concept artist and 3d application

[arkantos_cg]

dear all... i am new to the world of concept art...and i have a question: does the concept artist need to use a 3d application? if so which one is better for him? you all know that the world of the 3d applications is so complicated and hard to learn. which one to use? if it worth to learn one? how much it will affect my work?... thanks all :)

[2b BOY]

Welcome!

for a concept artist. I would go with lightwave, and you should really try your hand at ZBrush. but, if you really want to get into 3d, it would be good to study either Maya, 3ds Max, or XSI softimage, and even Cinema 4d. it all dpends on what you want to use it for.

Btw these programs are VERY expensive, so make sure you are serious before purchasing anything. If you want to dabble in 3d for a bit, try and use Blender. Blender is free and has a large community, and it might be overwhelming but it takes time to learn applications such as these. If you learn one from top to bottom transitionaing to others should only be a matter of interface, and different "perks" and ways to go about doing a certain action.

i actually recommend ZBrush though if you want to stick with illustrative, concept work, and texture artist. But, make sure at some point you also get familiar with studio programs like Maya and 3ds max which are the larger ones at the moment.

Don't get any of these yet though, and make sure you concentrate on your foundational skills for drawing and painting. 3d programs for concept work and illustration will only come in handy if you know your foundations. 3d in concept work can be used for matte paintings (mixing photograph, painting, and 3d elements into one composition), it can help with quick setups of scenes and perhaps perspective (I recommend you learn perspective theory first), and many other things. 3d programs are just tools, they wont make anything any easier or better looking only unless you really know it well enough

[arkantos_cg]

i juat want to use 3d for visualize my designs (like spaceship or mecha-worrior) i reviewed some applications like Strata3D and Modo. i think i do not need all the capabilities of 3ds max (that i am use very well) or maya or this heavy applications. so do you think something like modo or strata will be fine?

[2b BOY]

Yeah that would be good. but some of those design you see started out from a first draft concept drawn up. Or, it's someone who is dedicated to modeling. If you want ot be a concept artist, you should really work on your traditional work, and also experiment with 3d if you like. thing is with 3d it takes a long time to model something out that looks good, compared to someone who can qickly produce drawings and quick paintings of something. I'm not saying 3d artists don't know how to draw but for those who focus on 3d usually are the ones who get the concept art drawn out from a concept artist and then they create the assets whther it be for a movie, game, commerical, or show.

OR! You can study both and over time transition to the one that suits you more. Actually, that's what i recommend.

[arkantos_cg]

thank you alot :)

[Seedling]

No, as a concept artist you don’t need to know how to use any 3D applications. A concept artist is an illustrator – so learn to draw.

However, if you intend to do concept art for the games industry, one way to get into such a job is to start by first working as a 3D modeler/texturer in the industry.

There’s a link in my sig to info on the games industry, if it interests you.