sorry to bother u lot again but i got another question.

like i said, i cant move away from home to do a proper 3D animation degree. however, there are a few Art schools around here that i could get into.

so what i want to know is, is an art type qualification good to have for a modeller/animator job or is it strictly for artistic jobs/

if it is good, what sort of art type course should i be looking into?

there is on course that focuses on life drawing, i guessing that should be pretty useful. any others that i should be looking for?

I wouldn't bother with wasting your time and an incredible sum of money on obtaining a degree... Most companies won't ask, if your work is of decent quality. The only thing you really get out of an art school is decent critique, which you can also obtain on any good art community forum.

If you really can't learn the required programs on your own, then I'd suggest taking a course at a small college...a university course likely won't offer you as much hands-on time, and will focus more on theory than actual application.

I went the uni route, as I wasn't sure extactly what I was doing at the end of it, and others said it was wise. The only thing it really gave me was a few good friends and a whopping load of debt.

Life drawing is the best way to build a foundation for everything else...just carry around a sketchbook and draw whatever is around you.

The corollary of "you don't need a degree if you work is good enough" is: "if your work isn't good enough, a degree won't help you." Take some classes if you think they can teach you more than you can learn on your own, but don't worry about getting another degree.

I'm not familiar enough with the books out there to recommend one, but I'd definitely pick either Maya or 3DS Max to start with -- don't try to learn both at once. Also, if you're leaning towards modelling, you might consider grabbing the free poly/subdiv modeller Wings3D. It's less complicated and therefore easier to learn, and I think it's actually superior to Maya's built-in modelling tools, at least. And you'll be able to transfer your models to Max or Maya later, if you want.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation in that I'm coming from a programming background and would like to get into the games industry. The difference is that I've been programming for different businesses for the last 12 years or so, and while I'm not exactly sick of it, I'd prefer to be doing something that caters to my creative side a bit more.
I've been studying this topic quite diligently over the last year, covering all aspects of game development - design, art, animation, and programming.
The biggest thing that pops up again and again with books, articles, interviews with producers at game companies and people I talk to in the industry is to create a portfolio/demo reel. This is simply something that effectively demonstrates your talent at your chosen specialty.
For instance, if you chose to specialize in modelling, I would recommend grabbing Wings3D like Logodae suggested and learning it inside and out. Start modelling easy simple objects first and move on to more complex things. Get yourself some personal webspace and start posting your renders there. Post on the game modelling forum at cgtalk.com and get critiques/suggestions on your work, and after a while you can enter some of their art competitions. You'll know within the first year or so what you're up against and if you want to continue to pursue it.
Another route you could take is to do architectural/level design type stuff. Learn how to use UnrealEd, or Hammer Editor(Half Life) or QeRadiant(Doom/Quake) and start getting your maps out to the community and entering map making contests, and/or join a game modding community.
These are probably the quickest ways to get recognized from what I've learned. I highly recommend checking out the book - Game Creation and Careers by Marc Saltzman. Its by far the best thing I've read on this subject.

Amazon Link

hmmm, thanks for the replys guyz.

ok, i decided that another degree is not possible. i was looking around colleges for a course in art and such. maybe something that teaches you how to draw life drawings etc. i know i can do this on my own but i would rather have a professional teacher with me at first so i can see where im going wrond, i dont want to go months mmaking a mistake only to realise it later when the habit is set. plus its only a 10 week or so course so it wont really matter.

i've also been doing alot or reading on the net on how to get into the modelling and animation business. As the above poster said, all said that its the portfolio and demoreel that makes the employee want you or not.

well, thanx for the advice guyz. my only problem now is myself. i tend to jump into things rather than take them nice and slow. but i've got all the tme in the world now.

if you guyz have any more views/advice or find anything intresting than please let me (and the whole community here) know.

thanks again.

EDIT:

oh nVision, i was looking through your site (good work btw) and the pics you got are cool. well done. now, if only i could learn to draw like that. are they all painted?

Hey Abbid,

If you haven't checked these guys out yet they may have something of interest for you:

Art Institutes

They have locations all over the country assuming you're from the US.

thanx for the info Chaduke, unfortunatly, im not in the US, im from UK.

Just a small suggestion. Even though the vast majority of game art is now 3d-related, you probably should work on drawing in 2d anyway - it's a really helpful skill. Best way to do it is to pick up an artist's anatomy book and then hack away at copying every drawing in the book; once you can pull out every part of the figure from memory it's just a matter of putting them together in correct proportion and perspective, then you can draw almost any kind of scene from imagination. Most other stuff comes easily after the figure, and knowing the figure well will help in 3d too.

thanx for the tip, however i dont fully agree with what you are saying.

i have started to draw again and its taking time getting better at drawing, however i dont think that drawing what is in a book will help that much mainly because i wont be drawing it, it will be like copying it.

i think it is better to draw from observing a real life object rather than that already drawn by someone else because it will help to develop your own observation skills and your unique sense of imagination.

for example, if 2 people were to draw the same thing, there will be some features in one drawing that wont be there in the other, it might be the detail or the shadows.

thanx for the tip again but i think my advice to you is to draw from real life and not from books, i beleive it'll be better for you.

The next step after learning to draw from real-life is to try designing something from out of your head.

This is far more difficult than either copying from a book or observing still life, as the object exists solely in your imagination, and doesn't take shape before you put pen to paper - though this is largely in the realm of a concept artist.

If you find work as a modeller you will probably be working from concept art (be it clay or sketches/drawings/paintings).