For this task I need to look up area I think I’m interested
in working in. This is something that I have not been thinking about much, like
I know I want to work as a game artist but there are many different paths I
could go down, it could be for character design, environments, or concept but
from the work I have been doing I think I could be good as an environment
artist or concept artist because I like drawing and painting, landscapes and
building. I also really like working in 3D but what I really love about the idea
is that I could be creating a complete new world and that to me just sounds
amazing. So just for this I decided that I’m going to be looking into
environment artist and see what they have to do, what it takes to an
environment artist, and what problems they may come across.
What is an
environment artist and what do they do?
An environment artist is someone who will make a concept for
a level or environment or take one that someone else has made and turn it into
a 3D level by creating the assets and layout that will make it fun for the
players but there is more to it than that. They will have to work like lighting
and post-processing that has a huge impact on the game as a whole. They will
have to texture the models as well to make them applying to the player. They
will have to be working in a team. They will have to work together to come up
with ideas and help each other to meet deadlines that they have been set for
them.
What is takes to
be an environment artist
There are many different skills that you need to become an
environment artist. The most important is that you know how to use 3D software
to create assets and props but It is not all about the modelling; it is also
about how well you can create textures, so artist need to know how to use
software like Photoshop because a lot of the time a very well made 3d model can
come out bad if the texture has had not much time spent on it. Good textures
can help with the visual storytelling and composition of your scene. Things
like better transitions between your materials so when moving around the level
there are no clear lines showing where textures change. Unique spec maps that
make textures stand out more and do not take up as much memoire as it would if
model that way. Proper dirt and grime overlays, that can show wear a tear on
different types of assets and props. It will all improve the visual impact of
your scene by a big amount.
An environment artist also needs to be very organised
because when it comes to working in 3D there many things that need to be named
from the model itself, to all the texture files that are created to go along
with the model. So if it is given to another artist they can see what
everything dose and they don’t waste any time or if is trying to be imported
into a game engine and there is something wrong they could do a quick fix what
will save time and having it all named right could help them find the problem.
Time management is something that an environment
needs to have because to make sure they are spending the right amount of time
on the different areas of their work to get it done that move onto there next
task they have been sent to do.
What are some of
the problems that an environment will have to fix?
Environment artist will face many problems that they will
have to overcome and fix and this can only be done by the skills and knowledge
of the environment artist. They may have to create an asset for a level but may
be limited to how many polygons they can use; having a good understating of 3D
and form can help with this and will allow them to do it without taking too
much time to do it. Another problem is making sure that the level is fun and
works but also matches the original concept because if it doesn’t it could make
the player fell out of place, so if a level is set in a dark cave they have to
make sure it stays that way, all the way throw and not have any pretty,
colourful flowers just randomly in there at some point because that would spoil
the experiences for them.
A lot of the problems that an environment artist come
across, they may not be able to fix that is why working in a team is very good
so they can go to someone else who may what to do. This is good because then
less time is wasted by that one person trying to fix it on their own.
What I think
By looking in to what an environment artist is now, it does
sound a lot like what I would like to do in the games industry. I really do
like working in 3D making assets and props but I know I still got a lot of
things to learn before I can start working in the game industry.
Websites used
http://getinmedia.com/careers/environment-artist
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