3D Environment Artist

Rei

Working as a 3D Environment Artist

I'm Rei, and I work as a 3D Environment Artist. (laughs) Ever since high school, I've had this burning desire to become a 3D Artist, so I took it upon myself to study independently. Unfortunately, there was no specific major in university that catered to my passion, so I ended up joining the Computer Science department and continued 

my self-study in 3D. 
Currently, I'm engaged in personal projects and building up my portfolio for future employment opportunities. 

My work revolves around creating virtual worlds and captivating environments within video games. 

Let me tell you, it's no piece of cake! This field demands a wide range of specialized skills, which means there's always something new to learn and master. 
But hey, I'm loving every minute of it! Being able to bring these digital realms to life is like a dream come true. 

So, I'm constantly pushing myself to grow and improve as a 3D Environment Artist. 

Who knows, maybe one day I'll be working on the next big game that blows everyone's minds!

Please introduce the field of 3D Environment Artist.

Being a 3D environment artist is a super cool profession where you get to work with 3D models, especially in the video game and film industries. There are basically two main categories: one is all about creating the whole environment, and the other focuses on designing game environments. But most people usually think of 3D environment art as game environment design. 

I'm studying hard to land a job in a game company, and my work is all about thinking about every little detail the player will see on the screen and bringing it to life. So let's say we're working on a city concept. I'll be modeling and texturing all the buildings, streets, trees, furniture, and other specific elements, then placing them in the scene. 

It's like building a whole world! But it's not just about creating the elements, it's also about having a sense of composition and making sure everything looks natural when players are in the game. 

I have to adjust the scenes to make sure the backgrounds blend seamlessly. It's like being a magician, making everything look perfect from all angles for the players' experience. 

Being a 3D environment artist is pretty awesome. It's all about bringing imagination to life and creating immersive worlds for people to explore and enjoy. 

A world where you want to live and

feel comfortable

Are there any specific aspects to be cautious about when working?

Determining the primary areas of focus, such as the allocation of details and their omission, requires a careful balance between discipline and creativity. Additionally, it is crucial to discern when to disregard perfectionism. 

What does it mean to balance between the discipline and creativity?

Well, it's all about considering the essence of the artwork, envisioning the images that flood my mind, and then realistically assessing what I can achieve with my skills. From there, I pick the elements that I can begin with within a specific time frame and dive into the creative process. It's almost like having a negotiation with myself. (laughs) 

What emotions do you hope people will feel when they see your work?

I hope that when people look at the world I've created, they can feel comfort. I want them to experience a feeling of 'I want to live there, I want to go there.' I aim to show a world that doesn't feel too surreal, but rather like a place that could exist, making them want to live in it.

Discovering my own unique graphic skills and 
strengths by myself or through collaboration. 

Please introduce a piece of work that left a strong impression on you.

It was truly memorable to collaborate with someone for the first time after working alone all the time. Working with a shared passion, we were so immersed in our project that we even had energy drinks and worked for 48 hours straight without sleep. Looking back, the level of dedication at that time was remarkable. (laughs)

The second piece is my personal work, 'Ruins.' It's a piece where I transformed 2D concept art into 3D, and it took about three months to complete. With this work, I believe I can delve into my creative process in more detail.

To begin with, in order to complete a single structure, I break down each element into blocks and then create their shapes. Afterward, sculpting is necessary, which can be understood as adding detailed effects to the elements. As shown in the third image below, I perform the task of making necessary carvings, scratches, and incisions.

After that, I work on foliage cards. I create leaves, flowers, grass, and so on. You can think of this task as similar to creating brushes in Photoshop. It's like making something you can copy and use when needed, similar to a package of Photoshop brush effects.

Now, let's talk about the next step in the process-texturing and adding colors. This involves transferring the details from the high-density model to the low-density model by generating Normal Maps of those details. This technique, known as High Poly-to Low Poly, is widely used by environment artists. 

After that, we move on to assembling the models and filling the science with them.