So just a quick post since I have to head to class in a few minutes, but I thought I would briefly write a bit about games and what they mean to me as a student.
I have been playing video games since I was pretty young. I started with the jumpstart games, math blasters, where in the world was Carmen Sandiago, and moved up from there to Warcraft, Dark forces, and Tie Fighter. Needless to say I still to this day play video games, and love doing so whenever I get a free chance.
3 years into my education and what games are for me has drastically changed. Not only is it still a great way to relax, have fun with friends, or explore realistic or fictional worlds, but as of recent, it has turned into a great tool to study with. Having actually gotten my hands on both the UDK and the Source engine, I know what it takes on a small scale to get good results. That being said, looking at Gears of War, or Bioshock impresses me more now, than the first day I ever laid eyes on them.
The detail and quality of everything from the artwork, to the gameplay, style, pacing on a AAA game title these days is just incredible. In fact I would go as far to say not only do I appreciate it more now, but I notice more now. Knowing what detail normal maps are and how they can be used effectively doesn't make a game more fun, but knowing shader tricks means I spend just a few more minutes in a barren room looking for interesting textures, cool models, and neat particle effects.
My words to those who listen then, is this. Don't change why you game at all. Gaming should and is for fun (unless you get a job on that show The Tester), but every now and again take a solid look at the games you play. REALLY solid look. You might notice something that really impresses you, or gives you inspiration for a project of your own.
Anyway that is all for my morning thought process.
More later,
Alex
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
UDK, a learning tool and great community
Again, it has been a while since I have written, but I am proud to say I just finished my first project on a full team, working as the lead texture artist. That being said, in the last 6 months I have learned almost as much as I did in the last 2 years.
Most of that knowledge involves learning the value of smooth pipelines for assets, communication, and accepting responsibility for the job you are given. That aside (and probably more on that later), The project itself was developed, and finished in the UDK.
For those who do not know what those 3 letters stand for, I can explain a bit. The UDK stands for the Unreal Development Kit. It is a free (or close to free, assuming you don't make over around 5000$) version of the Unreal 3 (or more accurately 3.5) engine, by Epic Games. While you do not have everything that was used for such titles as Gears of War 2, you do have access to the full editor, all the scripting, and some of the source code, as well as a few complete unreal 3 levels, assets and everything.
Officially the UDK is still in it's beta phase, and is still being updated monthly by Epic. That being said, it is and has been fully functional for quite a while now. Most of the updates have just been new features and minor tweaks.
For my part in the project, I was responsible for learning a major part of the editor. Because I was inexperienced in that area, I set out to learn everything I could about the UDK, specifically what I was responsible for (the Material Editor, a tool responsible for combining texture maps into finished materials to apply to models).
Over the next 6 months I combed both written documentation, joined and became an active participant in the online community, and looked over every epic left for me to look at in the install files of the UDK.
Between the 3 of those I was able to learn quite a bit, more than most my fellow students and with that knowledge, help our team complete the game. My advice to those reading (if you are a student) is this:
Check out the UDK. It is a great tool, with awesome accessibility, and for the most part solid documentation. It gives you a great chance to learn how your 3d work gets into an engine, and to a certain extent, what goes on behind the scenes. On top of all that, the community, which is large and growing fast, is great. Within a few posts I was in contact with some of the best and brightest using the UDK, and was getting quality advice across the board. The last benefit is a great starting point to get involved in a project of your own. There are tons of Mod teams and indie games starting up and they are always looking for artists.
That's all for now. More later.
Alex
Most of that knowledge involves learning the value of smooth pipelines for assets, communication, and accepting responsibility for the job you are given. That aside (and probably more on that later), The project itself was developed, and finished in the UDK.
For those who do not know what those 3 letters stand for, I can explain a bit. The UDK stands for the Unreal Development Kit. It is a free (or close to free, assuming you don't make over around 5000$) version of the Unreal 3 (or more accurately 3.5) engine, by Epic Games. While you do not have everything that was used for such titles as Gears of War 2, you do have access to the full editor, all the scripting, and some of the source code, as well as a few complete unreal 3 levels, assets and everything.
Officially the UDK is still in it's beta phase, and is still being updated monthly by Epic. That being said, it is and has been fully functional for quite a while now. Most of the updates have just been new features and minor tweaks.
For my part in the project, I was responsible for learning a major part of the editor. Because I was inexperienced in that area, I set out to learn everything I could about the UDK, specifically what I was responsible for (the Material Editor, a tool responsible for combining texture maps into finished materials to apply to models).
Over the next 6 months I combed both written documentation, joined and became an active participant in the online community, and looked over every epic left for me to look at in the install files of the UDK.
Between the 3 of those I was able to learn quite a bit, more than most my fellow students and with that knowledge, help our team complete the game. My advice to those reading (if you are a student) is this:
Check out the UDK. It is a great tool, with awesome accessibility, and for the most part solid documentation. It gives you a great chance to learn how your 3d work gets into an engine, and to a certain extent, what goes on behind the scenes. On top of all that, the community, which is large and growing fast, is great. Within a few posts I was in contact with some of the best and brightest using the UDK, and was getting quality advice across the board. The last benefit is a great starting point to get involved in a project of your own. There are tons of Mod teams and indie games starting up and they are always looking for artists.
That's all for now. More later.
Alex
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Value of Visible Websites
Short post tonight,
I recently went in to talk to the career adviser at my school (I am in the process of preparing to look for internships, work, etc). Your website and your online portfolio represent your 3D work, and making sure it is visible properly when people see your website is vital.
Currently my site is a worst case example. I have my demo reel up, but it takes an extra click to get to my gallery, which is set up in a very poor icon view.
Ideally (and with my coming new design) my website will be completely visible to those who want to check it out. Since I am going to be pushing for more environment and 3d art when I get the design up, I want at least some of my work full represented the second someone goes to my page. From there, It should be clear what categories can be selected to be viewed (modeling, texturing, characters etc.)
I know this has been another short post but hopefully more will come soon. This has been a brief post just on things people (or non web designers) like myself might miss. I know I did and I want to make it easier for others reading this.
More Later
Alex
I recently went in to talk to the career adviser at my school (I am in the process of preparing to look for internships, work, etc). Your website and your online portfolio represent your 3D work, and making sure it is visible properly when people see your website is vital.
Currently my site is a worst case example. I have my demo reel up, but it takes an extra click to get to my gallery, which is set up in a very poor icon view.
Ideally (and with my coming new design) my website will be completely visible to those who want to check it out. Since I am going to be pushing for more environment and 3d art when I get the design up, I want at least some of my work full represented the second someone goes to my page. From there, It should be clear what categories can be selected to be viewed (modeling, texturing, characters etc.)
I know this has been another short post but hopefully more will come soon. This has been a brief post just on things people (or non web designers) like myself might miss. I know I did and I want to make it easier for others reading this.
More Later
Alex
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Update on me, plus some comments portfolio reels.
Hey Readers,
Its been a Long time since I last wrote, and hopefully I will be able to keep up more on my posts (school got the better of me for a whole term).
Since I last wrote, I have figured out exactly what I want to do once I graduate. I plan to become an environment artist. (Huzzah!). As of now, my blog will probably be more specific to what comes with that, but I still plan on posting as much as I can about entering the industry itself.
Since that decision was made, I have been making massive choices on how to best present myself. After talking to teachers, fellow students, industry professionals, as well checking out multiple websites and forums, I have been shown and discussed multiple ways to best show off environments.
Obviously at the basis of that profession, the key elements are modeling, unwrapping, lighting, texturing, but most importantly presenting all of those elements in finished, professionally done environments. That being said, there are tons of ways to do this. You can finish in engine environments and show off videos of play throughs (like using the UDK), you can make specific assets and show them off one by one or even in groups. You can also render out camera passes of whole environments modeled and textured in 3D programs, such as Maya, or Max.
After looking at my options, I had to decide between those three methods. While I am going to be in classes that will be helping me push both high quality 3D rendered environments in Maya, as well as a Level Design class using the Unreal Development Kit (more on that later I promise). I decided that high end environments are the way I plan to go.
Not only do I get the added benefit of having much more control over what I show, but I get to do it in a program I know, where content creation is done in the program in a relatively WYSIWYG way, instead of bringing assets in to another engine, getting it to work, AND mastering it to best show off your skill sets.
On top of all that, you also have a basic principle to go off of. Why show less when you can show more. With engines, there are limitations, but from what I have learned so far, it is better for an environment artist to show off more detail, more story, more character in your environment now, in your portfolio pieces, since theoretically there is no time crunch. When you get a job, you will be under pressure to get work finished as fast as possible. It strikes me as a smarter move to show the most you can now.
It currently is near the end of my break. I will write more in the next few days, and can say I have begun work on finishing up my primary environment piece. This next week will see more detail passes for modeling, more props to go in the scene, and a bit of unwrapping to prepare for the texturing I will be doing.
Night, and more soon.
Alex
Its been a Long time since I last wrote, and hopefully I will be able to keep up more on my posts (school got the better of me for a whole term).
Since I last wrote, I have figured out exactly what I want to do once I graduate. I plan to become an environment artist. (Huzzah!). As of now, my blog will probably be more specific to what comes with that, but I still plan on posting as much as I can about entering the industry itself.
Since that decision was made, I have been making massive choices on how to best present myself. After talking to teachers, fellow students, industry professionals, as well checking out multiple websites and forums, I have been shown and discussed multiple ways to best show off environments.
Obviously at the basis of that profession, the key elements are modeling, unwrapping, lighting, texturing, but most importantly presenting all of those elements in finished, professionally done environments. That being said, there are tons of ways to do this. You can finish in engine environments and show off videos of play throughs (like using the UDK), you can make specific assets and show them off one by one or even in groups. You can also render out camera passes of whole environments modeled and textured in 3D programs, such as Maya, or Max.
After looking at my options, I had to decide between those three methods. While I am going to be in classes that will be helping me push both high quality 3D rendered environments in Maya, as well as a Level Design class using the Unreal Development Kit (more on that later I promise). I decided that high end environments are the way I plan to go.
Not only do I get the added benefit of having much more control over what I show, but I get to do it in a program I know, where content creation is done in the program in a relatively WYSIWYG way, instead of bringing assets in to another engine, getting it to work, AND mastering it to best show off your skill sets.
On top of all that, you also have a basic principle to go off of. Why show less when you can show more. With engines, there are limitations, but from what I have learned so far, it is better for an environment artist to show off more detail, more story, more character in your environment now, in your portfolio pieces, since theoretically there is no time crunch. When you get a job, you will be under pressure to get work finished as fast as possible. It strikes me as a smarter move to show the most you can now.
It currently is near the end of my break. I will write more in the next few days, and can say I have begun work on finishing up my primary environment piece. This next week will see more detail passes for modeling, more props to go in the scene, and a bit of unwrapping to prepare for the texturing I will be doing.
Night, and more soon.
Alex
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Connections
Another Post, albeit one later than I would prefer, It is coming up to finals for me, and I am very engrossed. I would like to cover briefly the so informed topic of Connections. Everywhere, the topic is brought up to me, and as someone looking to go to GDC, obviously I have the topic on my mind.
The reason why I bring it up, is the saying "Its not what you know but who you know". I have heard many different takes on this saying, but I question it's accuracy. I do know some important people out there, and while yes its good to have that connection, I also spend some solid time furthering my portfolio. I just want to make sure everyone who hears that phrase thinks about it, before applying it to their own life. I personally have yet to make a final call, but instead go with the phrase, its not who you know, but also what you know.
The reason why I bring it up, is the saying "Its not what you know but who you know". I have heard many different takes on this saying, but I question it's accuracy. I do know some important people out there, and while yes its good to have that connection, I also spend some solid time furthering my portfolio. I just want to make sure everyone who hears that phrase thinks about it, before applying it to their own life. I personally have yet to make a final call, but instead go with the phrase, its not who you know, but also what you know.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
About me
So. First post as of well 10:30 on my Friday night (though I know its Thursday). I thought that when attempting to blog, it should be first noted who I am, where I am in my life, and what exactly I am going to blogging about.
My name first of all is Alexander Dracott. I am a current student at a trade school working towards a major that is officially called "Game Art and Design" though I am not sure what to make of it. As the title of this blog insinuates, I want to bring to light my opinions, experiences, advice, and lessons as a student attempting to break into field of gaming (as an artist, specifically). This isn't a blog to toot my own horn, but if anyone is interested in my work, go ahead and check out my website: www.tacticaldesignstudios.com (be warned it is quite new, my portfolio reel is not even up yet).
That, is who I am. As for where I am in the school, I am 21, and just starting my second year at the school with an intent to graduate within the next two years. I have passed the point of basic classes and I am currently at the very important point in my career (yes career has started even though I am just a student) where I need to start building connections, and improving my communication skills. I also wish to keep the uninformed, informed about my experiences progressing through school. This post is truly for all in the gaming business. Whether you are a high school student debating what to do, a retired employee looking to see what it is like for a new comer like me, another student in my position looking for advice, or even someone in the industry already attempting to find out just what it is like from our perspective given the current state of the industry around the world (and specifically in the United States, where I live).
For the most part, I plan on providing weekly or more regular updates on things I have discovered, and the experiences I am going through attempting to break into the industry. If anyone reading this has suggestions or corrections on incorrect assumptions on my part please please mention them. No one is ever done learning, especially me and I do not claim to be the end all be all of knowledge. I will make mistakes. Also importantly please keep in mind, this is my opinion and experiences. I don't question other people's opinions, and if your experiences have differed, tell me about them.
I'll probably enter a proper entry later, but for now, that is all I have. Off to apply for the GDC volunteer application :p more on that later.
Alex out.
My name first of all is Alexander Dracott. I am a current student at a trade school working towards a major that is officially called "Game Art and Design" though I am not sure what to make of it. As the title of this blog insinuates, I want to bring to light my opinions, experiences, advice, and lessons as a student attempting to break into field of gaming (as an artist, specifically). This isn't a blog to toot my own horn, but if anyone is interested in my work, go ahead and check out my website: www.tacticaldesignstudios.com (be warned it is quite new, my portfolio reel is not even up yet).
That, is who I am. As for where I am in the school, I am 21, and just starting my second year at the school with an intent to graduate within the next two years. I have passed the point of basic classes and I am currently at the very important point in my career (yes career has started even though I am just a student) where I need to start building connections, and improving my communication skills. I also wish to keep the uninformed, informed about my experiences progressing through school. This post is truly for all in the gaming business. Whether you are a high school student debating what to do, a retired employee looking to see what it is like for a new comer like me, another student in my position looking for advice, or even someone in the industry already attempting to find out just what it is like from our perspective given the current state of the industry around the world (and specifically in the United States, where I live).
For the most part, I plan on providing weekly or more regular updates on things I have discovered, and the experiences I am going through attempting to break into the industry. If anyone reading this has suggestions or corrections on incorrect assumptions on my part please please mention them. No one is ever done learning, especially me and I do not claim to be the end all be all of knowledge. I will make mistakes. Also importantly please keep in mind, this is my opinion and experiences. I don't question other people's opinions, and if your experiences have differed, tell me about them.
I'll probably enter a proper entry later, but for now, that is all I have. Off to apply for the GDC volunteer application :p more on that later.
Alex out.
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