you got me wrong: I wasn’t asking advice on what I should do (as in: with my life), but on what I should do if I actually wanted to earn money out of it. I mean, sure, it’d be nice to always do interesting renderings with Blender just for fun … but I’m interested in what kind of renderings I might actually earn a living for … where I could find companies that would pay me for that … and so on. Ok, so maybe I’d like to make a game … just do the artwork part … but then again that doesn’t include a lot of the cool renderings & artwork one could do with blender … it’s more on modelling & game speciffic needs, not an ideal beauty where only the final look counts … but I got off track: my question was: so, from what you say I understand one way to earn money working in Blender (which is a pretty strong option of what I’d like to do) is to try to find companies who might in some way want their old logo did in 3d … and I was asking if you just go out and search random companies on the web? Even like that … what does random really mean? where do you start the search … and so on … I’ve got a lot of idealist concepts in my head … things I’d like to do … things I’d like to learn … but I need to also start forming a picture & plans for very practical ways of earning money or I’m in trouble (last year at uni, can’t rely on my parents much longer … my computer is already pretty ancient … need to find a way of making money out of the things I like … in this case 3d modelling … and I’m not talking about far into the future career decisions as much as what to do now )
well yes … a good couple of years with a clear focus (3d gfx programming) did get me pretty far … might be a burnout … excitement & energy kinda fades out after a couple of years of superhuman work (superhuman not as in huge achievements, but as in “it was very hard for me to stick to my passion despite everything else in life, mainly school”) … especially when you’re not seeing any cash or anything like that …
but at the same time: from the start what I was thinking was: "I’m getting into programming because although it’s a more engineer kinda job and my nature is more of an artist … it can provide a way of living, one that doesn’t flow away as easily as people not liking your artwork, and I can be close to all the things I like if I’m into game programming, maybe getting to make a couple of maps for the game, play some music … "
… so, point is: i’ve been into the artistic side all along … also, now I’m starting to see ways that one could survive while still remaining remotelly artistic (I mean, sure, you have to do some logo, movie, add for a company … you haven’t got a lot of artistic freedom … well, not full freedom at least … but still … you get to improove your Blender/whatever skills, and still many aesthetic choices to be made)
If you’ve gone through Uni I’m sure you’ve had to learn how to write a business plan. Or at least write a resume. Start there. Either with something you WANT to do i.e. start a business, or something you KNOW you can do, i.e. DirectX and 3D modeling. If you write yourself a resume, you’ll know exactly what jobs you’re eligible for WHEN you start looking. You’ll also know exactly what you want to do. I understand you perfectly.
I don’t understand you question or intentions entirely. You have a Uni degree. That means lots of doors are open. As for Blender. It sounds like your under estimating Blender. I’l bet my life that if the PDI or Pixar guys start using Blender, you will get movies as good as they use to produce. So Blender surely has potential. As for jobs: Look at the most toothbrush, tooth paste, shampoo, candy , cleaning liquids commercials. They are all rendered Phong shaded. Not even motion blurred. Very sparsely they use a particle system (the sparkling clean effect). It’'s the very basic in technoly. The rest is just video sequencing and animation. I think if you just take one commecial, remake it in Blender with better rendering techniques and prove it that you did it by yourself in just a few days… then the sky is the limit for you.
yep, thats exactly what i’m doing at the moment.
soon i hope to get working between say 3dsmax and blender going well though. with the new stuff in 2.3, i’d say blender is the most powerful modelling wise. its extremely intuative and fast. all i want now is move along normals…
so how about those blender jobs?
Unless you have good skill and know of a vacancy somewhere don’t hold your breath for a job.
And if you don’t have contacts that mean… freelance work… then don’t hold your breath for that either.
The big thing about making dosh, especially freelance is knowing people, or being the first name that people think of when someone tells them they need someone with your skills.
What I’m trying to say is, don’t expect a quick fix. Hope for it, work for it, just don’t sit on yer arse till it comes. It may take years to get where you want to go.
My advise: yeah go for it, try it, all out, but as soon as you see your savings dwindle. Get yourself a part time job. We all need income, even if it’s not 100% what you want to do. And once you have a part time job that can “support” you… don’t let them give you a full time job cause it’s not what you want. And spend all your time, money, energy on making it in the business you want.
Me… I’ve been working with blender for ehm… 2 to 3 years on and off… and only now suddenly people are really starting to take an interest. Web people, TV people, design folks… there’s lots of places to go.
Oh and Yeah they’re right… making a company logo 3d is easy money. A tip… Get “font creator”. it’s not too expensive, and then you can create a shape/logo as a regular typable font, which means easy resize, easy to put into any proggy. Then download Elefont cause that lets you make any font lovely 3d dxf… which you can import into blender… 3 steps and you have the tightest 3d logo ever! And it’s so easy I’m ashamed of the money I ask for the job hehe.
You might also try renting yourself out to local architechs. They supply the blueprints for a building, you load it in, trace it out, extrued it up. Then you get into adding details, which gets tricky. Not exactly easy money, but it could be depending on the deadline.
–kbitz
hmmmph … interesting option
I’m sorry but that bit about PDI/Pixar was a bit too pie in the sky for my tastes… Blender is nice and I really like the direction It’s going but it shows a rather huge misunderstanding of the 3d industry to suggest that its ready for the type of usage that companies such as PDI and Pixar require in their production pipeline. It’s getting better, much better, but it’s not there yet such that you could make all, most, or even a ‘good portion’ of something like toy story or shrek in it without major aggravation related to the inherent limitations of the software occuring along the way. Theres a reason these studios havn’t switched en’ masse to blender.
I remember people saying these sorts of things years ago back even when the old IKA system was still in place and before python scripting. %|
What this adds up to is these sorts of statements are rather harmfull to blenders image and to people who want to use it as a stepping stone into the mainstream CG industry, ie: it gives them unrealistic expectations.
Certainly many ‘lone wolfs’ are making it in the VFX world using blender and I know a few, but this is usually the more ‘fringe’ stuff (fringe != unimportant however.) One blender user went on to become a TD at pixar I believe, but I can almost gaurentee you that he isn’t using it at work during the day. You will hear different things from professionals in the field. One thing I have heard a lot is that if you have mad skillz and walk into a REALLY big operation they will train you in whatever softs they use (the idea being that your so good that it would be stupid of them not to hire you and that you will be able to pick up the app pretty quick.) Smaller studios you would have a problem doing that I have heard.
Blender is certainly capable of being used in the professional arena but my suggestion is that if your serious about CG and love it (and not just blender) that you diversify your skillset.
check out websites like www.cgtalk.com and read the sticky threads on the industry, lots of wisdom from professionals in the feild there.
Good Luck and blend on!
Zarf.
I just wanted to say a big thanks to everybody that replied to my question. I read everything with great interest.
My current thoughts are that I will probably start a studio-like thing with two friends around multimedia stuff (maybe adds, videos for a local market … whatever) … probably will be working in XSI or maybe Maya …
my thoughts are that if that doesn’t come out … maybe sometime in the future I will try a shout-out to Blender users to see if we could take on the challenge of really using Blender in a business. I wish Blender was strong enough … I really wish … I wish so strongly that the open-source/free alternatives were trully competitive that it pains me quite a lot to admit in front of others (and even to myself) things like the fact that I actually feel that I can do a lot more stuff in Photoshop than in Gimp and that while trying stuff in Blender I keep thinking how handy some tools in XSI would come right about now.
… I wish … I’m wondering … because I think even the toughest 3d software probably doesn’t have as many developers as the open source comunity has workign … trouble is that they’re not organized towards one single goal … so instead of one tough ass app existing there are like 5-10 different efforts. This is really cool & exciting when it comes to quantity & looks … but rather painfull when you wanna go into pro 3d.
but anyway … I digress … I would really be encouraged to know of a focused group of Blender users working towards goals & making awesome stuff with Blender, a group in which a relative beginner like me would know at any time that if he dedicated say 4 hours a day and went under their wings he would end up having a chance of earning a living in 3d someday. I wish such a group would form ;-))
until then .. I really appreciate all your replies again .. and am holding my breath for more inovative ways of using Blender comercially .. and with news of people who have made it.
blend on, blend well!
(and hopefully someday: “blend well enough for people to be willing to pay for it!”)
Hi void,
As someone who’s been in the 3D industry for over three years I’d like to say a few words. First off its good to have dreams and ambission. Without those you won’t make it anywhere. 
To be honest with you I think that you’re too focused on the 3D package. Just because you go with Maya, XSI, or even Blender doesn’t mean diddle. Here’s the million dollar question. Can you make AMAZING 3D art? If you start a “studio” your clients won’t give a flyin’ flip what software you use as long as you are blowing their socks off at the best hourly rate. Let’s be realistic. Why would someone as inexperienced as yourself invest thousands of dollars on software that have no guaranteed return? You do know that you have to actually BUY Maya to use it to produce works that you make money off of don’t you? It looks like you have very little 3D experience, so Blender is the perfect starting place for you. I can almost guarantee that you will not be able to use Blender to its full potential anytime soon. I have been working in the game industry for some time now. After using a lot of different software I choose to use Blender to model and texture characters for commercial games. Its true that if you want to get a job at a company in the 3d industry you would be wise to learn the likes of 3Dstudio Max and MAYA, but you don’t need to start using those until you have at least a basic understanding of how to create 3D graphics. I interviewed a lot of people this week and the last thing that I look at is which software package the interviewee used. What was the first thing I looked at? Is this person a kickass 3d artist. Go to CGTALK and check out the four and five star threads in the finished projects gallery. I tell you, don’t worry about which software package you are using until you can make an image HALF as good as those.
In closing I’d like to say with dedication and drive you can do anything you want, but a 3D package an artist does not make. Work hard, become a good artist, and have success.
Peace, and Good Luck!
TorQ
C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures is making digital movie right now, and this is what they are looking for.