Who’s the CG artist? Professional guide in computer graphics

The field of computer graphics is vast, with dozens of directions ranging from movies and games to advertising and virtual reality. Let’s figure out what jobs the CG artist can access, what skills they need and where they can work.

One of the most prestigious areas for the CG artist is the film industry and the creation of visual effects for blockbusters. Here, experts are working on the digital worlds, the characters and the destruction that the viewers see on the screen. In projects such as Dune, Avengers or Avatar, almost every frame requires complex computer graphics and team work by hundreds of artists around the world. For film work, it is important to know Houdini, Maya, Nuke, and to be able to work on a team with directors and supervisors.

3D models create digital models of characters, techniques, and environments. — 3D scanners digitize objects, locations, and actors for realistic graphics.

— VFX artists are working on integrating CGI into live-action footage. — The composers collect the final image from the 3D layers and the footage. — 3D animators revive digital characters and creatures.

— Riggers create skeletons and control systems for animation. — Motion Capture animators are cleaning and adapting the captured actors' movements. — FX artists simulate destruction, fire, water, dust, sand, as well as any extraterrestrial effects. ===Matte painters===Matte painters / Digital environment artists create digital background and entire worlds. — Layout artists are building a frame and prejudicing scenes.

Big animation is also one of the key areas for the CG artist. Here, experts create full-blown cartoons, working on character patterns and whole worlds from scratch. In Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and Illumination, each project requires hundreds of artists to work together.

— 3D animators of characters revive heroes, work on emotions and acting. ===Character TD===Character TD creates rigs, skeleton systems, and controls characters. — 3D models develop characters, environment, props. — Surfacing artists are responsible for textures, materials, and the appearance of models. — Lighting Artist builds the light and the final mood of the frame.

«Effects Artist mimic natural phenomena and magic — fire, water, smoke. — Layout artists are involved in the composition of the frame and the movement of the camera. — The tissue and hair simulation experts make the clothes and hairlines realistic.

Major animation studios require the ownership of Maya, Houdini, ZBrush, Nuke, as well as the understanding of classical animation principles and the ability to interact with the team.

The game industry is another major employer for CG artists. Unlike the movies, the graphics here should not only be beautiful, but also optimized for real time. For the game, it’s important to own Maya, MotionBuilder, Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine or Unit, understand the piplines of optimization, and be able to work with the game designer team, left designer designer and art director.

— Concept artists create the first visual images of future characters and locations.

— 3D artists of characters model heroes, NPCs, and creatures, taking into account anatomy and stylistics. — The prop artists create objects, weapons, transportation, and small parts of the world. — Text-writers are responsible for surface, material, and realistic models.

— 3D scanners digitize real objects and people for photorealism. — The landscape artists / Terrain artists create terrain, vegetation, and natural zones.

— 3D artists build playplaces ranging from ruins to futuristic cities. — Technical artists / Tech Art write sheaders and scripts, optimize graphics, striking a balance between visual appeal and productivity. — Lighting Artist works with the light and the mood of the scenes in the engine.

— Riggers create complex systems of bones and controllers that allow characters to move in the game. ; Motionists adapt captured actors to play characters by providing photo-realistic animations.

Advertisements and community design are equally interesting and profitable. Here, specialists create animated videos, visual effects, and brand graphics for brands, television, and digital platforms. In projects such as Nike, Apple or Coca-Cola promotional campaigns, music videos or tremors for stripping services, each frame requires a bright visual idea and quality animation.

The main specialists in the industry are: — Mouse Designers create an animated graphics, typography, logos. — VFX artists add special effects, particles, simulations. — Composers collect the final image from layers 2D and 3D. — Text and light artists are working on materials and lighting. — Printers are experts in animated text and fonts. — The art director is setting up a visual style and coordinating the team.

In VR/AR, CG specialists create digital worlds of a new generation. They design virtual spaces for games and educational applications, develop 3D objects for added reality, create digital assets for metahumans, including virtual clothing and accessories. Particular attention is being paid to the development of realistic avatars with well-designed animation systems.

With the development of a virtual and complementary reality, there is a demand for artists who create 3D content for VR games, educational simulations, and digital doppelgangers. In this area, VR artists — AR designers — metahuman artists — Riggers of virtual avatars are used by Blender, Unit, Unreal Engineering, Spark AR.

Architects and designers often use 3D graphics to present spaces. CG artists in this niche are engaged in: — Architectural Visualization — 3D Tour — A Design of Furniture and Interiors — 3ds Max + Corona Renderer, Unreal Engineering for VR.

In architecture and interior design, CG artists help to visualize projects. They create photorealistic images of future buildings, allowing customers to see the project even before construction starts. Develop interactive 3D space tours that provide a complete picture of space. Work is being done on detailed furniture and interior models, carefully developing materials and lighting.

In 3D printing and digital sculptures, artists create models for physical expression. They develop characters and objects for 3D seals, create digital prototypes of jewellery, and work on medical visualizations for educational purposes.

CG artists can create models not only for screens, but also for the real world. For example: -3D sculptors — Jewellery designers — Medical visualizers — Main programs: ZBrush, Nomad Sculpt, Rhino.

A special feature of the computer graphics is the universal specialists, 3D generalists, who possess the skills required for the entire production cycle from the concept of art to the final render. They can create the character themselves from the original model to the animation, design the environment and set up the lighting, which is particularly valuable in small studios, indie projects and freelances for advertising, film and games.