Environment has always been fun to create since there is a lot of variation modeling. I didn’t enjoy working with lighting at first, at the beginning I didn’t have a clear understanding of the function and lighting. This was because I never used any references which made it look less accurate and gave bad results.

My experience in University so far has made me realize what my strength and weaknesses are. My hard skills would be the technical skills in 3d modelling as I feel like I can learn the software pretty quickly and is more self-directed. I have a basic understanding of lighting, I still need to improve myself in that area.

There are a few softwares mentioned such as 3Ds max and Unreal Engine in the gaming industry, since I haven’t used those programs before which makes me a bit worried. But I will be using Unreal Engine 4 for my project. Learning lighting in Unreal Engine will be interesting as I feel the rendering is much better. I’m not completely sure if I want to learn 3Ds Max at the same time as it could affect my work, this will have to be something I learn in my spare time otherwise. Although when I think about it, 3Ds max and Maya are very similar, both softwares are modeling. So learning the 3Ds Max shouldn't be very chellenging, same goes with any other similiar softwares. This would be considered as an opportunity.

However, my soft skill is more on the weaker side. I can work in teams and take the lead if needed, although that will always be the last option for me. Some of my soft skills comes naturally when needed. Communication and presentation are my weaknesses, it does make me nervous overall and because of language barrier. The only way to improve is through experience, so I will prepare before a presentation, communicate and ask if I don’t understand.

Having a better idea what the job roles entail helped me realise what areas I’m lacking. I feel unsure when it comes to software's such as Unreal Engine, 3Ds Max, baking lightmaps and lack of knowledge in other areas. Not having any experience with the software doesn’t concern me as Unity is similar to Unreal Engine, I would say this is more of an opportunity as I have a basic understanding of Unity already. Learning new software's in the industry it normal, this just means I would have to spend some more time learning the software.

Basing on my research, this is a competitive industry which makes it difficult for a graduate. The majority of the job applications were looking for seniors, they have more experience than graduates. Even though I don’t have any experience in the industry yet, means I will need to work for a high standard portfolio to make it stand out and show my skills.

As a lighting artist it seems quite challenging, they tend to look for someone with high knowledge of lighting. Listening to podcasts, a few environment artists have switched to lighting artist as they were lacking knowledge in lighting. The reason was because the artist noticed they had a bad understanding of lighting which affected their environment. This could be another route for me, if I end up being an environment artist and end up in the same position as them, I could specialise as a lighting artist instead. Right now, I’m leaning more towards environment artist.

This is worrying, but to get into the game industry it’s good to have contacts online and communities to show off my work. I also found some unpaid internships in Sweden I could apply for as a 3D environment artist, internship would be 3 months – 6 months. Internships won’t set such a high standard as the bigger studios, it will also help me with my CV and experience. The advice from most artists to get into the games indsutry it to reach out to people in those companies, this could be junior artists. This will show that I'm interested and shows initiative that I'm reaching out in a professional way.

• Level Brief - Usually one/two sentences description of the level brief from the writer. Presented to concept artists, level designers and environments artist during a level kick off meeting. A level brief helps with context and helps the artists.

• Key Art/Map layouts - In a level kick off meeting there is either key art created, high level layout created or both. Key art could be concepts with a clear mood, color palette and design. High level layout shows ideas of the gameplay.

• Level Design Blockout - The level designers create levels, making sure spaces, distances and angles are correct so it’s fun. It should be fun so the players can move through the levels without frustration. The block outs consist of primitive shapes such as squares and cylinders, this makes the job easier for the designers to iterate.

• Proxy Phase - Proxy phase is a stage for the environment modelers. Proxies allows the team to track how many assets they need for the final, this is very important for level development. A good proxy focuses on silhouette, precise proportions and clear material grouping.

• Production Concepts – This phase occurs before, during and after the proxy stage. The concept will give as much information to the modeling team through their drawing to prevent them from finding the designs. The drawings will answer as many questions for the modelers.

• Final Assets - The final assets bring the whole scene together, supports the composition and focal point. A clear pathway and interactable assets. Most of the assets should be subordinate to the focal point or hero asset. The environment should be smooth and reflective. This comes to assets having damages which tells a story,

• Polish/Set Dressing - Polishing the environment by adding props, decals and signage to make the environment believable and immersive.

• Lighting –Lighting is very important to set the composition and atmosphere of the level. It also depends on the environment, stylized or realistic. Stylized tends to have more saturation and intensity lights. Lighting artist will pay attention the way the assets interacts with the lighting, therefore there will be textures and materials adjusted.

• Environment Assets - 4 types of assets for an environment:
  1. Hero assets - Hero assets could be higher level of environment artist. These are interactable and destroyable assets which requires rigging and animation, this must be done before texture is added. Hero assets can have a smaller team size and require more detailed concepts. While props assets (4) don’t.
  2. Modular Assets - They do most of the heavy parts such as structures, sidewalks and more. A good modular set has few pieces but can be used for a lot. Having grids make is useful for snapping. Modular pieces are textured trim sheets and tiling textures done through very blending or decals to minimize it from repeating
  3. Vista Assets – Vistas should be an early stage in the process to plan the budget limitations. They have less triangles, these are usually card or volumes with no other side on them. These can be seen as a painting. Examples of vista assets could be volcanoes, flock of birds and more. Vista assets is useful for storytelling.

When I’m a graduate I will have limited experience. I will apply for as many locations as possible, it will help me get my first job to build experience. I can’t be too picky at this point since it’s important to get the experience at this point. Once I get the internship/job I can practice my skills and work towards my desired job. With the research, I will need to look at the companies before applying and check people’s portfolio who are in the company already. Looking at the image, 35% tends to find their first job in 1-3 months.

If I happen to get rejected, I will be spending my time working on my portfolio and skills before applying again. Network and socialize with other people to get feedback from people in the industry. This could also be surroundings and classmates.

I have been looking into several internships and would say it's quite similar and different at the same time. Most are unpaid internships, I don't mind as I need the experience. The internships can last up to 3 months, 6 months or one year, it also depends on the studio, if it's smaller or larger. I couldn't find a lot of environment internships, it was mostly more specified, such as props or 3D artist. But a friend of mine used to work at one of the smaller studios in Sweden, which was mostly focused on props, alongside you get the experience working in team and new people. It can happen that I won't get an internship, it’s very hard. The key thing is the portfolio and make sure it’s the best.