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Virtual Production Real-time 3D Artist - Commercial

Everything you need to know about the job of a real-time 3D Artist for commercial industries including required skills, responsibilities and salary.

Image: AEC Magazine

What does a commercial real-time 3D artist do?

Similar to virtual production in film, a commercial real-time 3D artist harnesses the skills found in one or more areas of the traditional production pipeline but executed in a real-time environment such as a game engine. The basic skill sets are the same, but the medium is different (real-time vs. non-real-time). They are often referred to as content creators.

Commercial virtual production covers many industries and is used for various purposes, including:

  • Installations and projections for events for exhibitions and concerts for more interactive and immersive experiences
  • Marketing and commercial purposes such as fashion shows (see CGS Mentor Deepak’s virtual fashion show for GCDS as part of Milan Fashion Week)
  • Broadcasting
  • Engineering
  • Architectural visualization & building design
  • Product design
  • Environment and theater design

These creators often collaborate with other artists, designers, and programmers to realize a broader vision, known as virtual production.

virtual-production-commercial-broadcastingThe Weather Channel uses virtual production to display information about the weather, which the reporter can interact with. 

 

Commercial real-time artist job description

Real-time artists focus on content or asset creation in a real-time environment such as a game engine, often working on a project from concept to completion. They are also responsible for maintaining visuals in both quality and optimization — from entire environments down to small 3D props, known as assets.

Role & responsibilities of a real-time artist in virtual production for commercial industries:

  • Mockup concepts and adjust as directed
  • Work with the client and real-time team to design interactive experiences using a game engine
  • World building (create and layout assets in a real-time engine)
  • Light scenes for a better cinematic experience
  • Optimize content through profiling and enhancing performance with the help of diagnostic tools 
  • Collaborate with programmers to develop and test new features, prototype shader code, and provide useful feedback during R&D phases.
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How much does a commercial real-time artist make?

The national average salary of a Real-time 3D Artist is $72,980 annually in the United States. (Source: salary.com)

$59k Jnr. Real-time 3d Artist
$89k Snr. Real-time 3d Artist

What is virtual production?

Virtual production is analogous to traditional production. The main difference is that renders occur in real-time. Real-time is paving new, improved workflows for the film industry and bridging some gaps in the traditional production pipeline, allowing real-world and digital platforms to converge. It’s been adopted as a tool by filmmakers and content creators to visualize what they’d usually only be able to view in post-production at the pre-production and production stages.

 

Virtual Production Mentor, Deepak’s virtual fashion show for GCDS as part of Milan Fashion Week.

Skills required to become a commercial real-time artist

When starting in this competitive field, you’ll need to focus on learning technical tools and be proficient in a game engine such as Unreal or Unity, which often also involves some coding.

Employers may look for the following skills in a commercial real-time 3D artist:

  • Experience in a real-time engine
  • Real-time ready asset creation (props, characters, etc.)
  • Texture/Shader knowledge 
  • An understanding of animation, animation rigs, and anatomy
  • Scripting languages like MEL, Python, C#, and Javascript are useful
  • A general understanding of cameras and how changing their values will contribute to how you might block, light, and shoot a scene.
  • Basic knowledge of industry processes (depending on which industry you are working in)

What software and tools do real-time 3D artists use?

When starting in this competitive field, you’ll need to focus on learning a real-time game engine, but the importance of art fundamentals cannot be underestimated. However, because Real-time Artists often take on a more generalist role, plenty of other software is worth learning too.

Real-time artists may need knowledge of a combination of the following software:

maya
TOUCH

Maya is a comprehensive 3D animation software used for creating detailed models, animations, and visual effects. It's popular in film, TV, and game development for its powerful tools.

motionbuilder
TOUCH

MotionBuilder is a 3D character animation software produced by Autodesk. It is used for virtual cinematography, motion capture, and traditional keyframe animation.

unity logo
TOUCH

Unity is a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies, first announced and released in June 2005 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference

houdini logo
TOUCH

Houdini is built from the ground up to be a procedural system that empowers artists to work freely, create multiple iterations and rapidly share workflows with colleagues. 

blender-01
TOUCH

Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software tool set. It is used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D-printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications and virtual reality.

unreal
TOUCH

Unreal Engine is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter video game Unreal

How to become a real-time 3D artist

“Using Unreal Engine is a perfect way to onboard people into virtual production as the ability to be physically accurate with settings and values is built-in to many parts of the software and allows for a natural transition into the virtual world." -Deepak Chetty, Filmmaker and CG Spectrum Virtual Production mentor


Download a game engine 

Download and familiarize yourself with a free game engine like Unreal Engine. 

Build skills 

Build skills companies are listing on job sites. For additional support, enroll in a reputable course. CG Spectrum’s courses include mentorship from real-time pros and an industry-led curriculum. 

Stay ahead of trends 

Online tutorials, webinars, and publications can help you stay up-to-date on trends and keep your skills fresh. 

Create real-time content 

Creating content in a game engine will teach you relevant tools while building your portfolio. Upload finished work to a visual platform, like ArtStation, to showcase to potential recruiters and to view your progress. 

Sell assets online 

Create and sell assets on Unreal Engine Marketplace, or similar, to gain exposure, get constructive feedback from real-life users, demonstrate skills to potential employers and collaborators, and make money! 

Join competitions and game jams 

Practice your skills and create content for your portfolio by participating in game jams (e.g. Epic MegaJam, itch.io/jams), or starting one with friends. The Rookies also host contests. 

Engage with communities 

Networking is vital. Interact with industry pros who might offer advice, insights, or job opportunities. Join the Epic Developer Community and see our resources section for more. 

Collaborate with peers 

Know an animator who’d love to add their character performance to a 3D environment? Perhaps a friend wants to help you build a virtual world! Collaborating with peers is fun and can produce more polished portfolio pieces. 

Internship 

Internships at studios specializing in real-time, can help you break into the industry. It’s not viable for everyone but can be a way to gain hands-on experience while networking and experiencing studio life.

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Ready to Start Your Film & Games Journey?

Download our course guide to see how we can help you on your pathway to your dream career.

Tips to break into the real-time 3D industry

Here are some additional resources to help you get ahead as a real-time 3D artist working in virtual production.

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Industry Pathways

Welcome to our brand new series, Industry Paths. Tune in to meet our professional mentors from across the film, games, and visualization industries and hear directly from them about how they got started, what a day in their life looks like, and why they do what they do.

In this episode, you'll hear from Nicklas Byriel, CG Spectrum's Department Head of 3D Visualization.