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A
3D Modeller's and
Animator's Guide to Surviving
the
Credit Crunch
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2009 continues to be a very uncertain year and with little good news moving forward into 2010. It does not matter if you are young or old, working or retired, living in the West or East, the effect of the global credit crunch and economic cycle will have its toll on family finances, incomes and of course stress levels worldwide.
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So before everyone shouts "Why are you reporting on economic events, when PlanIt3D is an art related site"? Let me explain the purpose of this article. Over the next ten weeks we are going to provide you with tips for working on 3D projects on a shoestring.
Each week we will bring you a quick appraisal of free and affordable applications together with assets that will enable you to produce 3D based artwork and animations, tips for workflow and suggest a few strategic purchases that will enhance your current capabilities.
So although it may be looking bleak outside, we firmly believe here at PlanIt3D that those individuals who work hard and up skill during the dark times come out on top the next dawn.
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So whatever 2009 brings let us all make sure our passion for 3D and Art never diminishes and we end the year with a great portfolio of work.
Week 1
Okay folks welcome to the first instalment of "A 3D Modeller and Animators Guide to Surviving the Credit Crunch" I make no apologies by starting with some simple housekeeping.
We are very fortunate that as a community there are lots of assets that are available online for free (models, textures, mocap files, etc), and we all know that many of these resources disappear or are only available for a limited time so it is simply human nature that we have that urge to download every time we see them. The trouble is that we can very soon have thousands of downloads sitting on our hard drives just after a few weeks of surfing the net. So when that inspiration strikes or a new project is started we often forget all the available content we already have just sitting there hidden within our desk or laptops.
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Action 1. Get Organised - Make sure your Hard disk or CD-Rom's are organised so you can search easily. Make sure you can find that model of a garden fork or helicopter within minutes. I have to put my hand up here and confess I am not the most organised when it comes to filing. I am lucky that I work with folks who are very efficient at this task, so on a professional level it is less of a problem as it is not my main job to look after asset libraries, but at home it is a very different matter. So if you are like me and file all your downloads under a directory called shall we say "downloads" then stop right now and file them in a way that you can find them. Use your own preferred system but do it today as it is going to help over the next few weeks.
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Action 2. What do you want to do? - I would ask you all to go and get a piece of blank paper and a pencil and write at the top "What I want to do?" underline it if you feel the need and then get ready to move away from the computer for ten minutes. Don't worry folks I am not about to suddenly announce that I am actually a qualified Psychiatrist or analyst this is simple work pre-planning. I want you to think of this as a New Year Resolution List but relating simply to our shared interests here at PlanIt3D. So when you are ready I want you to find a quiet place where you can write, sketch, roll your eyes and think about the things you want to achieve in a 3D or even 2D working environment. It could be improving on existing skills, learning new skills, working on a project, self promotion, it is your list.
See you back in ten minutes.
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Hopefully not many of you have come back to your screen with a blank piece of paper? Some of you I am sure have doodled a face on one corner while others have come back with a completed storyboard for the next block buster animated movie. All returns are okay. What I do hope you have achieved on a personal level is some focus on what your target or targets are for the next few months. So it may be to improve the speed in which you model items, learn how to texture characters, produce a varied portfolio, produce your first animation or lip synch.
This is where we aim to help you over the next ten weeks by providing you with the support and advice that you really need to achieve your goals, keep motivated, but without great financial expense.
Over the next week please do concentrate on house-keeping and continue to think about your target or targets for 2009 including your current skills, software capability and the amount of time you can dedicate to a single project.
Most importantly be honest with yourself, especially with your available time. We want you to succeed, but you will see over the next few weeks that there are no instant results and like everything in life, the more effort you put in the greater the rewards.
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This series could be your passport to success.
Next week we look at 3D modelling.
By Daryn Fitz
Copyright 2009, PlanIt 3D
