The Metaverse is Inevitable...
...and it's going to mean a better life for 3D Artists
If the word “Metaverse” makes you cringe…you’re not alone. Just the word alone immediately makes me think of soulless, dead-eyed avatars and clunky VR experiences. And for the love of God put some legs on these creatures. A man can only have so many nightmares!!!
So why do I think the metaverse will grow and become pivotal in everyone’s life within the next 20 years? Well….before I dive into that, I need to make one thing clear.
The Metaverse is very different than with the company Meta. We need to start by making a distinction between the two.
The term Metaverse came long before Meta, Facebook, or any other social media company. The term was popularized in the 1992 Sci-Fi book Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. In that book, the Metaverse was just a virtual world the characters would escape to as a way to avoid their dystopian world. For the Ready Player One fans…it’s the OASIS. So again…when I say “Metaverse” I don’t mean anything related to Meta, Oculus, Horizon Worlds, or that specific ecosystem. I simply mean a virtual-digital space where people can interact with the computer-generated environment and some other users.
Ok…disclaimer done…back to the question at hand. Why do I think the metaverse will be a thing?
Honestly…it’s just what’s next.
In this great episode of the West Wing, they say it well. First, we came out of the caves and we looked over the hills. We pioneered lands and we crossed oceans. We took to the skies and landed on the moon. Now, in the show, they are referring to the great history of human exploration and the next step being Mars space missions. While I agree that it’s the next step in space exploration, it misses a key point.
We ventured across vast lands for exotic spices that were valuable. We crossed oceans lusting for El Dorado, Fountains of Youth, and unimaginable wealth. And we landed on the moon for political reasons driven by a display of power.
Yes, human beings are natural explorers but the desire to explore and venture to the next frontier is driven by power or financial gain. And right now, Mars does not have a stockpile of some natural resource worth gobs of money. But what if I told you there was another place that CitiBank estimates could be worth $13 trillion by 2030. That’s right…it’s the metaverse.
And yes yes…I know. VR headsets are lame. They are too heavy and the avatars don’t have legs. AR is gimmicky. Pokemon Go! might have been fun but that’s nothing to spark the next evolution to human exploration.
But I remind you that these monumental shifts don’t happen overnight. Think of cell phones in the 90s. They were big, clunky, impractical, and very few people owned them. The wireless network was unreliable and no one could envision the world we are in just 30 years later.
So how did we get to this point?
Many point to the release of the iPhone in 2007.
And yes, the iPhone was revolutionary in terms of UI and design, but none of that would have been possible without the decades of infrastructure being laid. No one would have ever downloaded an app or watched a movie on their phone if the Cellular and 5G networks were in place. Heck, they wouldn’t have had reliable touchscreens if Gorilla Glass hadn’t been in development for years.
So that 1990s cell phone era is the era we are in now with “The Metaverse.” Things are clunky and it’s hard to imagine any of this becoming mainstream. But like back then we are just laying the foundation of what is to come. Slowly creating networks that can handle larger and larger amounts of users occupying one digital space at a time. Developing blockchain technology for countless uses like digital currencies. Laying that foundation for what’s to come next.
And of course there will be setbacks along the way. FTXs will turn out to be corrupt and collapse. Digital currencies will fluctuate. Bored Ape prices will drop. There will be hacks and questions about how to handle online identities and security.
But the overall trend is clear.
We are at a time where we are about to spend more time and more money inside virtual environments with the chance to generate trillions in profits that don’t exist today. And while I don’t know which company will make the “iPhone-esque” breakthrough or even what format that will take, I can feel confident in saying that it’s coming. Headsets will keep getting lighter and eventually be the size of a contact lens. Virtual worlds will continue to grow and blossom into unique, robust experiences. And UI will continue to develop where today’s interactions with our devices will look like a rotary phone or a VHS tape you needed to rewind before returning to the video store.
But wait…you said that is a good thing for 3D Artists? How?
Because no matter what form this next step of human exploration takes (AR, VR, mixed reality, etc…) we do know that world will need to be populated with digital goods and assets. So as this massive pilgramage to uncharted digital lands takes shape, every single company that produces physical goods will be exploring producing digital duplicates. And those digital assets will need to be created by 3D artists and provide a massive wave of new job opportunities.
And I can tell you from personal experience that 3D jobs outside of entertainment industries like VFX, animation, and games can be VASTLY better. They can provide better pay, more work flexibility, and a better work/life balance (looking at you VFX houses forcing new artists to work 120 hour weeks at $20/hr.) But more importantly, it does not leave 3D artists completely dependent on an unstable entertainment industry that can be completely upended by a new country offering a tax break or an ever growing list of streaming services and VFX houses laying off artists after dealing with cutthroat negotiations with production companies.
So my advice, settle into the idea that some for of the “Metaverse” is coming and it has the opportunity to work in your favor.
3D News of the Week
A roundup of interesting 3D-related news you may have missed this week.
The new Super Mario Bros trailer is out…and the visuals look amazing- YouTube
Sony’s New Metaverse Bet: $360 Wearable to Record Your Moves - Bloomberg.com
Get Photorealistic NeRF Renders with LumaAI API - lumalabs.ai
RenderMan "NASA Exploration" Art Challenge Final Results - Pixar.com
DreamWorks changes its iconic logo, and everyone hates it with a passion - WeGotThisCovered.com
3D Artist of the Week
Super big fan of Peter Tarka’s style. It’s lovely, simple, and clean and shows a strong overall use of color and composition. He is a highly sought-after 3D artist and has contributed work to massive brands like Apple, Nike, and Google.
3D Tutorials
For this week’s featured tutorial, I am going with this start-up guide to the new 3D creation tool Womp3D. Womp3D is a free, simple, web-based modeling tool that aims to make 3D easy for all. With modeling, shading, and lighting all built into this online application, you can work on your 3D projects from any computer or device.
While Womp3D lacks many advanced features, it certainly is a great introductory tool for people new to 3D and opens the door for more web-based 3D applications. Defintely worth keeping your eye on!
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
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