What AI Tools Should 3D Artists Learn?
Preparing to Integrate AI into Your Existing Workflow
The current rollout of Generative AI (GenAI) tools might seem overwhelming, leading many to wonder which tools will be essential for their workflow. A common question I hear is:
"With so many new AI tools emerging, which ones will I use as a 3D Artist?"
The answer is simpler than it seems—you are already using the primary tool for GenAI.
For 3D pros, GenAI will be seamlessly integrated into the tools you already use. Instead of relying on separate AI tools, you'll eventually find GenAI capabilities embedded within familiar software like Blender, Cinema 4D, Unreal, ZBrush, Maya, Nuke, After Effects, Photoshop, and others. These integrations will enhance your workflow without disrupting your existing processes.
GenAI: Think of It Like a Render Engine
Experienced 3D artists can compare GenAI tools to render engines. You don't create a 3D scene in Maya and then go to a separate website to render it in Redshift. Instead, Redshift is integrated directly into Maya, Cinema 4D, and Blender. Despite being separate companies, they collaborate to benefit both parties by seamlessly fitting into users' existing workflows.
Similarly, GenAI features will work the same way. Some will be built directly into the software from the same company, while others may require additional plugins or licenses to integrate products from different entities.
Adobe's recent announcement of GenAI tools in Adobe Premiere provides a glimpse into this future. The core functionality of Premiere remains, but now you have AI-powered tools like Adobe’s Firefly, Pika, or Sora to speed up your workflow. You can choose the best GenAI engine for your needs.
Subscriptions: The New Norm
Let's address a related topic—subscription models. With AI-empowered workflows coming from one company and integrating into another company’s software, the only way the GenAI company can profit is by charging a monthly subscription fee.
Users often dislike subscriptions and wish they could always buy a proprietary license to avoid monthly payments. However, for better or worse, subscription models are here to stay. This persistence is due to the clear benefits they offer to companies of all sizes.
Why Do Companies Prefer Subscriptions?
Predictable Income: Subscriptions provide a consistent revenue stream, aiding in financial forecasting and cash flow management.
Lower Barrier to Entry: Lower initial costs make products accessible to a broader audience.
Customer Lifetime Value: Subscriptions can increase a customer's value over time.
Usage Analytics: Subscriptions, especially cloud-based ones, allow companies to gather data on usage, informing updates and new features.
License Management: Linking software to online accounts reduces piracy and unauthorized use.
Despite personal preferences, subscription models will likely increase with the integration of GenAI tools.
What Should 3D Artists Do Now?
Given the uncertain future of specific workflows, should you just sit back and wait until things start to get sorted? Absolutely not. If you wait until the dust settles you will find that others have passed you by.
Curiosity and experimentation are key. Now is the time to pick your GenAI tool dive in with the understanding that you probably won’t be interacting with that tool the same way in the future. Are any of us sitting here thinking that in 2 years you will still be typing cryptic text prompts into Discord to generate a Midjourney image? Absolutley not.
Explore and familiarize yourself with these tools to understand their strengths and limitations. Push yourself to make a project from start to finish with your normal tools but find ways to incorporate these new workflows.
The foundation is still being laid in this sector and the time to make your mark on how this is built might be now.
Looking for some recommendations for tools to play with? Here are some recommendations:
Recommended Tools:
Text-to-Image Apps: Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Adobe Firefly. Dive into one, watch tutorials, and learn the nuances. A good test would be to try and integrate your 3D models into a GenAI background.
Adobe Substance 3D Sampler: Explore Firefly-infused text-to-material generation. This will create tileable materials that you can easily customize and build upon using the other Sampler tools.
Blender and Stable Diffusion or Krea: There are artists like Martin Nebelong creating incredible work that ties 3D software with a Krea GenAI output in a realtime workflow. There are others that use Blender + Stable Diffusion for the same effect. Check out the video below for more details.
Apparel Focused: DiscoPixel’s AI tool allows users to visualize their garment designs on photorealistic models
NVidia Omniverse: An open platform built for virtual collaboration and real-time photorealistic simulation. It supports various AI-powered tools for generating and manipulating 3D content and I feel could unleash a wave of automated workflows.
NVidia Omniverse
Conclusion
I get it—many AI tools were built on shaky ethical grounds. It’s frustrating, and it seems inevitable that some of these practices will face repercussions, much like Napster did in the early days of music streaming. But just as Napster's downfall led to the rise of Pandora and Spotify, which filled the community's needs while compensating artists, the same evolution will happen with GenAI.
GenAI is likely to follow a similar path. Even if the current players face significant consequences, new ones will emerge, using similar workflows in ways that are both ethical and commercially viable.
So, don’t bury your head in the sand and miss out on the advancements in GenAI. Start experimenting with these tools now, and keep pace with the professional world as it evolves.
The 3D Artist Community Updates!
Big Week in The 3D Artist Community!
The group is up to 27 people!
We now have a VFX Supervisor, a 3D Fashion Designer, a Leader of Digital Content Creation for apparel, a Photographer and Art Director, a modeler, an Asset Supervisor for TV Production, a 3D swimwear designer, and a bunch of artist!
We hosted an AMA with the great Samantha Anderson, an innovative expert in architectural visualization specializing in real-time environments. Samantha, a former Senior Technical Marketing Manager at Epic Games, is also the founder of Studio Ladder.
There is still time to sign up before next week’s live session with Product Design and AR Specialist at Bezi Cory Bramall!!!
With the heartbreaking layoffs at Pixar, we reached out to those impacted and offered access to the community as they navigate this tough transition.
We started a book club and kicked off with Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being
We also have regular online meetups where community members can connect, ask questions, and make connections around the world (we now have 5 countries represented in the group!)
3D News of the Week
Major Pixar Layoffs - Hollywood Reporter
Top 100 3D Artist Montage | Eternal Ascent - YouTube
Autodesk acquires AI-powered VFX startup Wonder Dynamics - Tech Crunch
Major new release of Adobe Substance 3D Painter - Adobe
Long-Awaited Procedural City Generator for Blender is Now Available - 80.lv
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!