skycastle how much detail in a production pipeline?

[elfufu]

hey dave was wondering...now that you have displacement mapping as a tool, how far are you taking the regular modeling before you bring it in to Z? this being in a production pipeline enviroment not your personal work.

this is just because im sending out my reel and just wanted to know what was the acceptable level at which i can start adding in the displacements, I always make sure to keep my edge loops in animatable areas, and my topology clean and "animatable " but was just wondering.

also how is this affecting all the muscle simulation and skin dynamics you incorporate onto your characters.

thanks in advanced

[skycastle]

The number of polys does not matter much for
film studios. What you want to demonstrate
is exceptional modeling skills. Every studio has different poly limits. So there is no
"correct" limit. Its good in your portfolio
to show that you understand edgeflow and working within poly limits but now days everyone can browse the web and find turtorials
on that kind of stuff. What is difficult is
creating high quality sculpture.
Its also a god idea to show some level of scripting knowledge. At our shop most of our modelers have fair to exellent scripting knowledge.

But who cares what I think...

Dave

[elfufu]

so i know i asked you this before, but just to be sure, if you got a reel..and 90% of the models use displacement. youre saying as long as the models are good quality its all good? cause ive heard some say that some modelers might look down on it because its not as "hard" as it is to model something in the traditional sense.

[Dickie]

Elfufu, when I do reel reviews, I look at the works as a whole. I look to see if the candidate has mechanical modeling skills, character/organic modeling skills, and a good mix between the two. I also look at his/her texturing skills.

Depending on the position he/she is applying for, composition, lighting, compositing and animation are important too.

I personally look for an artist who is well rounded in his/her skills. Studios nowadays are mostly looking for specailists. Bear this in mind when looking for work in the Hollywood System.
I on the other hand always favor the candidate who has a broader skillset. This is viewed as "rougue" and can make you unattractive for some positions.
When I'm forming a team, I want to have one consisting of a set of well rounded individuals. I like to be able to give a shot to an artist and have him produce it, beginning to end. Having the responsibility for a whole shot gives the artist a sense of pride and lets him grow stronger as an artist because HE produced all the elements. It's also a big plus on the reel. If you can say to the interviewer "This is my shot" as opposed to "I did the clouds in this shot"
the former will always be more impressive.

I've been doing CG professionally for 18 years now. I'm a Lightwave guy by trade. Using LW in the Hollywood community has always made us "rogues". I tell you this so
you can see where I'm coming from. Here is a link to my credits:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0668414/

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, for if my advice helps you get a job and
realize your dreams, then you have given ME
a reward far greater than money...Money buys happiness for as long as it lasts, a dream realized lasts a lifetime...If any of the preceding came off as pretentious, please forgive me as it was not my intention to be so. I just like giving advice sometimes...: )


Dickie

(Stepping down off the soapbox)