Games Jobs
 

Are there any people here who use Maya for games creation? If so how hard is it to get a job in the games market and what skills would you suggest that one should concerntrate on.

I here stories all the time about games companies moving away from Max over to Maya and loads of being jobs available. Thing is if you have no real games experience how the hell are you supposed to get the experience in the first place - make your own game?

Practice a lot of low poly modeling. Small motion tests for animation like jumping, kicking sword play. Experience thats the tough part just keep applying and working on new things and learn as much as you can. Send you reel to everyone and with patence and time someone will give you a chance to show your skills. I'm still waiting but I know I will get a job I just have to think positive and not stop sending out my new demo once its done. I've learned so much since my school demo was completed.

yep, just gotta keep on truckin'... :D

If you play games yourself, try modelling for some MODs. Looks good on a resume/demo reel. Not like I have a job in the industry yet :p

(first post... woohoo!!!)

Ahem... anyway...

As a working professional in the games industry and an animation instructor, the best thing I would recommend is developing a strong portfolio and/or demo reel. It's not the software you use, it's your work. It helps to know Max, Maya, or whatever a particular studio is using, but it really does boil down to your skills both in 3D and more traditional art (drawing, sketching, photography, painting, etc). If you're an animator, put together a demo reel that shows the best of the best of the best of your work. Polish your timing, posing, staging, conveyance of weight, acting, etc. If you're a modeler, show off a range of characters and objects in both hi- and low-poly states. If you're a rigger, show off some of your raw rigs and how they're used on sample characters. There's really no definitive answer to getting a job, but this is a good start.

The suggestion to make MODs is a very good one. That's a great way of learning a bit about what it takes to build game-ready shapes and animations. Another option is getting involved in the indie games community. There are a lot of independent teams trying to make their own games, some using commercial engines, some making their own. Regardless, it could prove to be a good way to gain some game development experience.

welcome Danny - great first post with some top advice in there. nice site too :)

Thanks chaps! Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by MODS? Ministry of Defence Section???

Also, I wonder if you can point me in the right direction with regard to where I can find these indie games people.

Lol! I believe mods means here modifications. Some games like Quake for example lets you create your own models, levels and stuff for it...

Like counter strike is a mod for half life... rocket arena for quake 3 etc. (tis short for modification ;) )

@kal,

Thanks for the welcome, and glad you like my site.

@gazzmataz,

A good place to start looking for indie game developers is Garage Games. Although the majority of the people there use Max, it's still not a bad place to start looking.

Whilst on the subject of games and game art, I keep picking up the 'Learning Maya: Games and Interactive' book at the shows I have been going to. I nearly bought it but it doesn't seem as good as the 'Learning Maya: Character Rigging and Animation' book that I already have.

Is there anyone out there who has the book and can give us a review as to whether it is worth the £65.74 that they are asking for it.

You're talking about 2 completely different books there. Neither one is better than the other. The Character Rigging and Animation book focuses on, well, character rigging and animation, and may not necessarily relate to games. In fact, a good chunk of the material in the character book will not carry over to games at all. It's great if you want to learn all the neat features and options for setting up animation rigs in Maya.

The Games and Interactive book may not have as much character-related material in it, but it will go in anything related to game development. I think most the most important thing in that is learning how the internals of Maya function. When you're dealing with game development, it's not just about making good-looking art. The models and rigs need to be technically sound and have to function correctly. In order to accomplish that, you need some understanding of the way Maya handles 3D data. That is where the Games and Interactive book may help.

So, bottom line is, neither book is better than the other. It all depends on what you want to learn. Since this thread is about game jobs, I'd say the Games and Interactive book might be more appropriate.

Dannyngan

Thanks for the excellent reply, plus I think I confused you! I wasn't suggesting that the 'Character Rigging & Animation' was any good for games just that the book seemed to have more in it and was better value than the 'Games & Interactive' one.

I wanted to know from a pro whether the 'Games & Interactive' book was worth getting if you were interested in using Maya for games - considering that it is quite expensive! The 'Character Rigging & Animation' although pricey, I thought, was a good book - still haven't finisehd it though...

Thanks again!

I have both, use both a lot!!!!!!!

SOLD! By the man with the bouncey dragon looking Avatar - cheers Kurt.