The 3D Artist’s Guide to Transitioning Your Career
Learning to Adapt your Skills for Jobs Outside of Your Current Industry
This week, I had experiences that exemplify the growth of the 3D industry beyond its traditional roots in VFX, animation, and gaming, which I've been discussing in this newsletter for the past couple of years.
Job Creating 3D Furniture
In one instance, I spoke with a person leading a team of 3D artists at a furniture manufacturer in Vancouver. This person was looking to hire a 3D artist to create digital versions of their products. This news excited me because many talented 3D artists in the US and Canada, particularly in Vancouver, are currently out of work.
However, the job listing had two standout requirements: experience with 3D Studio Max (3ds Max) and experience with scanning materials. The team leader, whom I find incredibly inspirational and intelligent, needed someone who could hit the ground running in their existing workflow due to their busy schedule, leaving no time for training if the candidate did not demonstrate professional-level skill in these two areas in their reel.
From the perspective of a 3D artist coming from an entertainment-based industry, these requirements are challenging. Many artists in this field are proficient in software like Unreal, Blender, Maya, or Houdini, but not 3D Studio Max, typically used for architectural rendering and product design. Additionally, scanning textures is uncommon in VFX and gaming, where textures are usually created procedurally, by hand, based on photographic images, or pulled from asset libraries.
This situation leaves artists feeling unfit for the job, and the hiring manager sees these skills as non-negotiable.
The Barrier is Tiny
It's frustrating because, from my experience, once you understand a complex 3D software, it’s much easier to transition to another complex 3D software. They all have the same functionality; it’s just a matter of digging in and learning where all the buttons and settings are hidden.
Conversely, mastering material scanning is easy for an experienced 3D artist. When I began working at Adobe, I had to learn the material scanning process inside of Substance 3D Sampler well enough to demo it to clients and answer their questions. It literally took me one day of dedicated time to feel comfortable with it. I was demoing it to clients and answering technical questions within a week. (And I am not the most intelligent person. I was way too old when I learned the phrase was to ‘whet your palette’ and not ‘wet your palette.’ 🤷🏻♂️)
It might take a few cycles of working with new tools to feel as comfortable as you did with your old ones, but the path is clearly there to make it happen.
Can’t Hiring Managers Understand That and Change Expectations?
The short answer... No.
It’s up to you as the candidate to demonstrate you have the skills needed for the job. You can’t expect hiring managers to assume you can do something without demonstrating it, even though you and I both know that transition is not that difficult.
For them, hiring any candidate takes a leap of faith. Your job is to make that leap a little less scary by clearly demonstrating you have the skills they need.
Next Steps for You
If you're unemployed or unhappy in your current role and looking for new opportunities, here is my advice:
Identify the other industry or industries you are interested in.
Find the tools/workflows they use that are foreign to you.
Dedicate some time to making a project in that software.
Notice I didn’t say watch a bunch of tutorials. That’s because that doesn’t necessarily work. In fact, I wrote a whole article about it here.
What If I Don’t Know What’s Out There?
This is very common…and also precisely why I started my online group, The 3D Artist Community.
This community comprises professionals from various industries who share the knowledge and skills needed for product design, apparel, industrial design, product visualization, entertainment, motion graphics, and more. But more importantly, I’m also proud of how it has organically grown into a beautiful, supportive place I love visiting daily. Plus, the community has already seen success in helping people transition.
One member, highly skilled in lighting for VFX and animation, faced a job market with limited opportunities. He diversified his skills by learning about product visualization through our community and the many industry pros brought in for AMA sessions.
He focused on Cinema 4D and other unfamiliar workflows and created beautiful projects. Within two months, he landed his first 3D job in product visualization. This was the other thing that happened this week that validates my belief that there are opportunities for you as a 3D artist outside the industry you’re currently in.
This success story is a testament to the changing landscape of the 3D industry. Each sector has unique requirements, and it's crucial to identify your interests, learn the necessary skills, and actively pursue opportunities. Transitioning to a new role involves identifying, learning, doing the work, and making it happen.
If you have questions about making a transition yourself, email me at michaeltanzillo@gmail.com.
The 3D Artist Community Updates!
Updates:
I'm super excited about this week's AMA session with Daniele Scarante and the d_archive team! They make some of the world's most insanely photorealistic garments, and we had an incredible breakdown of their garment creation workflow. Recording is up in the community!
One of our founding members has successfully transitioned from Animation/VFX to Product Visualization, and we couldn’t be more proud! This is exactly why we created this community!
As always, we have our Virtual Café and Community Hangout for all our members to get together and collaborate and learn from one another.
3D News of the Week
Meta’s New Text-to-3D Generator Creates 3D Models in Under a Minute - PetaPixel
ICLight now relights your videos - LinkedIn
Create Geometry With Curve Shapes Blender Add-on - 80.lv
SideFX releases Houdini 20.5: check out its five key features - CG Channel
3D Merch is here!
3D Tutorials
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
Hello! Michael Tanzillo here. I am the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, I am the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging. I also created The 3D Artist Community on Skool and this newsletter.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel
Thanks for reading The 3D Artist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. All views and opinions are my own!