After Bioengineering (ugh) I want to switch to 3d?

[WeezTheJuice]

Hi, I am going to graduate with a dual degree in bioengineering and biochemistry within this year, and absolutely hate it. I can never work in the bioengineering industry, and I will kill myself if I have to do research for a living.

I wanted to do industrial design, but couldn't find anything but undergrad programs. My other choice was 3d, specifically modelling or character concept artist. I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on what to do next, in terms of which schools to apply to, when to apply, what to do to build a portfolio first, etc.

Thanks.

Well if you want to pursue modeling/concepting you need to draw draw draw to build a portfolio and to hone your skills. A lot of schools love good traditional work because they would much rather teach 3d to an artist with good foundations than someone who knows a bit of 3d. As far as specific schools, gnomon and vancouver film school both have modeling tracks but are very expensive. Also keep in mind that modeling and concepting are probably two of the hardest fields specifically to get into - there's a lot of competition out there. If you're sure that you want to do it then by all means you should go for it, just warning you that you're up against some great artists if you're just starting out, but it's certainly not impossible.

[seleneyue]

Thanks.

BTW-do you mean traditional as in still life, portraits, life drawings? Or just in traditional media?
Does it matter whether the work is CG or paper-drawn? I draw mainly anime-esque drawings, with some portraits of friends thrown in, as well as fashion drawings (I'm an ex-fashion minor), my main medium being markers. Should I branch out, or focus on something and get really good at it?

Sorry for all the questions in a row, your input is really appreciated and taken to heart. :)

[WeezTheJuice]

Thanks.

BTW-do you mean traditional as in still life, portraits, life drawings? Or just in traditional media?
Does it matter whether the work is CG or paper-drawn? I draw mainly anime-esque drawings, with some portraits of friends thrown in, as well as fashion drawings (I'm an ex-fashion minor), my main medium being markers. Should I branch out, or focus on something and get really good at it?

Sorry for all the questions in a row, your input is really appreciated and taken to heart. :)

Well for modeling specifically, you should definitely try and master figure drawing and anatomy. Any drawing from life is good really, but it's very important to learn proper anatomy as those skills will translate to your models. Just some simple tools - charcoal/graphite/ebony (whichever you like) pencils and some cheap paper is all you really need to get you started. As far as concepting goes it would help to also familiarize yourself with digital painting (in photoshop or something equivalent) as most of the work you would do as a professional concept artist would probably revolve around that. I would recommend branching away from the anime style drawings, at least for your portfolio, and focus more on drawing from life. If you can find some cheap drawing courses it would probably help a lot. As far as learning anatomy there are a ton of books and such you could reference, maybe even some good ones in your local library. Also posemaniacs.com is a nice little resource for practicing figure drawing, especially quick gestures ~30 seconds.

[tsaktuo]

Just as a headsup, there is a Masters of Industrial Design that one of my friend's is attending at the Academy of Art in San Franciso...

[Dare-o]

Well for modeling specifically, you should definitely try and master figure drawing and anatomy.

I think that depends on what field of modeling you would want to get into. For environments/hard surface, not so much, for characters, Definitely.

[Kanga]

You sound like you are all over the place!
Industrial design, bio-mechanics and character design and construction are pretty diverse. Have you done any 3d? Finish your schooling, you are this far already go the rest. In the meantime try some free 3d apps and do some figure drawing. In the computer, analogue, doesn't matter.

[gawl126]

Why did you go through all the trouble of going through the process of getting those degrees if you hated it so much?

[MrPositive]

Why did you go through all the trouble of going through the process of getting those degrees if you hated it so much?

That's my first thought on the matter. Those are two fields that you cannot degree in over night. I mean, did you hate those fields for all 4+ years you were in them, or did this happen recently? I mean, is it just a phase or something you've known for a long time? That is a ton of time and money to throw away and start again. Did you ever love those fields, and is this something that could repeat again and again? Nevertheless, if you know for certain and have looked at all angles, then by all means try something else. I'd still suggest a bit more thought beforehand. Shrug.

[meleseDESIGN]

I totaly agree with Kanga.
You should at least finish school first.

What actually is bioengineering and biochemistry?
Sounds pretty important to me.
Why do you hate it so much?

You haven't even started in the fields industrial design&3D and you don't have a portfolio yet. Without any experiences you wont find a job in this fields. If you really want to get into DCC you should start somewhere, but you will also need a bit money for the training material.

Really, finish current school!!!
And in your spare time try to find out what industrial design&3D actual is all about, try 3D applications and get into tutorials.

;)

[PeterRabel]

I agree with most of the above posts. Finish schooling, at least that way you have a plan B inscase you can't break in to the industry. Perhaps a well paying job to sustain you while you learn the necessary skills to get in to 3d.

I suggest taking figure drawing classes at a local community college. You can try your hand at 3d to see if you're getting in to another industry you're going to hate or not. Give blender (http://www.blender3d.org) a try, it's a great piece of software and it's completely free.

At the point you're at, I would suggest specializing. When you try to get a job, you'll be competing against people who probably have been studying 3d for much longer than you have. You have to get good enough at a minimum of 1 thing to get in to the industry, then you can branch out from there if you like.

As for 3d/vfx schools, all of the good ones are very expensive. If you already have massive ammounts of debt, it might be a good idea to try online training (fx PHD (http://www.fxphd.com) , Digital Tutors (http://www.digitaltutors.com) , Gnomon Workshop (http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/), Escape Studios (http://www.escapestudios.com/en_GB/online-learning.html)) and see if you can get yourself to a professional level first, at a much lower cost. If you work at it for a while and just can't seem to get to where you need to be, then see what you can do about attending a VFX school like VFS or Gnomon.

[xeltestic]

Before specializing you will need to have at least basic art theory in your pocket :o That is if ure just starting out. Maybe you dont even know what to specialize in?

Someone made a comment about knowing how to draw is better than knowing a little 3D before applying to any school. I concur a 100%! Learn how to draw and if ure gona do 3D then learn how to draw in perspective.

Some of the comments here are a little bit discouraging, but i know where they are coming from. There is a lot of competition nowadays and a lot of people have the advantage of starting out at a young age. Nevertheless, I think that if you are truelly compassionate, if you have great love for it, are willing to work like crazy and try to push yourself on every step you will achieve your goal. I studied 4,5 years of hotel management before doing this. How many days did I work in the field - none. Did i hate it? no way. But what i loved was this - i just didn't know about it at that time.
I still do love it dearly, getting excited like a kid, even though i do have my frustrating days =) Atm im one course away to finish my 4,5 years of 3D animation and visualization and am optimistic in finding a job. And hey what better job is out there than this? I think you should definitely go for it!! But be smart, finish of your school. You never know... :)

[seleneyue]

Just as a headsup, there is a Masters of Industrial Design that one of my friend's is attending at the Academy of Art in San Franciso...

Thanks, I will look into that. I know there are some, just none around where I live in Cincinnati.

I do plan on finishing school. My parents had pushed me toward the medical school track, and I was okay with it at first, and thought I would like it more as I got deeper into it. But it turned out into the opposite, the more I did it, the less I was interested.

I wanted to do industrial design because it seemed like a good mix of art and logic, but am not quite sure about anything; my industrial design friend is introducing me to one of her professor to talk.

As for character design versus modelling, I love designing characters and fantasy-type clothing and seeing them take shape in 3D. I've made some simple things, such as a teddy bear, hats, and simple clothing in Blender and found that I like modeling. I'm not sure whether modeler will be able to make their own designs, which is why I wasn't sure about the track to take.

I'm glad you guys are giving me honest answers rather than empty encouragements; if I wanted simple affirmation of my choices, I wouldn't've asked on this forum :D
BTW-I have about $500 of credit card debt, which, in the long scheme of things, isn't that much. I had a scholarship so went to school for free, including room and board.

Is it possible to do just a master's program for 3D, or do I have to go for four years again (not gonna happen)? If there's a master's or equivalent, what are the general prereqs for those with a non-art degree?

[xeltestic]

Imo no one will care if you have a degree or not. Depends oc do u wanna do some teaching yourself later on. An impressive reel will get you your job. Imo school is a good opportunity to try things out, build your reel, get help on the way and foremost to make connections. Some schools will have placement programs and good industry connections which makes getting the job you want so much easier. Best of luck.

[Kanga]

Imo no one will care if you have a degree or not. Depends oc do u wanna do some teaching yourself later on. An impressive reel will get you your job. Imo school is a good opportunity to try things out, build your reel, get help on the way and foremost to make connections. Some schools will have placement programs and good industry connections which makes getting the job you want so much easier. Best of luck.
What he said :)

[MrPositive]

Is it possible to do just a master's program for 3D, or do I have to go for four years again (not gonna happen)? If there's a master's or equivalent, what are the general prereqs for those with a non-art degree?

We have a year and a half master's degree in 3D visualization here at IUPUI for 10+ years. In fact, almost all our biggest student job landings have happened after this masters degree believe it or not (Pixar, Rhythm and Hues, Firaxis, Zoic Studios, etc.). Those entering the program are from a wide variety of disciplines: from artists to engineers to programmers to graphic designers to photographers, etc. I'm not pimping that specific degree, but there are plenty of 3D master's degrees across the country that students really enjoy taking over a 4 year program, to gain access for some extra time for project ideas, experience, etc. Schooling is certainly not for everyone, nor even a necessity, but some find it invaluable. Good luck.

[WeezTheJuice]

We have a year and a half master's degree in 3D visualization here at IUPUI for 10+ years. In fact, almost all our biggest student job landings have happened after this masters degree believe it or not (Pixar, Rhythm and Hues, Firaxis, Zoic Studios, etc.). Those entering the program are from a wide variety of disciplines: from artists to engineers to programmers to graphic designers to photographers, etc. I'm not pimping that specific degree, but there are plenty of 3D master's degrees across the country that students really enjoy taking over a 4 year program, to gain access for some extra time for project ideas, experience, etc. Schooling is certainly not for everyone, nor even a necessity, but some find it invaluable. Good luck.

Good point. Some other masters programs to look into: Academy of Art University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Texas A&M's Viz Lab, there are a bunch more but those are the ones that come to mind first.

[seleneyue]

thanks guys, you've been extremely helpful.

I'm going to spend summer brushing up on basics, then work on building my reel before choosing a school.

[rubicndsrv]

hello, I am moving from Aerospace engineering to cg as well. I haven't finishes my AE degree, but after working for a major firm for 6 months on an internship, it became clear that i would be miserable with that line of work.

now im working on a CA degree and am liking it so far, though the traditional art side is not been easy due to lack of experience.

[seleneyue]

It's nice that you have it figured out before you have wasted too much time. I wish I had switched much much sooner, since tuition is expensive.

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