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Dev: pestibug
Position: character / level modeler and concept / texture artist
The dramatic tale of the Pestigrub
Tenth blog, my god, does time move fast or what? Seems each blog has to be published sooner and sooner. So, let’s talk a little about work. Things are going fine and progressing well, but sadly, can’t show or talk about the stuff I’m working on at the moment. Of course, that leaves you with what you really want to read about anyway, Pesti ramblings! Yay!
So, what is my topic this week? Well, how about, games, modeling and ending up in games?
Let’s start off with something that I find amazing, people asking me for advice in IRC. It always strikes me as kind of odd because not too long ago it was me who was asking around for help and such. And now people come to me because I’m a ‘professional’. While to me, I’m still just pestibug, the guy that just models stuff. Sure I’ve become better and better over the years and I know I’ve worked hard to deserve my spot in creating games, but it’s still weird some times.
So, let us go back a bit in time and have a look where it all started…
Yes, yes see it? No not there, in the grass, look closer.
Yup, that’s what I’m talking about, that little squirming thing is me. Pestigrub before I became pestibug squirming and wriggling my way trough the garden of 3D, steadily making my way to the magnificent 3D max. Venturing on bravely the little grub faces great dangers like Milkshape and Blender. Dodging the pitfalls of way to expensive books on modeling or trainings in 3D, eventually he reaches his beloved 3D max.
So why is this little grub on this journey? Well, see, he saw Jurassic park, and how the dinosaurs where created in 3D, and this rocked the little grub so hard he wanted to do that too.
This was better than drawing, better than painting; darned even better then sculpting with clay!
But (this is where the sad part starts, get out yer hankies) as soon as he opened the program and discovered there was no ‘create cool dino button’ but only found silly spheres, cubes and cylinders the little grub started to sob.
Was this what he had worked so hard for? To find just these stupid primitives? How can anyone make a dino out of this?! He looked a bit further but soon he got lost in the menus which had sub menus and those sub menus even had their own sub menus.
With a deep heart shattering sigh he closed the program and swore he would never do 3D. And with an empty and aching heart he went back into the garden.
Oh yes, the very first public seen model of the Pestigrub… Poor, poor polygons
For a while everything seemed to be alright, he slowly forgot about 3D and started to work on paintings and drawings again. So he spends many, many happy months, enjoying sheer joy of creating. All was good and well, until he thought about 3D max again.
Out of nowhere it popped up.
Why couldn’t he do it? He saw the possibilities. Amazing stuff was being done for movies, for games. So why wouldn’t he be able to do the same?
That was when he made up his mind, he would go back and work and try till he understood the program.
He would go on, no matter how many set backs, he would go on even if all his work turned out to be total crap. After all, he learned to paint, to draw and to sculpt…
This time the journey was easier, he knew the way, knew what to avoid and soon he found 3D max again.
At first, he hesitated, what if…?
But then he decided he should just go in and do it. And so he did.
Of course he did it wrong in every way possible. It didn’t stop him, (mostly because he didn’t know any better.) and his work did improve. Starting with checkered marble floors as soon as he found out how you could apply material to a model followed by a spinning logo.
These where the first little awkward steps of Pestigrub into 3D. And thinking back it does make him smile.
After the spinning logos and such he decided he should work with the primitives. Apparently a model could be made out of it, so he started to model with spheres. Just putting spheres together, stretching them until it looked like a human. Even applying a procedural material held no problems for him!
But, still it looked wrong.
How comes the dinos in Jurassic park, or models in games looked…well, good and his looked crap?
Why didn’t they look like stacked together spheres, with holes and strange spikes every where?
It didn’t stop the little grub from going on, but he knew he was doing things wrong, he just couldn’t figure out how to correct them.
Luckily for him, he got internet! And after searching or by sheer luck, he ended up with Polycount, a community of modelers who shared tips and tricks, even whole tutorials.
Intimidated as he was by their amazing work he lurked, studying their work, reading their tips, applying them to his own work.
Little by little it improved. He started to discover more things on his own as well, trying out which button did what. Sometimes with good results, and some times leaving him wondering why they even put that option in the program because apparently it didn’t do anything at all.
He noticed that once he started to understand the program more and more it was just the technical stuff he needed to learn. The creativity had always been there, it was just like learning how to paint, or draw, but this time by learning what buttons to click, which spinners to spin and what values to type.
Portfolio model based on a drawing by Ashley wood
Then the big day came! Anxious he showed of his first work he thought was good enough to show. And while he got some replies, it certainly wasn’t the success he had hoped for. He did notice the kind people gave him feedback. Sometimes in a way that he didn’t really like (as in, dude it sucks, and this is why it sucks and them being absolutely right about it).
Determined though, the little grub went on, and on, slowly becoming more known to the community, even making some friends. His work improved, he got a bit more respected, showing he could stick to it and actually tried to use the feedback he got from people.
Then a big day came, he went on IRC and actually would talk face to face with these amazing people. Well the start was kind of rough, especially since it was his first time on IRC, and having no clue about IRC etiquette didn’t really help either. But, after smoothing back some hairs he rubbed the wrong way and some nice people who took a liking to him he got to know more people directly.
He even started to help new people at some point. People who saw his work and who liked the fact he took time to help them hands on.
As time moved on Pestigrub became Pestibug, a quite known character. Knowing quite a number of people, most of them already having a job in gaming, also those who didn’t yet but who soon would. He knew he wanted to do this. Creating characters for games would be the most amazing job ever.
Time passed as he kept on improving, spreading the word he wanted to work in games, until one day some people of Polycount mailed him about a job offer in the site. Amazingly it was for a job in his country, and even better, in his city as well! What are the odds? Well the odds are bloody darn amazing.
So, he took work he had made for his portfolio, mailed it and got a reply he could drop by for a talk.
And after that, well he ended up working on Spellborn.
Portfolio model done for a half life 2 mod
He lives happy days doing what he likes to do most, still keeps contact with Polycount, looking around for opportunities to ‘repay’ what they did for him. It’s a small world after all, and we all need a bit of help at times.
What the future holds for Pestibug, no one knows, but it will probably be good and exciting!
So, all in all, what I was trying to say is. Take your time, if you want to go into games (or anything creative for that matter). It’s a hard road and a long one. It has become a bit easier with internet being widely available and more and more info about modeling and such being released.
Yet, you will have to do it on your own. You can ask for all the help you want, but what gets you there is pretty much being stubborn and keep bashing that head into the wall until you break through it and face the next one.
It might sound terrible when you read that but all I’m saying is, you will have to stick to it, finish your stuff, listen to the advise you get and take your time.
Not everyone will end up doing this kind of work, but those with the dedication, the inspiration and sheer will power will have a big shot at it.
Make friends in communities, because they might be able to help you later to land a job. Make no enemies, because it is a small world and things might turn against you. Just act normal and cool, you might not like everyone, but leave those people alone.
That’s pretty much it. Simple rules, all it takes is time.
Portfolio model build for a mod running on custom engine
Alright, on a side note, look at my picture! Yes it’s new; I have updated it so you all can enjoy the glory that is me. Pestibug new and improved, now with a dyed dreadhawk (Mohawk which has dreadlock)!
Ladies, compliments can be PM’d to me ;)
Music: X-fusion, Cat power, Atari teenage riot |
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