David M is a 3D Model Artist with game developer, Tantalus.
What do you do?
I build 3D models mainly for level art environments to work within the game.
On a typical day, I would get an art resource from the Art Director or other reference material for building a 3 D model and texturing a 3D model. Once it's completed, I hand it off to the next stage, which may be animation or just for testing straight into the game engine.
What I do depends on the day. I do other art tasks which may come up, such as logos or maps or user interfaces, although I don't seem to do this now so much as previously. With the bigger team, it's mainly just the modeling and texturing.
The size of the team depends on the project, I work with a level designer who gives me a 2D or 3D level layout which then needs to have 3d assets created to match, using concept art or other reference material, in conjunction with other artists and the art director, those 3d assets are created. I then work with animators if I need to and also with the programmers as well after I've done my part, just to make sure it's all working when it gets to that next stage.
How did you get to where you are today?
I went the long way around. After high school, I did a one year Art and Design course, which included some photography and fine art - in fact, pretty much the whole range of arts. This led me to Monash Uni where I did Visual Communication. This ranged from fine art to drawing and photography, all the way to digital video and audio and 3D modeling. It was here I realized that this is actually what I wanted to do. I got into an honours year in that course, and here I created a video game from scratch with the help from a lot of other people. After I left university, I went into graphic design. My 2D skills eventually got me a job here at Tantalus doing Game Boy Advanced stuff. Along the way, I was always developing my 3D model skills.
I now work on different platforms. I do 2D work on some and 3D work on others. When I first started, the technology restraints were such with Game Boy Advance, a lot of it was 2D work. I'd draw a whole 2D background and that would go in the game engine. Nowadays, the process is similar, but we use a lot of 3D assets to develop those worlds. The technology can handle it.
What skills are necessary for you to do your job?
You need both 2D and 3D skills. You basically need to know a 3D package, and you need to know how to model a 3D object.
You need to know a 2D package like Photoshop so you can draw the textures that will be applied to a 3D model. Above that, you just need the basic technology skills in the use of computers.
There are a lot of in-house tools that we need to learn, so if you are not comfortable learning new applications, that could be a bit of a problem. And working with a team. When we build something, it goes off to someone else but you don't just hand it off, you do need to work with them to make sure the next step works and they understand how you've done what you've done, and really to make sure it all works.
This is my first job in the games industry. I did graphicsdesign for about a year and half. I was looking for jobs in the games industry at the time pretty unsuccessfully until I got my first 2D job here.
How important was your education/training?
My education was pretty important because it allowed me to experiment and know what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, my education only helped the 2D art. The 3D side came a lot later. The major thing was actually getting a folio together, which is almost a hundred percent essential for a job in this industry. Spending a couple of years developing that and getting the resources of teachers and other students. All of the advice you get is invaluable really.
Where do you see your career going?
I think I'll always stay in art - or at least in this point in my life. I'm really enjoying the art aspect of it. I don't want a management-type position. So, really just bigger and better games I think. One of those games where I can say "I worked on that" and people can go "yeah, I know that game" and they loved it!
The career path a modeling artist could aspire to might start in a junior position, move up to a senior artist position, then to a lead artist position which is working with the junior and senior artist, and then up to art director which works more with the producers and managers, then onto the lead artists who will hand out the jobs that are needed to do.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter the games industry?
Definitely make sure that your folio is strong.
It is much better to have really nice pieces of work as opposed to lots of medium work - less is more in that case. Probably try to get as much advice as you can on your work from different sources. Your friends are not always the greatest place to go, especially if they are not technically minded about games, as they'll go 'yes that's great'. Parents have a tendency to say it's all fantastic.
Most art directors are more than happy to see students' work or even anybody's work who wants to get into the field. Go around showing your folio, get advice, and essentially just make it better until you eventually get that job you want. And just don't give up. If that's what you want to do, just keep going and going and eventually if you're good enough, that should be enough.
