Do blender people get jobs ???

[KS1 (KS)]

I love blender.

I m so use to it and when i went out to get work they all want experience in 3DS Max or Maya.

How do you people get a living ? please GUIDE me

What should i do ?
I am left with options-

1. Put up an exhibition in a gallery - but this will not give a stable income

2. Build my own concept art firm - selling concepts and 3d models for game industry

   • but how do enter where so many big plyers are already in?
   • who will buy? I mean game companies would already have artists.
   • how to market myself ?(Yet Another Stupid Question)

3. Creating small games with blender and SELL it

   • will people buy small games?
   • How to sell ?( Yet Another Stupid Question)

4. Keep searching a nice telecommuting job in internet forever

I have a little bit portfolio sort of thing. its just a collection of my blender work. one of them ( Temple ) is there in blender.com 's image gallery- june 2005, have a look.

Please help me

[_ndy (Andy Goralczyk)]

• learn 3DsMax, Maya, whatever tool is required.
• or forget about 3D as job, it’s much more fun as a hobby! [i would go that way, maybe]
• or you might want to build your own company using blender [why not?]
• or search for companies which use blender. [there are some!]
• most of the heavy weights of the industry don’t care much about the package you use, creativity and output is the most important thing. [however, this requires that your work is convincing and powerful enough]

oh well… that wasnt really helpful.
good luck.
.andy

[pildanovak (Vilem Duha)]

I make my money with blender - but i do just some visualisations of architectural ideas. But I know some guys here in Czech republic which develop some game comercially using blender.

[Alex_G]

Does this answer your question?

http://www.taleworlds.com/

[Job]

• learn 3DsMax, Maya, whatever tool is required.

that’s what i would do. Making the switch takes a good year i guess.

[Riskbreaker]

I would do a bit of freelancing, not so much in 3d, but things that can incorporate 3d elements (like presentations). Do it the best you can so you’d get great content for a portfolio, meanwhile in your spare time, fiddle around with Max/Maya (sounds dirty, i know). That way when you show future employers, you can say, “Yeah, i did that with blender, but im also more than capable in Max/Maya”.

Thats just what i’ve been doing anyways. My 2 cents, really.

[Ecks]

if you want to enter the industry you’ll probably have to learn a “pro” program like you mentionned.

On the other hand you can find a job while using blender if you work as a freelancer for companies. Since those company habitually just want a final image, they don’t really care about the tool you use. The best to find freelancer job is to show your work everywhere you can. In public gallery, on important cg related website such 3dtotal and cgtalk. EMployer often browse those site and if they are interested by your work they’ll most likely contact you. Well that how I got my current job…it’s not a stable one, but for the moment it [will] pay well.

or, be good enough, find a few sponsors/investissor and start yourself an animation studio using blender as the main app in the production pipeline…

[KS1 (KS)]

Thanks a lot you all .
Now i have some confidence.

[KS1 (KS)]

now with that confidence, i have made my webpage.
a humble step.
here:
http://karan.atspace.com

thanks all.

[jazzroy]

A lot of small companies work with blender.
I, like others here in Italy (and for sure all over the world), use it as main 3D application for architectural visualization.
I don’t need advanced rigging or other tools that 4K$ programs offer, Blender is ok (and incredibly fast in the modeling department).

So, the answer is yes, people work with blender.

For sure you don’t find work because you post your works here: this is a forum for artists, no client will ever visit it.

You have to search for clients locally.

[JA-forreal]

• learn 3DsMax, Maya, whatever tool is required.
• or forget about 3D as job, it’s much more fun as a hobby! [i would go that way, maybe]
• or you might want to build your own company using blender [why not?]
• or search for companies which use blender. [there are some!]
• most of the heavy weights of the industry don’t care much about the package you use, creativity and output is the most important thing. [however, this requires that your work is convincing and powerful enough]

Like he said, also…

First,

If you are new to design, learn about the basics of design/3d design and practice until you are good. We have a lot of examples of what isconsidered marketable as 3d design and art.

Hang out at CGtalk to learn about the kind of 3d design and art that sells. Get the details of how cg is used in TV commercials and print ads.

Get some books on designing. Some of the best ones are about commercial illustration and these go way back in time. Visual promotion is a timeless craft. It marries art with function. Also get books on the business of design, general business and marketing. Check with your local business license offices to make everything legal if you have to.

Apply methods of the artistic classes of 3d to your designs when you can. But do this with caution and weigh your use of aesthetic art against your more practical design methods.

You can apply your ability to create good 3d images to the promotion of just about any business.

Learn how to use color and presentation of objects to motivate people to act on whatever it is your selling. Focus on the function of art as a device for business communication. There are books on this. Get down and dirty with as many apps that you can add to your design workflow. Learn about scripting.

Learn about people. Learn about what people like to see in visual art. Study popular current cultural media tastes in everything from music to high heel pumps, etc. Everything you do as a 3d designer is focused on getting controlled reactions from the people who view your designs. If you know what people need and want you will know what subjects to use in designs and illustrations. Find your own 3d style and stick with it for a spell.

Learn to know why a picture was made so pretty. Understand the reason behind an image presentation. Learn how to use your image renders like a tool for promotion. Learn how to make your 3d images fit into other projects to help the project have success. This is the way a 3d designer operates to succeed. Oh snap, I almost forgot, a 3d artist can apply these methods also.

Look at what local advertisers and illustrators are doing to promote businesses. Give them a call as if you are a prospective client and get these details for free. You may be able to find work if you network with these people.

You have to come up with a practical approach that fits the business needs in your area. Then you have to show others your skills and services. Use web tech like Content Management Systems. A good CMS will have everything you need to set up your own web based 3d studio offering. Some CMS systems have gallery modules and contact forms that are great for presenting your products and contact with clients.

You can present a web gallery of your practical 3d promotional designs that connect to local business markets promotional needs or whatever. Then you can make a website that explains how your 3d designs can benefit promotions for the businesses in your area. List all of your
service options.

Just get your stuff out there on the web. And tell everybody about your website studio and it’s services.

If your work really gets noticed you may even get an email from a big studio requesting your services. This method of 3d design work can sure beat sending out demo reels that most likely are dumped. After you get it all set up, put up your demo reel of “services” on your website. Make a DVD reel to take with you or make a hundred. Keep your work style clean and neat. Cross all of your “t’s” and dot those “i’s”. Keep up with what other pro Blender designers and artist are doing to make Blender work and learn from them.

Why keep it local? With a good web offering you can take your designs worldwide.

This should get you rolling.

JA-forreal

[Extrudeface]

I’ve worked in 4 (today in another) game companies (and other bunch of web design, and press, etc, plus Pc maintenance in others) …and it was an actual need, to know averagely well Max.

Averagely well that as they did choose me mainly for traditional drawing skills, but also as I showed some ability to do 3d with freebies like Metasequoia, Wings3d, and Lithunwrap. (some other too like Ultimate unwrap, dp3d, which are comercial) .In months I learned with the work demmands (nobody teach you, you produce in time or your fired, or that I saw…never fired yet)

So, if its games, I suppose depends on the country, but what I see is in many countries is yet a lot of Max. Maya is very good for this too… But I have some feel is yet a bit more Max, as I am afraid most companies have yet all workflows Max based, specially not huge but middle or smal games companies.

I even have friends in a pair of tv ones, highend stuff, and they use Max, too…

Once inside, I was able to continue using my open source modeler of choice, Wings3d, but only as I made the models according to milestones, and with the quality asked. yet though, was forced to know a lot of max, for integration with all project, an dmany othe reasons, in games.

Today I handle a bit of all, but basically can model and uvmap in a group of packages, and Photoshop is my everyday tool too.

Basically learning max and Adobe ps is the way in games. Besides PS by itself, if get solid knowledge of it, gives jobs of other kind.

The pitty is they’r asking more and more in game companies…normal maps, high/low poly total control, etc…

• or forget about 3D as job, it’s much more fun as a hobby! [i would go that way, maybe]

SO MUCH I do agree with this that @ndy posted…

I would do if I could or had another kind of skills…

BTW, the main thing is they’re gonna ask a lot of speed and a lot of quality, even beyond possible. It has usually a lot stress. And being a very competitive job, make this even worse…

Dunno how this is in highend 3d/2d jobs…But know is similar in press and web design though with all my respect, imho games is one of the worse in this. Besides often are the less stable companies, often much less than standard jobs.

[Extrudeface]

And an important addon (i always speak bout games companies):

-it depends on the country: USA , Canada, and some others, are way better for these kind of jobs.

-It depends on size of company. Small companies tend to die soon, usually but not allways!.. .In small companies, they want multiprofiled persons (so for you to have an idea, in my latests jobs, I’m asked for : usually whole concept art, modelling, uvmapping, texturing, 3d animation, web design, 2d work for UIs, web, press, and also sprite and tiles work, for pixel art projects. It sounds crazy, but so it is. It’d be even fun if it weren’t really hard and over-stressed .Lol, lately I’m even making the writting and sounds…And is not a bad job, I earn well and ecan do nice art, but too much stress to really enjoy. I would prefer a more stable and quiet job. )

-big companies may ask for more speciaization, and probably better ended work :maybe you enjoy there that way, but also you can end up doing only a really unimportant part of all the project.But probably has less stress,(but games are NEVER quiet) and you’re more quiet and happy in your life for stability, etc. I yet to know this-

-Web design is often a way to get a job in the inbetween time when some other local (my prob is I don’t wanna move from my area) game company is born, or born again…Also PC maintenance.

-Go to the company places, often this industry knows for “who you know” , even once into, you start to love that, as is way easier to get a job (not that I’m in a mafia or something, but somehow the local people usually has worked with u as we aren’t so many(luckily or unluckily), depends on the country, again)

My best advice is don’t loose time and try to find a type of job that is averagely stable, not crazy in stress, and more solid, and as @ndy said, do only art as a hobby, it gets back to the lovely status.

[SmaTheGreek]

I think 3D graphics are more enjoyable as a hobby

[JA-forreal]

I think 3D graphics are more enjoyable as a hobby

Just an idea, but… But can’t a hobby turn into a job?

Say your hobby is collecting guitars. You put up a website that showcases your current guitar collection.

You come across Blender. You see that with this piece of software you can create some more web content for your website. You research info and photos on a series of historical guitars. You model these guitars to spec. You display these guitars on your website thats all about guitars. You get a following on your website of fellow collectors of guitars. They ask you about the realistic guitar images that they see on your website. You tell folks that they are rendered with Blender.

As more people realize that you can create an image of any guitar at your whim you get design offers. Before you know it, you have a 3d design business under your feet. 3D design is like that, it just happens. We can figure out what to do with 3d design later on once we have mastered it. And folks, the 3d opportunities are endless and definitely not “limited” to markets like films or games.

Open your mind up and you will see endless prospects for 3d art… 3d design and art can take you places or you can create places that people will want to come to. As you get deeper into the full range of 3d software usage you will become a developer of 3d content. You will have amassed vast collections of 3d content. Once you find your center you will just be looking for places to decorate your 3d work with.

[Dittohead]

The question should be:

Do talented people get jobs?

[JoOngle]

The question should be:

Do talented people get jobs?

Talent is 5 %

Skill earned trough hard work = 95 %

If you can’t deliver on time with good results…it doesn’t matter HOW talented
you are. Just because you aren’t stahlberg doesn’t mean your work is so bad it
can’t sell.

[JA-forreal]

[quote=Dittohead]The question should be:

Do talented people get jobs?

Talent is 5 %

Skill earned trough hard work = 95 %

If you can’t deliver on time with good results…it doesn’t matter HOW talented
you are. Just because you aren’t stahlberg doesn’t mean your work is so bad it
can’t sell.[/quote]

The trick is to specialize in something that you do unlike anybody else out there. Then you do this over and over. You recreate this process all of the time and add more elements to diversify your speacial talent. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Learn to make wheels take off the ground and fly and pass through lead walls, etc. Yeah wheels normally pivot on their axis, roll forwards and backwards. But with a little ingenuity you can make a wheel do just about anything.

Out here in California, I’ve seen people do some freakingly cool things with hydraulics’s and wheels.

Sometimes you just have to see what you’re made of and just make stuff happen. Keep up with what highend cg people normally do with this 3d stuff. But always be willing to go wild with what you have and toss something out there that fits into every category topic wise but is not the norm visually.

“But that’s a dog driving that cola truck. Dogs don’t drive, hum, but that cola looks mighty tasty!” “All of your 3d art uses this dog guy. What’s up with that?”

A dog guy is a whole lot easier to model and texture up to the deadline. A high detail heroic muscular soda delivery human guy… well. So you could finish up ad the with the dog guy in no time flat and please your client today. Or you could try to give your high detail human soda guy a “brad pitt hair do” for a client who said she loves brad pitt. I doubt that she would compare your dog guy to brad pitt.

Obviously this is an example of some design situation. The point is, you can either climb to the top with your work or bury yourself with work.

The choice is yours. Everyday average promotional 3d cg isn’t like working on a cg film. You can be as flexible as you want to be.

You can work on your amazing 3d cg character on the weekends as a WIP. Then feature this work on your website. You would probably have to charge your clients more for this kind of work of high detail. The full scene Yafray renders time would be unreal for a small cg shop.

I have been practicing modeling my current sets of characters with way less detail than I used to. The extra strain that I get at render times with the higher detail just had to be eliminated. I wasn’t having as much fun working with my dense characters as I’m having with the lightly modeled ones.

Jongles way has been rubbing off on me, hehehe.

See ya.

[Paul_C]

I work as an editor, predominantly, but I do extensive 3D work. Some of our briefs required 3D, and my bosses were about to outsource to a freelancer who knew 3D Max - simply because they did not know about Blender. I showed them what I could do with it, and I saved them a truckload of cash. I have created a Disney TV opener in Blender, and recently, I have been creating 3D elements for use in Big Screen presentations (the latest corporate craze). I am lucky in having introduced 3D into the environment I already work in. My hope is that when people see what we produce, they will see the worth of Blender. Checl out some of our work at www.steam.com.au.

My Disney opener is in “Titles”, for AMTV. It’s the one where toast flies through a toon town and into the studio set.

[Bussman]

…The trick is to specialize in something that you do unlike anybody else out there…

Funny, I’m completely the opposite. Jack of all trades, Master of none. I do nothing like everybody else… I would not advise doing that as a carreer move though…