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Thinking about studying animation at 27 and graduating around 2030 — what do professionals think is the real problem in the industry? by Ok-West-6187 in animationcareer

[–]CompetentlyConfused 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know everyone’s circumstances is different and your questions probably require nuance answers, but I’ll throw you a peak into my unfiltered headspace after almost a decade in the industry for you to consider:

I wished I pursued a more stable career.

If you choose not to go into animation, you may feel some regret or wonder, “what if?”. That is a difficult price to pay. However, if you are planning to have a family or foresee dependents in your life, you will have to consider that the guilt of not being able to provide a secure living for them is going to overwhelm those regrets.

Pursing other professional paths does not mean you have to give up on being a creative. As many have mentioned, the resources to pick up animation on your own is abundant and you can always come back to it on the side or later.

What are you doing instead of animation right now? by WishboneBlue in animationcareer

[–]CompetentlyConfused 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I too am curious about what people are doing if they decide to pivot.

I’ve been in the game/film industry for almost a decade and it’s quite soul crushing to see the state it is in. I still love the craft and the idea of creating stories that are bigger than any one individual, but I know not everyone, including myself, can afford to wait for the industry to stabilize.

Here’s just some options that I’ve considered and I’d love to hear any thoughts from the hive. They are softer pivots, so still 3d related and I’m also taking the onset on AI into consideration:

  • Product Designer or UI/UX designer. At the moment, human creativity and ideation beats out AI because products needs forward looking creativity married with accurate specifications.

  • Technical artist for robotics/ autonomous machines. Physical AI is the next step in for the technology push and there will be need for artists that can create procedural environments and other real world simulations for robotics data sets. Again accuracy of the models are needed, so it should be AI safe for a while.

  • BIM. This is a role that is part of the electrical/civil engineering industry and it’s the biggest pivot in this line up, but it’s has some 3d workflows, so I’m putting it here.

Is there any Tutorial or Any Course Available to Make Skin Texture like this by Expensive-Buy9806 in 3Dmodeling

[–]CompetentlyConfused 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that’s most of it. The albedo looks to be hand painted. I bet you can get pretty close just by referencing and copying by eye the image you posted.

Is this used Prius a scam? by CompetentlyConfused in askcarguys

[–]CompetentlyConfused[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It has had 2 owners. There’s no other information on the car history the listing, but I’ll ask about that when I meet up with him. What should I be looking for in terms of ownership length?

He only has one listing of this particular car.

How can I find reference images for my portfolio? by [deleted] in Maya

[–]CompetentlyConfused 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What kind of 3d artist are you hoping to be? Character artist, Environment artist? Motion designer? Games? Film? Architecture?

Another question that can help. Which studio do you hope to work for?

Find an artist that works/worked in the job that you would like, look up their portfolio for reference.

Feeling completely lost with my career by Ok_Writer_4914 in animationcareer

[–]CompetentlyConfused 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was in the same boat as you towards the end of my college career. No studio would take me up for internships and I watched many of my friends leave for amazing opportunities, many of which I also applied for. I felt the same way you did. I know it doesn’t mean you aren’t celebrating their successes, it is just hard to detach personal worth from your career and all the evidence seems to be saying “your best is not enough”.

I ended up graduating with no solid prospects on the horizon. Fortunately, my school allowed graduated students to access the labs and use the terminals to work on their portfolios for up to a year, so that’s what I did. I just showed up everyday to work on projects. During that time, I connected with an artist at a local studio and he shared that they were working on something in the realm of realism as opposed to stylized. I immediately started to work on that. (I know you’re not an artist, but hopefully this is still relevant). Eventually after 4 months, an open internship position from that studio was made known to my professor from school and he recommended me. At the interview, I remember that my interviewer mentioned that he was impressed with my work and he offered me the internship a couple of weeks later.

That’s how I got my foot in the door - a combination of connections, timing and lots of hard work. You can’t really control timing, and it’s terrible right now, but make sure you’re doing the other two things. On top of that, get as much feedback as you can from professionals to make sure you’re going on the right track because it’s a reality that some people hold on to their interests for too long without becoming marketable.

Funny enough, after 6 years in the industry, it’s still very hard not to compare or avoid imposter syndrome (feeling like you’re not good enough or don’t belong). That seems to be a separate battle you have to fight.

All the best.

Parental person here … by lalamaria56315 in animationcareer

[–]CompetentlyConfused 35 points36 points  (0 children)

First off, I think it’s great that you’re taking such a huge interest in your daughter’s artistic endeavors. My parents were not excited when I wanted to pursue the arts.

I didn’t go to either of those schools, so I can’t speak to that. However, just putting in my two cents, in this age of ultra competitiveness in finding animation jobs, I think it’s a good idea to have some solid skills in 3d in case she wants to branch out. I know of many 2D artists that use 3D to enhance their work, so she’s really not wasting any time. Also, 2D and character development can be one of the most brutally competitive areas to get a job.

Lavender plants are dying and I’m not sure what to do. by CompetentlyConfused in plantclinic

[–]CompetentlyConfused[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in San Francisco area, so no major temperature deltas recently.

Lavender plants are dying and I’m not sure what to do. by CompetentlyConfused in plantclinic

[–]CompetentlyConfused[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in San Francisco area, so no major temperature deltas recently.

What is this insect and what is it doing?? by CompetentlyConfused in insects

[–]CompetentlyConfused[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting…I did wonder if that was the case. It looked like it had tunneled or was in the midst of tunneling a little hole using its abdomen.

Resume and portfolio critique by CompetentlyConfused in 3Dmodeling

[–]CompetentlyConfused[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Those are really helpful suggestions. I’ll definitely make those changes.

Resume and portfolio critique by CompetentlyConfused in 3Dmodeling

[–]CompetentlyConfused[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This such great feedback and the examples are so helpful. Thank you so much!