Taylor blog post #1
In this post, I'll be looking at what I am working towards in the animation industry and the area I am looking into specializing in.
In this post, I'll be looking at what I am working towards in the animation industry and the area I am looking into specializing in.
My keen industry interest at the moment is the usage of game engines such as Unreal Engine for all kinds of projects. Game engines have quite a lot to offer to a lot of types of projects, as it offers real time rendering and you can implement intractability to all types of projects. The bonus is that game engine software such as Unreal Engine is free to access, so I can learn more for free!
I have been working hard to implement industry standard practice during my studies in animation and 3D modelling. I first learnt about industry standard modelling through a very old friend and practitioner Andrew Hodgson, who has worked on films like The Hunger Games and Terminator. Andrew is who I believe is a master at 3D modelling, and someone that I aspire to.
I often watch Andrew's videos online when I want to learn more about 3D modelling, as he promotes the use of proper topology techniques as well as showing the evolution of his techniques as Andrew himself continues to practice.
Through the modelling techniques that I'm learning through the industry practitioners like Andrew, I feel more and more confident in being able have flexibility in the type of industry I want to work in.
In my 3rd trimester of studies, I worked in Unreal Engine 4 as the level designer, environment artist and lighting artist, on a team project called "The Manor". I learnt a lot of techniques through using Unreal Engine, and I couldn't have done it without practitioner Tim Simpson, also known as Polygon Academy online. Tim showed me most of what I know about Unreal Engine and the workflows he practices when working on projects in game engines.
I first learnt about Tim through his Polygon Academy trim sheet tutorial on YouTube. Through that video, I also watched more of his videos on Unreal Engine and setting up environment scenes in the engine. I will continue to practice more in Unreal Engine, thanks to inspirational practitioners like Tim and his YouTube tutorials. It's pros like Tim that makes me really like the animation industry, and so I hope I can get to a point in my career as a 3D animator where I can also give back to students like he has for me and others.
So, why game engine?
I've always liked the interactive element that is given to people through video games. With the growing interest and market of video games, and the use of game engines in the animation industry, I feel like working within the game industry as an animator would be a great place to grow my career.
If I had to pick a studio that I've really enjoyed at the moment, it would have to be Respawn Entertainment (Respawn). Content that has been produced and made by Respawn have a level of fun and appeal to me. There is a lot that I enjoy through Respawn, their animation in game, model design, character design and overall appeal that I am fond of.
The animations that the animators at Respawn place into the games are great, and I love how you can experience it through the interactive nature of a game. Respawn Entertainment is a studio that I would love to be a part of in the animation industry, and is something that I aim to work for.
I found an animation reel, created by Moy Parra who is the lead animator at Respawn for their game Apex Legends. I wanted to link a link to Moy's reel, as it shows the type of 3D modelling and animation standards that I would love to achieve in my career, and the opportunity to use those in a game engine like Apex Legends. Here is a link to Mor's Twitter: https://twitter.com/_moyparra
References:
Hodson, A. (2020). Andrew Hodgson Modelling Reel 2020 [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/406755368
Parra, M. [ToonCraft]. (2019). Apex Legends - Animation showreel [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2alK2k5Jwow
Parra, M. [@_moyparra]. (2021, July 2). "⏪ if you ever wondered why Wattson holds her weapons a bit awkwardly compared to say, Bangalore. That's because..." [Tweet]. Twitter.https://twitter.com/_moyparra/status/1410649361491451906?s=20
Simpson, T. (2018). Creating Game Art Environments: Planning a UE4 Environment - ArtStation Challenge | VLOG EP.001 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJps8QxOh4s&t=393s
WarbyGaming. (2021). Apex Legends - All Weapons, Reload Animations, Gun Sounds, Inspect Animations (Season 9) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCRFuE7BO8k