Time for the big question!

Victor Moretti · 23-09-2008, 03:53 AM

Hello, I'm studying 3D arts for some time (about 4 years), I started the studies with a friend (--Strattus--) when we were just kids, but now I need to know what I'm going to do for live... I mean, i L.O.V.E³ 3D, but unfortunatly we don't eat "love"

.
I have 3 months to think about what i will choose to do, if i will be happy doing it, if it will give me a good salary, etc...

I ask you my friends, to tell me yours experience with the 3D Arts Market (films, games...), if you are happy with your job, what is the medium salary of your company to 3d artists, if freelancer works are better... this kind of stuff.

I'm not judging anyone here asking to know about their lifes. I am just humbly asking you to tell me, if you are happy with your choice, with the life that 3d arts proportioned to you and your family...

Thank you in advance very, very much!

PS: I'm sorry for my poor english.

Victor Moretti · 26-09-2008, 12:41 PM

Hey guys, I know this is a boring type of thread, but I am really counting on you all...
Please, i need your help. I'm getting crazy with this doubt!

Anyway, thank you guys!

MaggieQue · 26-09-2008, 10:15 PM

My most respectful music teacher who died a few weeks ago is a national musical treasure. He's poor and weak at using money. During Nipah virus disease he wrote a song and held a concert in order raising fund to save Malaysian pig farmers.

When I was young I told him that a student's mother saying that he's very poor and the car that he's driving was very old & broken. He replied, "Her new car and my old car are same, both are using for driving!".

During his adulthood, my teacher's father insisted that being a musician is a poor loser, but it didn't affect him studying music abroad and came back to our homeland developing music & art.

Now he's dead, but he's still a very wealthy man because many people are missing him a lot.

Perversonality · 26-09-2008, 11:13 PM

Try to find an equivalent site like http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/ for your region/country. It gives you a decent breakdown of the salaries in the areas, including by town. If you can afford to live on a bit less than the average salary then go for it. If you can't then start looking at similar roles; graphics are using in games, web sites, TV ads, logos and many, many other things, so don't restrict yourself to one area unless it's really possible to get what you need to live. Bear in mind that if you don't have professional experience then you will most likely be starting as a trainee which will lower the salary somewhat too

Victor Moretti · 27-09-2008, 05:08 AM

Hey guys, thank you VERY MUCH!
Serious...

MaggieQue:
Buddy, I agree with you. I hear a lot from elders, that they took "the wrong way" in life, or just "I could done something better with my time, but I worked like an idiot 40 years to rest 30/20..."

I think life is more than just money, it is a pitty that we need money to survive.
But I don't want to be a rich person, i just want to work with something that i love (3D) and have the suficient money to be happy.
Do you work with images or just music?
And, I'm sorry about your teacher, some of them are just like fathers to us...

Perversonality:
Thanks man! That site is just great! Now I've got an idea about salaries in certain places...
That was really helpful

This year, "Ubisoft" came here to Brazil, in this next year, they are expecting to hire 400 people....
I'm putting a lot of expectation in this oportunity, but you know, sometimes i think "If if work in this kind of company (giant), I will be just "the modelling guy", just a ant... ... Not "THE GUY", i know what I mean?
Have you ever worked in a company like that? How you felt?

Thank you guys, A LOT!

Rip_shot · 27-09-2008, 02:16 PM

I've talked to people who have worked in large companies like that (rockstar, EA games) and sure you are just a number and the work environment isn't very personal, but its a great place to start in the industry and a great way to get experience. Your not gonna get your dream job right off the hop, infact your probably going to work alot of hard some times unenjoyably jobs to get to where you want to be, just depends on how dedicated you are to get to where you want to be.

neolith · 27-09-2008, 02:21 PM

Well,if you want to make a living,you'll have to be happy with being just a number in a company,at first,and after you gain enough experience there and if you work hard,you'll start being a NAME.

Working in a company like Ubisoft is the best way to gain experience,dont be let down by the fact that you'll start small,as long as you learn something.Just treat it as a learning experience.

Unfortunately,i cant tell you anything from experience,since i've never worked in the industry,but i'm pretty sure even a year of working for a big company will be a huge gain of experience,i think it's a mistake for you to want to start big.You're still professionaly unexperienced so it's inevitable to be just a modelling guy for a while,untill you get good and become an indispensable asset to the company and a name in the gaming industry.If you're good,you'll feel important even in a company with hundreds of other "modelling guys" and it'll definetely be a pride for you to be considered the best one.

ross_coe · 28-09-2008, 09:53 AM

i got a few bits of game industry advice/recommendations/insight that i hope will help a little

well, first thing is.....it'll probably be harder to get a job with one of the bigger companies straight away (ie. ubisoft, rockstar, etc etc). there are a lot of smaller developers out there that develop titles for the bigger publishers, and it'd probably be much easier to get a job with one of them. and in a smaller company, you wont feel like a number.....in fact, some of the smaller companies have quite a nice family atmosphere

and don't expect to be on an amazing salary straight away. if you pass up a low-paid job and hold out for something else, you may have passed up the one chance you have to get your foot in the door

so take what you can get and be patient....beggars can't be choosers after all, and your salary will hopefully go up over time.

next.....well, don't expect to be working on any subject matter that inspires you. you may end up working on some kick-ass titles making monsters or race cars or a cool dwarf castle, or you may end up working on something really mundane and boring.....but unfortunately you dont get to choose what you model/texture/animate. and dont even expect to be modelling all the time either - you could find yourself working on a whole host of highly uncreative tasks, from trying to fix bugs on models you made 6 months ago to poly-reduction on another studios cross-platform title (omg heaven forbid you ever have to do that, seriously! you need a damn good mp3 collection for that one!).
but it's still 3D and it still beats working the checkout in the local supermarket

and even poly-reduction is good experience and can teach you some good optimisation skills. so always try to find the silver lining in the tasks you do, and always try to stay positive.

and the most important thing is:
always try to make sure you have some "emergency funds" put aside in the bank - just a couple thousand pounds/euros/dollars/baht/yen/gold pieces that you can use if everything suddenly comes crashing down.
you might find yourself working for a company that has a contract that's supposed to last 2 years, working on a multi-platform next-gen title, and getting the thumbs-up each month from the publishers on the way that title is shaping up. don't ever fall into a false sense of security!!! your job is probably about as secure as george michaels rear end in a public toilet! (sorry if that paints a nasty mental picture).
the point is, no matter how well things seem to be going, everything can turn around with no warning, and you'll get no compensation for what you've sacrificed or borrowed in order to take that job. and even if you do work for one of the big "secure" companies, remember that it's not uncommon for them to close some of their various studios on occasion (good way to keep the rest of the troops on their toes).
so always be prepared for the worst, keep plenty of cash aside, and try to keep you folio in tip-top condition

and don't be afraid to ask other people you know in the industry for help in finding a new job.....it can speed up the whole process by months!

well, i hope that didn't all sound like doom and gloom

but things aren't as glamorous in this industry as they may appear from the outside, and the job isn't always as much fun as it is when you're modelling at home in your free time with no deadlines and restrictions.
but at the end of the day, i wouldn't wanna do anything else

and at the end of the day, you may be lucky enough to get a well-paid, secure and highly inspiring job! but don't be disheartened if you dont

MaggieQue · 28-09-2008, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Victor Moretti

Do you work with images or just music?

I'm a housewife, doing housework, taking care of my dog, mopping floor, and laundry everyday.

When I'm free I self-learn 3ds Max, scripting and Macromedia Flash. Recently I'm possessed in embroidery & cross stitch. When I'm old I wish to own a little garden, doing cookies/cakes/embroidery and planting rose, drinking flower tea and watching Hello Kitty cartoon everyday.

Victor Moretti · 03-10-2008, 12:35 PM

Hello my friends, these days I had a lot of work and it got hard, so, no time to come here at Threedy.
Anyway, I read all of the posts, and from the deep of my heart, I am very gratefull!
You all really helped me, now I will visit some universities, schools, and of course Ubisoft.
Trying to be a number for some time, and later maybe being a name, right?
I'm very young (17), if something goes wrong or I change my mind, I have the time to think in another profession...
By the way, I will post here what will happen to me

Goodbye my friends, and thank you very much!

23-09-2008, 03:53 AM	#1
Victor Moretti Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Time for the big question! Hello, I'm studying 3D arts for some time (about 4 years), I started the studies with a friend (--Strattus--) when we were just kids, but now I need to know what I'm going to do for live... I mean, i L.O.V.E³ 3D, but unfortunatly we don't eat "love" . I have 3 months to think about what i will choose to do, if i will be happy doing it, if it will give me a good salary, etc... I ask you my friends, to tell me yours experience with the 3D Arts Market (films, games...), if you are happy with your job, what is the medium salary of your company to 3d artists, if freelancer works are better... this kind of stuff. I'm not judging anyone here asking to know about their lifes. I am just humbly asking you to tell me, if you are happy with your choice, with the life that 3d arts proportioned to you and your family... Thank you in advance very, very much! PS: I'm sorry for my poor english. Last edited by Victor Moretti; 25-09-2008 at 05:04 PM..

28-09-2008, 09:53 AM	#8
ross_coe formerly Ross-3DT =P Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Glencoe Scotland UK (London atm) Posts: 723 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	i got a few bits of game industry advice/recommendations/insight that i hope will help a little well, first thing is.....it'll probably be harder to get a job with one of the bigger companies straight away (ie. ubisoft, rockstar, etc etc). there are a lot of smaller developers out there that develop titles for the bigger publishers, and it'd probably be much easier to get a job with one of them. and in a smaller company, you wont feel like a number.....in fact, some of the smaller companies have quite a nice family atmosphere and don't expect to be on an amazing salary straight away. if you pass up a low-paid job and hold out for something else, you may have passed up the one chance you have to get your foot in the door so take what you can get and be patient....beggars can't be choosers after all, and your salary will hopefully go up over time. next.....well, don't expect to be working on any subject matter that inspires you. you may end up working on some kick-ass titles making monsters or race cars or a cool dwarf castle, or you may end up working on something really mundane and boring.....but unfortunately you dont get to choose what you model/texture/animate. and dont even expect to be modelling all the time either - you could find yourself working on a whole host of highly uncreative tasks, from trying to fix bugs on models you made 6 months ago to poly-reduction on another studios cross-platform title (omg heaven forbid you ever have to do that, seriously! you need a damn good mp3 collection for that one!). but it's still 3D and it still beats working the checkout in the local supermarket and even poly-reduction is good experience and can teach you some good optimisation skills. so always try to find the silver lining in the tasks you do, and always try to stay positive. and the most important thing is: always try to make sure you have some "emergency funds" put aside in the bank - just a couple thousand pounds/euros/dollars/baht/yen/gold pieces that you can use if everything suddenly comes crashing down. you might find yourself working for a company that has a contract that's supposed to last 2 years, working on a multi-platform next-gen title, and getting the thumbs-up each month from the publishers on the way that title is shaping up. don't ever fall into a false sense of security!!! your job is probably about as secure as george michaels rear end in a public toilet! (sorry if that paints a nasty mental picture). the point is, no matter how well things seem to be going, everything can turn around with no warning, and you'll get no compensation for what you've sacrificed or borrowed in order to take that job. and even if you do work for one of the big "secure" companies, remember that it's not uncommon for them to close some of their various studios on occasion (good way to keep the rest of the troops on their toes). so always be prepared for the worst, keep plenty of cash aside, and try to keep you folio in tip-top condition and don't be afraid to ask other people you know in the industry for help in finding a new job.....it can speed up the whole process by months! well, i hope that didn't all sound like doom and gloom but things aren't as glamorous in this industry as they may appear from the outside, and the job isn't always as much fun as it is when you're modelling at home in your free time with no deadlines and restrictions. but at the end of the day, i wouldn't wanna do anything else and at the end of the day, you may be lucky enough to get a well-paid, secure and highly inspiring job! but don't be disheartened if you dont __________________ __________________ PasteyFace - Online Folio (W.I.P) My CGS Folio Page __________________

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26-09-2008, 12:41 PM	#2
Victor Moretti Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hey guys, I know this is a boring type of thread, but I am really counting on you all... Please, i need your help. I'm getting crazy with this doubt! Anyway, thank you guys!

26-09-2008, 10:15 PM	#3
MaggieQue Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 2,326 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 3	My most respectful music teacher who died a few weeks ago is a national musical treasure. He's poor and weak at using money. During Nipah virus disease he wrote a song and held a concert in order raising fund to save Malaysian pig farmers. When I was young I told him that a student's mother saying that he's very poor and the car that he's driving was very old & broken. He replied, "Her new car and my old car are same, both are using for driving!". During his adulthood, my teacher's father insisted that being a musician is a poor loser, but it didn't affect him studying music abroad and came back to our homeland developing music & art. Now he's dead, but he's still a very wealthy man because many people are missing him a lot.

26-09-2008, 11:13 PM	#4
Perversonality Nick/Spud/Spudmonkey Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Reading(ish), Engerlandshire Posts: 2,752 Thanks: 21 Thanked 53 Times in 50 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Try to find an equivalent site like http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/ for your region/country. It gives you a decent breakdown of the salaries in the areas, including by town. If you can afford to live on a bit less than the average salary then go for it. If you can't then start looking at similar roles; graphics are using in games, web sites, TV ads, logos and many, many other things, so don't restrict yourself to one area unless it's really possible to get what you need to live. Bear in mind that if you don't have professional experience then you will most likely be starting as a trainee which will lower the salary somewhat too

27-09-2008, 05:08 AM	#5
Victor Moretti Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hey guys, thank you VERY MUCH! Serious... MaggieQue: Buddy, I agree with you. I hear a lot from elders, that they took "the wrong way" in life, or just "I could done something better with my time, but I worked like an idiot 40 years to rest 30/20..." I think life is more than just money, it is a pitty that we need money to survive. But I don't want to be a rich person, i just want to work with something that i love (3D) and have the suficient money to be happy. Do you work with images or just music? And, I'm sorry about your teacher, some of them are just like fathers to us... Perversonality: Thanks man! That site is just great! Now I've got an idea about salaries in certain places... That was really helpful This year, "Ubisoft" came here to Brazil, in this next year, they are expecting to hire 400 people.... I'm putting a lot of expectation in this oportunity, but you know, sometimes i think "If if work in this kind of company (giant), I will be just "the modelling guy", just a ant... ... Not "THE GUY", i know what I mean? Have you ever worked in a company like that? How you felt? Thank you guys, A LOT!

27-09-2008, 02:16 PM	#6
Rip_shot Lighting Artist Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 767 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I've talked to people who have worked in large companies like that (rockstar, EA games) and sure you are just a number and the work environment isn't very personal, but its a great place to start in the industry and a great way to get experience. Your not gonna get your dream job right off the hop, infact your probably going to work alot of hard some times unenjoyably jobs to get to where you want to be, just depends on how dedicated you are to get to where you want to be.

03-10-2008, 12:35 PM	#10
Victor Moretti Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hello my friends, these days I had a lot of work and it got hard, so, no time to come here at Threedy. Anyway, I read all of the posts, and from the deep of my heart, I am very gratefull! You all really helped me, now I will visit some universities, schools, and of course Ubisoft. Trying to be a number for some time, and later maybe being a name, right? I'm very young (17), if something goes wrong or I change my mind, I have the time to think in another profession... By the way, I will post here what will happen to me Goodbye my friends, and thank you very much!

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