I have quite a lot of work done in both Blender and Unreal Engine, and subtance paitner. And based on my portfolio what roles should I aim to apply for? gig work/contract/full or part time are all options im open to, I have searched about for a while and there’s so many roles its like a sea (and most I dont have much expeirence doing, and others I dont have the acedemic requirements)
I also have a couple of 3D projects that I update on here weekly, Like the 100 Level Backrooms level, And My upcoming Beach Boardwalk (both Blender and Unreal projects) they definitely keep me busy outside of work and gaming. but i put priority on them variably cause of life and work, but of course a bit progress is good progress!
Since you are asking I am going to give my thoughts on your portfolio, since that is what represents what you can do to a recruiter
It’s hard to evaluate what exactly you are showcasing in any of the renders/videos. Is it the level design? Is it animations? Is it modeling or texturing? Is it the gameplay mechanics?
Despite the portfolio categories it’s hard (for me at least) to get any real understanding of what you are actually capable of, since if I compare your Unreal Engine stuff to your Blender stuff I am led to believe that you are more experienced in Unreal Engine, and more specifically with coding game mechanics.
Your game prototype/demo looks fun, but a game studio looking for talent would see the disconnect between the environments and the characters as they have two completely different styles.
If you are serious about doing 3D or game development full-time I would highly suggest picking one or two projectes you have worked on and show pieces from it and write some text about each piece so that any scouts out there looking can understand what you did to arrive at the final render.
For example the ocean rig: It’s an ocean rig in a foggy off-shore location. Okay, and? What else? Did you make the rig model? If not what should this single render of an asset tell a recruiter?
Another example, the weapons: Very nice looking swords for sure, but what are they meant to be used for? Are they game-ready assets? Are they high-poly assets for pre-rendered cutscenes? Why no wireframe renders to show the topology?
Without an intended use-case they are just renders to anyone looking at your portfolio.
So before you start looking for a full-time job in any of the fields, first figure out what position you would like and then tailor your portfolio in a way that shows your biggest strengths for that position.
A small but highly impressive portfolio is worth ten million times more than a big but mediocre one
From what I see, you fit more the small /indie studio because you touched up many areas but there is none where you’re especially good and even to you it’s unclear what you’re really interested in, it’s a bit the same to us !
If that kind of generalist, jack of all trades, master of none is fine to you, this can really work well in a small team where people wear different hats…
But it’s a bit better to show some main skill, some stuff where you have more interest in and are the best, while having a wide range of side skills.
This is simpler even for recruiter. We can make an risky analogy by comparing with dating… Will you prefer dating someone who has no idea in what they are interested in, and can be along with mostly any kind of people for any type of relations ? Or with someone who has some ideas of what they are looking for, even if maybe you’re not the exact match but you share some parts of it ? It’s a bit similar in work situations …
Now if you plan to work on bigger studios, specializing is key, since they tend to hire people that are really good at at least one thing to mainly do only that…
This is a good exercise no matter what, to focus on one area for some time to strengthen your skills there. Even if you present yourself as a generalist you can still see it as someone with a few specialties… But this asks for quite some time and practice to be relevant as a specialist in different areas…
I appreciate your advice. I think after seeing that my portfolio isnt as focused and narrowed down I will start curating to show my primary skills and work in 3D asset creation. since over time i found that it is my most enjoyable part of dev, and this year I have built a lot more towards 3D art creation. but your comment helped me see that I should present my work in different manor. thanks!
and the rig was made from the ground up by me, modeling, texturing, lighting, and scene setup. but i could spotlight how I have built that with an asset creation workflow.
