Tuesday I went to Midway Games’ offices in Chicago for a portfolio review. In addition to looking at my stuff, the guy I spoke with let me know about the software and techniques I should be implementing in my models in order to find a job in the field. He emphasized working with next-generation tools as opposed to current gen programs. This isn’t much of an option for me, but I can at least try to use what I have to fake some of the stuff he mentioned. Newer game engines can support models with a slightly higher poly count as well as additional materials like specular maps and normal maps. Some of this stuff can be generated in Maya and then baked into a color texture. It’s not as pretty but it’s easier than trying to simulate the lighting effects in Photoshop.

I was happy to discover that a game artist’s porfolio doesn’t have to be huge in order to get a job. Just a simple portfolio with a few scenes is sufficient as long as these things show comprehension of the skills the company wants. Simple websites are also preferred. There is no reason to have a giant Flash-extravaganza if you aren’t trying to get a job that requires Flash. Just a simple image gallery is fine.

Visiting Midway Games was a great experience and I’ll jump at the chance to do something like this again.