic choices he's very specialized and build up a library of assets for reuse/adaptation. (And he kicks ass doing so, he's amazing) So that's an interesting side of looking at this, thanks for bringing this up
Do I need to be good at programming or scripting to get into environment design or level design? What is the difference between environment artist and level designer?
Sorry for only picking up on this now, but great questions! So first question, you don't need any scripting or programming if you want to get into environment design, that's purely visual. However, if you want to get into level design that's where scripting is involved, since as a level designer you will get in touch with AI setup, Spawning AI, deciding the flow of them, etc.. so that's where scripting comes in handy. Second Question, Environment artists are focused purely on the visual side, so how something looks, the story it tells and if it's drawing the player in, in the right way. Level designers are more concerned with the flow of the player and how the area feels and plays. So where is the cover placed, what's the mood of this space (in terms of base shapes, an artist comes in and dresses them up) and is also concerned with combat in these area's. Hope this helps! - Timothy Dries
Great content guys. I am from India. The most of the game studios are just art outsourcing so most time you are creating props, highpoly-lowpoly bake. You don't get that much opportunity to work on environment like modular kits, lighting, texture selection, asset placement in engine.
Yeeeeah that was my assumption as well, but it seems that with games and their worlds getting bigger and bigger I've been hearing more stories about outsource or co-dev studios that are also helping to build the world now. So I think this will be a more common thing in the future :D Thanks for the reply! -Timothy Dries
Amazing podcast! Do you guys have an episode on how to begin as an environmental artist? Or how to transition into this field? For example I come from an architectural background and know still visualisation very well but don’t know how to transition into the field.
That's a really good question Rojanna, we don't have a resource specifically for that. But what I can say in your specific example it's more about optimisation of resources, so baking unique textures from a highpoly to a lowpoly object, using trimsheets to texture a lot of objects with one texture etc... We do have a resource database that holds a lot of great resources that might help you find your way tho. www.beyondextent.com/resource-database I hope it helps and good luck in your journey :D
I've been really interested in level art, and more specifically the implementation of 3D art assets to make go from blockout to final. I'm not necessarily interested in making the assets so much as utilizing them to create the environment. Does this job fall to the 3D artist, or level designer. I've talked to a lot of devs and it usually seems to be somewhere in between the two.
Thanks so much for the question. Some companies have dedicated level artists that do this, usually hidden underneath the "Environment Artist" or "3D artist" category, the quickest way to find out is by looking at the responsibilities that are usually posted in any job application :D A level designer is usually different, they are responsible for creating the base structure and functionality of the level and then artists come in to make it pretty. My personal opinion on the topic is that is will be very tricky to find a specific job opening that only does level art, usually this goes hand in hand with the creation of assets, unless you are working on massive worlds, like Ubisoft for example. Hope this helps! :D - Timothy Dries
This may be a rarer job, especially for an indie or AA studio. Triple A studios may have an opening for this but I’d recommend doing blockout and level design as well for more opportunities
Thank you for this great episode. I am for environments for games. self taught. however I don't have many local studios so at first I wonder if I should aim to be a generalist environment artist. meaning also learning a bit of animation and environments for films etc. What's a good way of learning art fundamentals as a 3d artist? should I practice any 2D skills? Thank you.
which software's is required for environment artist basically I was good at unreal engine and quixel bridge. is that both are enough for an environment artist
That entirely depends on what you want to do. If you just want to be a set dresser you can just use quixel bridge and Unreal Engine. If you want to be a foliage artist than a 3D modeling software, substance designer and painter, speedtree, and Unreal would all be necessary, if you want to be a prop artist almost all of the things I list below are required (except for Houdini), if you want to be a material artist you would be fine with just designer and painter and a 3D software, and if you want to be a tech artist you have to know all of the software below plus some programming in C++ and HLSL. All in all, it definitely doesn't hurt to be familiar with the following software: Substance designer, substance painter, 3dsmax/zbrush/maya/blender, marvelous designer, marmoset toolbag, speedtree, and if you have time, houdini.
Important? That's a good question. Hmmmn, I would say that anything that can give you a benefit compared to other people applying can potentially be important. It depends on a lot of factors HOW important it exactly is.
@@BeyondExtent Good insight. It's a matter of the intensity of the factors' importance rather than their importances, per se. I would expect somebody with a better portfolio to be picked and hired between two people that have the same educational backgrounds.
Not sure if this helps, but don't let the state of the industry get you down, there's a lot of people that are stilling getting amazing opportunities even at more junior levels, so keep it up, you got this! - Timothy
you got a job without being comfortable at baking? Im trying to perfect it because I thought its bare minimum and fundamental knowledge to get into the industry.
1:20 "How do you feel about just talking about our jobs for this podcast episode." "This again?"
YES. It's so valuable to hear people's perspectives in the industry! I'm learning Maya and Substance to be an environment artist, but videos like this help me realize what exactly it is like to work in the field.
Following on an artist that dosen't specialize and stands out, I think Tyler Smith is deffinaltely a great example worth checking out. Btw, great chat! Keep up the good work!
That's interesting point to bring up Javier, because he definitely doesn't specialize in terms of technical skill but in terms of artistic skills and thematic choices he's very specialized and build up a library of assets for reuse/adaptation.
(And he kicks ass doing so, he's amazing)
So that's an interesting side of looking at this, thanks for bringing this up
Do I need to be good at programming or scripting to get into environment design or level design?
What is the difference between environment artist and level designer?
Sorry for only picking up on this now, but great questions!
So first question, you don't need any scripting or programming if you want to get into environment design, that's purely visual. However, if you want to get into level design that's where scripting is involved, since as a level designer you will get in touch with AI setup, Spawning AI, deciding the flow of them, etc.. so that's where scripting comes in handy.
Second Question, Environment artists are focused purely on the visual side, so how something looks, the story it tells and if it's drawing the player in, in the right way.
Level designers are more concerned with the flow of the player and how the area feels and plays. So where is the cover placed, what's the mood of this space (in terms of base shapes, an artist comes in and dresses them up) and is also concerned with combat in these area's.
Hope this helps!
- Timothy Dries
Thankyou!
Great content guys. I am from India. The most of the game studios are just art outsourcing so most time you are creating props, highpoly-lowpoly bake. You don't get that much opportunity to work on environment like modular kits, lighting, texture selection, asset placement in engine.
Yeeeeah that was my assumption as well, but it seems that with games and their worlds getting bigger and bigger I've been hearing more stories about outsource or co-dev studios that are also helping to build the world now. So I think this will be a more common thing in the future :D
Thanks for the reply!
-Timothy Dries
Amazing podcast! Do you guys have an episode on how to begin as an environmental artist? Or how to transition into this field?
For example I come from an architectural background and know still visualisation very well but don’t know how to transition into the field.
That's a really good question Rojanna, we don't have a resource specifically for that. But what I can say in your specific example it's more about optimisation of resources, so baking unique textures from a highpoly to a lowpoly object, using trimsheets to texture a lot of objects with one texture etc...
We do have a resource database that holds a lot of great resources that might help you find your way tho.
www.beyondextent.com/resource-database
I hope it helps and good luck in your journey :D
Thanks for this podcast! A lot of interesting information.
Thanks so much Ruslan, glad you liked it! :D
- Timothy
Very nice talk, thank you for sharing it
This was so helpful, thank you guys so much!!
Thanks alot
Happy to help Flaml!
- Timothy Dries
I've been really interested in level art, and more specifically the implementation of 3D art assets to make go from blockout to final. I'm not necessarily interested in making the assets so much as utilizing them to create the environment. Does this job fall to the 3D artist, or level designer. I've talked to a lot of devs and it usually seems to be somewhere in between the two.
Thanks so much for the question.
Some companies have dedicated level artists that do this, usually hidden underneath the "Environment Artist" or "3D artist" category, the quickest way to find out is by looking at the responsibilities that are usually posted in any job application :D
A level designer is usually different, they are responsible for creating the base structure and functionality of the level and then artists come in to make it pretty.
My personal opinion on the topic is that is will be very tricky to find a specific job opening that only does level art, usually this goes hand in hand with the creation of assets, unless you are working on massive worlds, like Ubisoft for example.
Hope this helps! :D
- Timothy Dries
This may be a rarer job, especially for an indie or AA studio. Triple A studios may have an opening for this but I’d recommend doing blockout and level design as well for more opportunities
Thank you for this great episode.
I am for environments for games. self taught. however I don't have many local studios so at first I wonder if I should aim to be a generalist environment artist. meaning also learning a bit of animation and environments for films etc.
What's a good way of learning art fundamentals as a 3d artist? should I practice any 2D skills? Thank you.
very informative thanks
Should I be making random items(example: a power core of some sort)for environments as a 3d sculptor? Or just everyday objects?
Thanks this really helpful info ,
No problem, glad it was useful! :D
I didn't catch the name of the artist you mentioned around 45:00 (medieval houses/procedural)
Sorry for the late reply, but this is the person mentioned in the talk :D
www.artstation.com/pirat
- Timothy
thank you
You're welcome Dawson, glad you enjoyed it :D
which software's is required for environment artist basically I was good at unreal engine and quixel bridge. is that both are enough for an environment artist
That entirely depends on what you want to do. If you just want to be a set dresser you can just use quixel bridge and Unreal Engine. If you want to be a foliage artist than a 3D modeling software, substance designer and painter, speedtree, and Unreal would all be necessary, if you want to be a prop artist almost all of the things I list below are required (except for Houdini), if you want to be a material artist you would be fine with just designer and painter and a 3D software, and if you want to be a tech artist you have to know all of the software below plus some programming in C++ and HLSL.
All in all, it definitely doesn't hurt to be familiar with the following software: Substance designer, substance painter, 3dsmax/zbrush/maya/blender, marvelous designer, marmoset toolbag, speedtree, and if you have time, houdini.
does education certificate important to join as junior 3d enivronment artist at game industry ?
Important? That's a good question.
Hmmmn, I would say that anything that can give you a benefit compared to other people applying can potentially be important. It depends on a lot of factors HOW important it exactly is.
@@BeyondExtent Good insight. It's a matter of the intensity of the factors' importance rather than their importances, per se. I would expect somebody with a better portfolio to be picked and hired between two people that have the same educational backgrounds.
Who else is here because of the horrible state of the game industry right now? 😫
Not sure if this helps, but don't let the state of the industry get you down, there's a lot of people that are stilling getting amazing opportunities even at more junior levels, so keep it up, you got this!
- Timothy
you got a job without being comfortable at baking? Im trying to perfect it because I thought its bare minimum and fundamental knowledge to get into the industry.
way too confusing