Portfolio

Task 6

Plymouth College of Art - FD Design for Games

Duration 3 years

Units -

Contents of Practice 1
Drawing for games
3d models for games
audio for games
professional team brief
3d animation for games
narrative structures
drawing for games 2
FMP
contexts of practice
Worked based learning
Complementary studies

Career possibilities

Game Designer, Game Content Creator, 3D Artist, Technical Artist, Animator, Character Designer/Animator, Facial Animator/Rigger, Motion Editor, Visual Effects Artists, 3D Modeler/Texturer, Cinematic Animator, Environment Artist, Level Designer.

De Monfort Univercity Leicster - Game Arts Design BA Hons

Duration 3 years

Units

Year one

• Critical Studies
• Visual Design
• Game Production

Year two

• Critical Studies
• Visual Design
• Game Production

Year three

• Game Production, Professional Briefs
• Game Production, Personal Project

2012 entryUK/EU Fees:  £9000 per year
International Fees: £10,750 per year 

Norwich Univercity of the arts - BA games and art design

 The curriculum focuses on the art of games and the idea of game form, enabling students to become confident in the core elements of digital game development and production – art, design and technology.

The course uses industry-standard game development software including level editors to explore ideas and creativity and boasts Apple University Developer Status which provides access to cutting edge software to create apps and games for iOS platforms.

Industry advisors help to ensure that students graduate with a professionally relevant qualification and graduates are working for studios such as Blitz, Crytec, Jagex and Mindshapes. The strengths of the course were confirmed when a group of graduates won a BAFTA in the ‘Ones To Watch’ category of the 2012 British Academy Video Game Awards.

InDesign Demo

In this demo we are creating a basic template for a portfolio in InDesign. 

We started by setting out some basic headers and created a few new pages.

We then created some buttons to make it interactive.

We creatd the buttons by making simple little button images. We the went into the buttons tab on the side and selected a button and cahnged the event to either next, previous, end, or beginging. We also changed the rollover apperance of the button so that when the mouses went over it, the button changed. To do this we selected the rollover image in the tab and simple cahnged the colour.

This was the PDF when i ran it just to see if it worked. Again this is a simple template and it would need drastic improvement to be used as an actual protfolio. 

Task 5

Creative Assembly


The head quarters of the creative assembly is based in Horsham. They began in 2000 with the smash hit game, Shogun total war and since then the franchise has gone from strength to strength. They started off with 5 people and now they employ over 250 all around the world.


The Creative Assembly are the creators of the famous game series, Total War. These are massive RTS (Real Time Strategy) games which allow you to control vast armies and command them to fight against others. However they have worked on a variety of different titles ranging from EA Sports Rugby, to the soon to be released Rome II.

The Creative Assembly do not offer direct intern ships into their company. And the jobs that are available require the highest of ability in the field of work. However they for some of the jobs available they are entry level. So you don't need 5 years of experience and to have worked on a game that is a best seller. They do ask that you are keen, into games and a quick learner and keen problem solver. I think they are looking for people with a passion for designing games as well as people who have a brilliant understanding of certain programmes. Having said that, it is unlikely that you would be interviewed without a degree in game designer similar qualification.

The Creative Assembly - References - Website

Ubisoft

Ubisoft was created in 1986 and their headquaters is based in France. They are the 2nd largest in house game developer with 26 studios in 18 countries. Their top selling games are the assassins creed series with over 40 million copies sold.

The most popular series of games they do have to be the Tom Clancy's set of games, from rainbow six to End War. They span from strategy games to Fps and 3rd person. They have many up coming titles this fall and for next year including Assassins creed 3, and Rainbow six patriots.

Ubisoft offer a variety of internships in this country and abroad. However at this moment in time, they have not got any available in this country due to the incredible demand of the internships. They are hugely competitive and have to be one of the hardest to get onto. They do however have plenty of jobs to apply for. ranging from programming to game development. Requirements for these jobs can vary depending on the position applied for. For example, there are entry level designers and artist jobs that require a degree. But higher end jobs such as lead designers require you to have experience in the industry and outstanding portfolios.

Crytek

Crytek are the famous developers of the popular game Crysis. They are also the developers of the very intelligent  game engine, CryEngine. Which is one of the highest performing game engines in the world with superior graphics and capability.

Crytek do offer internships.. Crytek’s internship program has proven very successful in the past, with a high percentage of interns being offered permanent contracts following their studies.  The number of internships available per studio will depend on each studio’s requirements every year.  Unfortunately it is not possible to guarantee an internship opportunity in advance. Each year every studio will determine its requirements for interns. To qualify you must:

• Be an EU or local national
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You need to have either completed University or the internship is required by the University
• The internship must be a minimum of 6 months

Internships are generally offered on a 12 month contract.  Crytek offers a competitive salary, paid accommodation and expert mentoring via our highly skilled teams.  You will be treated the same as all our heroes, receiving tasks that will directly contribute to the development of the game. Crytek also offer a variety of full time jobs which include:

• Level Designers
• Game Designers
• Sound Designers
• Video Editors
• Technical Designers
• Cinematics Designers
• UI Designers

These jobs can be applied for online and require you to have a very good understanding of your chosen field with the grades and portfolio to back it.

Task 4

EA - 2D Artist/Illustrator

The 2D Artist will be responsible for creating breath-taking Hidden Object scenes, using a mix of technical skills and traditional illustration concepts. We’re looking for someone with Photoshop skills that transcend the realms of mere mortals.   The ideal candidate will bring a strong understanding of perspective, composition and color theory and have a proven track record in traditional and digital illustration techniques.

Responsibilities:

• Working with the Lead Artist and a team of 3D and 2D artists, design scenes for Hidden Object games
• Work with 3D artists to determine the proper textures and lighting of each scene
• Using Photoshop and other software packages, place objects (up to 90 of ‘em!) in each scene
• Execute a final paint of each scene to maximize visual impact
• Select and prep photo files to create new objects for placement
• Assist with the art direction of outsourced assets as needed
• Accurately estimate the time it takes to complete tasks on time

Required Experience and Skills

• Expert level knowledge of Photoshop (digital painting) and Illustrator
• Strong fundamental skills in use of line, light, shadow, color and perspective
• Ability to work within established art styles
• Excellent communication and team skills
• Must have an upbeat, positive attitude and enjoy working in a team environment
• Ability to modify work based on feedback and critique from fellow Artists, Engineers and Producers
• Eagerness to collaborate with team members to consistently deliver final game assets that meet the established standard
• A good understanding of games, with the ability to identify flaws in design, art, and “feel”

Education/Experience:

• Preference given to candidates with game industry experience, but a strong portfolio may be sufficient.
• High school diploma, or equivalent, required
• Degree in Art and design recommended
• Experience having worked on a variety of platforms (PC, Android, iPhone, iPad, Facebook) is a plus

Modeler - EA Sports

Role Overview:

The design of a character is vital to the overall creation of a game. Character Modelers at EA might work on anything from the cute, cartoony style characters of The Simpsons' or MySims? to the photorealistic character models you see in our EA SPORTS games. Regardless of the style, it's important for all characters in all EA games to be emotionally believable. They must be characters that draw gamers into the action or story of the game. The Character Modeler is responsible for building the geometry of organic and inorganic characters in the game. EA Modelers are skilled in human character modeling of both realistic and stylized figures in Maya/3D Max. Character models are highly complex and detailed in video games with some characters coming close to 500,000 polygons.

What skills does EA look for?

A Character Modeler must have strong organic modeling skills, strong drawing skills (light, form, shadow, color), knowledge of the human anatomy and form, and strong texturing skills (including photographic manipulation, texturing, and color correction. In addition, they must have excellent organizational skills (goal setting, working towards milestones, etc.), as well as strong Maya knowledge, and PhotoShop skills. When reviewing a demo reel a Character Modeler, EA looks for the reel to showcase the artist's ability to create realistic models while also showing a flair for creativity. The reel will include highly detailed and clean texture work.

The reel should showcase the following:

- High quality, character models in low, medium, and high polygon counts

- Ability to create realistic models - Clean texturing skills and an eye for color

- Good use of light and shadow

- Excellent sense of scale and form

- Excellent level of finish drawing skills

- Excellent drawing and/or sculpting of the human form, exhibiting a knowledge of anatomy, proportion, weight, and volume

- Ability to work from reference materials, such as photography or concept art

Bioware Programme

BioWare’s games have continually achieved critical and commercial success. All of our published titles are highly rated at www.gamerankings.com; in fact we have 6 games in the top 1% highest rated games of all time! Today BioWare has over 800 staff at its locations and continues to grow. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. In 2011 EA created the BioWare Label, alongside EA Games, EA SPORTS and EA Play. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bioware. To join the millions of fans already registered with the BioWare community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

Technical Artists are the bridge between art and programming departments, having the capability to understand the nuances of art creation and technical code. Being able to demonstrate efficient techniques for creating high quality art and exploring new paths for future pipelines and content. This role in the art department is critical to the success of our titles.

What skills does BioWare look for?

A Technical Artist must have a passion for building new tools, methods and innovative ways to create art.

Their portfolio must demonstrate the following:

• An ability to think, communicate and problem solve in both Art and Programming terms

• Ability to plan, develop and maintain asset pipelines

• Oversee and enforce best practices for art asset creation and implementation, optimizing assets when required

• Strong knowledge of 3DS Max, 3D hardware, Shader, Max Script, MEL and Programming experience

• Experience with animation pipelines, mo-cap, rigging and skinning is a benefit

• Understanding of visual FX, Lighting, Level Building and Character Art techniques

EA Jobs - Reference October 2012 

Task 2

Action Plan

Last year I came into the course with not much knowledge about any digital or traditional art and design background. And after using PhotoShop i decided i would like to get better at digital drawing. Throughout the first year i did a lot of drawings on PhotoShop to improve my skills as well as working to hard to complete units. I am very happy with my grades from my first year, although i would like to improve my grades to get a base a grade boundary of merit. Although i enjoyed drawing in Photoshop, I was always keen to look into 3D modelling. I was looking to go into the industry as a low level 3D artist for a games or film company and work my way up. I happy with my first year and i am looking forward to the second year, especially the 3D aspect.

After the first year i do think that some things need improvement. For example, i think that my weakest blog was my contextual studies blog. Part of the reason that i got a pass was because of the unfinished work and the standard was not as high as my other work. I did enjoy the lessons because i liked diving into creating ideas for a new game, also i thought that it helped me get away form Photoshop so i could try other things that were more conceptual. I need to make sure that i do more self led research at college and at home. Referencing is not something that i do to often. I need to make sure i do reference things to avoid things like copyright and plagiarism. But also for myself so i can remember what i was looking at. Time and time again i forgotten what image i was drawing and cant find it again. However this this year i have already started to improve on this as you can see in this blog in task one. When i do manage to sit at home and do work i get distracted, not by TV or games, but by drawing. I tend to get into a different mindset and convince myself that drawing on Photoshop is a good idea. I would also like to improve my evaluations. One way to do this is I like having a little check list of things to right about. I have no probelem writing about a subject as long as i know what the title of that paragraph would be.So i could make a list like, what was good? What was bad? What to improve ect.

My main aim for this year is to get started on some 3D modelling. I am really looking forward to do the unit of 3DS max. I think that it will help me get to grips with the basics of the programme and then (like last year with Photoshop) i can continue my own personal development in the programme by watching countless tutorials experimenting and practising. Another thing that I really want to start using is Zbrush. I am really interested in this programme as it combines my skills of drawing with a 3D aspect. I really want to be able to use 3DS max to model something, then sculpt it in Zbrush, and then enhance it in Photoshop.

I am hoping to go onto the game design degree next year. I feel that in order to do this i need to achieve the highest possible grades this year and start focusing on my 3D elements of my work. I will also in my own time start using Zbrush to try and learn basics like tools ect, to try and get a head start on things so im not so blind sighted when i enter the degree. I am very confident in myself and my work that i can achieve the necessary grades to get onto the degree and also to succeed in it. I realise that it is going to be hard work but by putting as much effort i can into this year i think that it wont come as much as a shock.


Some of my best work from year one:

Crested Gecko

Hayley Williams

Jennifer Lwarence

Master Chief

Work I would like to achieve this year:

3DS Max Car

Zbrush T-rex 

Task 1

ILM (Industrial light and magic)                          Animator

ILM are computer graphic company. They have worked on very high profile projects such as "Rango" and several of the "Transformer" movies. As you can imagine the jobs that are offered by this company require the highest of skill and determination. One job that I found was an animator job at Lucasarts. Which is part of ILM. 

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Traditional Animation and 3 years experience, or at least 5 years of experience working in cel, stopmotion or computer animation.
• 2+ years as an entry level Animator in conjunction with recommendations for advancement by the Animation Supervisors and Department Manager.
• Expert knowledge of traditional animation principles, acting, film production and compositional design.
• Ability to take on a delegated task with a minimum of supervision.
• Knowledge of Unix and shell scripting; expert knowledge of Maya, proprietary and other software programs.
• Good organization and communication skills.

This is a job at its highest level. It requires expert skill and knowledge of the field of work. This is also considered an entry level job at this company. Senior animators,developers and game designers require even more skill.

September 2012

URL: Industrial Light & Magic Lucasfilm Recruiting


Creative Assembly                                     3D Character Artist

Creative Assembly are the creators of the famous Total War franchise. The games are massive scale RTS games which allow you to control massive armies. One of the most resent instalments in the franchise is Shogun total war. They also have Rome total war 2 on the way son to be released. 

Requirments:

Required:

•Visual flare and talent

•Expert knowledge of Max/Maya or equivalent package

•Expert knowledge of Photoshop

•Knowledge of ZBrush/Mudbox or equivalent

•Knowledge of games development pipeline/environment/engines

•Self-motivated, good communicator, positive can do attitude, team-player

•Love of character modelling

Ideal:

• Proven experience implementing game characters

• Character rigging

• Formal art training

• All round art ability

• Love of games

Characters are the central idea in the game. The game allows you to control cast armies and control huge amounts of men. The game allows you to get right into the action and watch the chaos as two rival armies collide. Therefore the detail and emotion in the characters needs to be at the highest standard.

Programmes like maya and 3DS max would be used alot in this job, nad you would have to have a clear understanding on how these programmes works, as well as be able to model ideas and drawings that other team members may give you.

September 2012

URL: The Creative Assembly » Jobs

Blizzard Entertainment                                Cinematic Concept Artist

Blizzard is the founding comapny of the biggest and most popular MMORGP in the world. World of Warcraft has a massive fan base and even has a yearly show, which they present all there new content and allow the best players in the world to fight in championships. Natualluy, they only employ the best and brightest.

Requirments:

• Experience with Photoshop, Painter, and other 2D art/painting programs

• Experience working in the pre-production aspects of game development and movie-making

• Exceptional understanding of human and creature anatomy

• A keen eye toward form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regard to illustration and design

• Superior eye for light, value, composition, color, staging, and detail in environmental design

• Experience with the creation of design blueprints for sets or environments

• Understanding of Blizzard Entertainment's distinctive visual style, and a passion to push it to the next level

• The ability to carry an idea from conceptual phase to finished illustration

• Unrelenting self-motivation and drive

To understand the level of skill needed to be able to work for such a massive company, you would need to watch a cinematic trailer for one of there games. After that, you can really appreciate the time and effort that they put into their trailers. The concept design for the characters is not only of a good standard, but all ideas are fresh and original. To be able to do this kind of work requires the highest level of intellect and imagination.

September 2012

URL:

Blizzard Entertainment - Cinematic Concept Artist (In-House Contract) - CGHub.com Jobs


Blizzard Entertainment:Community:Blizzard Art