#eatamonsta

[rixuart]

Thank-you so much for responding! I do have some more questions for you, but I just really wanted to say thank you for taking the time to respond. I did not expect such a great response! My first question, did you ever try 3D modeling before you went to college? What program did you start off on? How is it getting into 3D modeling? If you were to work for any video game company what company would it be? I can't thank you enough for taking the time to answer my questions. =D

you’re very welcome! ^^ i’m glad that my response was helpful to you!

i actually didn’t try any 3D modeling before i went to college. at first i wanted to be a character concept artist when i started out, but after i started 3D modeling, i switched gears to wanting to be a 3D prop modeler instead!

i started out in 3ds Max, and i still use it, and i worked a little bit in Maya. getting into 3D modeling was actually very fun and exciting, although the programs are a bit intimidating when you first start out. however, like a lot of things in this world, the more i used it the more comfortable i got at working in it. now i’m cranking out models left and right with ease, even if i am still learning.

as for which company i want to work for…there are quit a few. i have a list, but my top five would be Carbine Studios, Naughty Dog, Riot Games, Telltale Games, or Valve Corporation. they’re all really good companies to actually work for and they also make a lot of games that i like.

[rixuart]

Hello my name is Jesse, I saw that you do some 3D modeling. I'm an inspiring 3D environmental artist and have a few questions. First off, where do you seek inspiration from mostly when modeling? What are some tips for an inspiring 3D artist? Thank you for answering, I may have more questions.

hey there! ask as many questions as you need, i really like helping people if i can! ^^

as for actually answering your questions, i gain a lot of inspiration from video games that already exist; wildstar, legend of zelda, indie games, etc. i also gain inspiration from a lot of lore and fairy tales. basically anything that interests me becomes an inspiration. when i gain inspiration from video games i try to see if i can mimic that style, or if i can turn that style into something else (ex. turning something stylized into something realistic and vice versa)

some tips would be something that i do: compare your models and textures to actual video game artists’ work and never stop modeling—and keep pushing yourself outside the box or what is normal/comfortable to you. look at A LOT of video game models. study how they worked the edge loops and how they constructed a particular object. is it all one mesh or is it multiple meshes? what would their reasoning behind it being that way be? is it stationary or will it be animated? is it an object someone will only see at a quick glance when playing or is it something important that the player will have to interact with? the triangle/poly count and silhouette differs because of these reasons, as well as the texture resolution a lot of times.

i would also keep in mind the difference between a portfolio piece and a game piece. portfolio pieces should be made to show what you’re capable of when pushing your limits and a game piece is what will work within the game’s engine, with it’s surrounding environment, without overloading the fps on either consoles or computers.

also, visit websites like polycount.com and turbosquid.com; polycount to interact with other 3D artists of varying skill sets (beginner to professional—i need to get a lot better at doing this too) and turbosquid is a good place to go to if you want to download a couple free models and textures to see how they made it. study the model and its unwrap and see if there are ways you can even make it better or improve on it.

whoo! i got a little long-winded there! XD i really hope this helps you out though! if anything i said doesn’t make sense to you please go ahead and ask me about it! i’m not very good at explaining things through words (i’ve been told this many times so i do apologize) and i’m much better at explaining them through pictures.

good luck to you in your 3D modeling!

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tl;dr - go outside your comfort zone to improve, study actual video game models, visit 3D modeling websites like polycount and turbosquid, and model EVERY DAY