Failure is part of the process pt.1 of many

 

Textured 3D Model: Leprechaun



Textured 3D Model: Leprechaun Hat


Textured 3D Model: Gold Coin



The idea was to create slot game symbols in a theme I hope is apparent from the images above. I was encouraged to use 3D software to create the images--it is a 3D position after all. 

I had fun modeling it. Texturing it, not so much. It was way out of my comfort zone and admittedly one of my weakest areas at the time of this post. 

The textures were precisely what cost me the gig. I appreciated them for telling me the specific reason for rejecting my submission, a courtesy most companies do not extend.

Took a few days to self-loathe and question if I'll ever be a professional artist, then sat right back at my workstation.  


  State of the industry


In the past two months I have really got the sense of how rapidly this industry changes. I graduated from University of Central Florida in 2018. I learned the pipeline and the different roles, chose one, and learned as much as I could. 

I had understood the 3D Modeler role as: 3D sculpting, box-modeling, re-topology, UV mapping, bake maps, maybe some scripting. I'm starting to get the impression that these skills alone make it very difficult to break into the industry.

In two months, three once potential clients are no longer interested in my services once I inform them, I do not texture. (More specifically, I don't texture well enough to charge money for it). Never mind that I advertise as a character modeler with a gray model as my poster image. 

Today the proclamation of 3D modeler carries the assumption of being a texture artist. A role I understood back in 2018 to be a separate and unique role. Perhaps it has always been like this and I misunderstood. I hope for sanity's sake, no more roles are consolidated any time soon. In the meantime, I'll keep busy and become a texture artist.      


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