如何通過自學成為一名3D藝術家？

Hello，大家好，今天由翻譯小組Tthia給大家帶來一篇推文，希望能對大家有所幫助。

1、引言

a possible roadmap of where and how you can invest your time and energyto find a job within the gamesindustry.

關於如何規劃時間和精力，能夠成為一名遊戲行業工作者可行的途徑。

This guide is meant to give you a broad overview if you want to learn 3D Art for yourself and get a job in the games industry. Basically going from A to Z。

本指南的目的是想向那些希望通過自學3D藝術並在遊戲行業找到工作的愛好者提供一些概述性的意見，基本範圍涵蓋A到Z。

It’s what I would tell myself if I had to do it all over again. It's not a technical guide where we go into art techniques, it's meant as an overall “map” to see where you can invest your time and energy to learn the necessary skills effectively. This applies to other art disciplines as well, I just keep it focused on environment art since it’s what I learned.

本指南所包含的，是如果我必須重新學習一次，我想要告知自己的建議。這並不是一本入門3D藝術的技術性指南，而是作為一個概覽“地圖”，如何高效的投入時間及精力來學習必備的技能。其他藝術學科也是適用的，由於我本人從事的是環境藝術工作，所以本指南把重點放在環境藝術上。

One important thing to note is that each individual ultimately goes their own way. Every step I explain below can be switched around and adjusted to your choosing. For some people it takes 1-2 years to get their first job, for others it takes 3-4 years (or more). Go at your own pace. This guide hopefully gives you some ideas and helps you to make some decisions. Let’s jump right in.

這裏有一點需要注意，每個人最終都會找到適合自己的道路。本書中闡釋的每一個步驟，這裏都可以聯係自身的情況進行一些調整。有些人可能1-2年就能找到第一份工作，有一些則需要3-4年，甚至更長的時間。一切跟隨自己的節奏來，本指南希望能夠給到你一些靈感來幫助你做決定。讓我們直接進入正題吧！

2、Learn the basics first

首先學習基礎技術

First and foremost it’s important to get somewhat comfortable with various tools you will be using during your career. To build environments or a “virtual world” you need to be able to actually create objects in 3D Space, texture them and composite them in a game engine.

首先，也是最重要的一點，需要對各種即將在職業生涯中應用到的工具有所了解。要構建環境或者說“虛擬世界”，你首先需要能夠在3D空間創造物體，給它們繪製貼圖，並且把它們放置到一個遊戲引擎中。

Here are a few suggestions of softwares you can get started with and are also commonly used in the games industry.

這裏有一些建議，是關於一些在遊戲行業常用到的軟件，並且你可以從學習這些軟件作為一個開始。

模型製作

Autodesk 3dsMax

Autodesk Maya

Blender

貼圖繪製

Allegorithmic Substance Painter

Allegorithmic Substance Designer

Adobe Photoshop

Quixel Mixer

遊戲引擎

Allegorithmic Substance Painter

Allegorithmic Substance Designer

Adobe Photoshop

Quixel Mixer

3、One thing to note. Don’t get obsessed over what modeling package is best.

有一點值得注意，不要執著於哪一種建模軟件是最好的。

I personally wasted too much time figuring out what software to choose and if it would be better learning a different one. Just pick one (it really doesn’t matter which one) and get comfortable with it. Try out a few different softwares and then invest your time in the one you enjoy most.

我個人曾經浪費太多時間在選擇使用哪款軟件上，並且一旦我覺得可能會有更好的，就會立即去學習另一個軟件。隻需要選擇一個學到用得順手的程度。（這並不是最重要的事情）

Don’t become a prisoner to the software. It’s just a tool.

不要成為軟件的囚徒，那隻是一個工具。

4、Learn the basics of high poly modelling, low poly modelling, UV Unwrapping, baking and texturing. Get your hands dirty and make some of your first props. It doesn’t matter if they look amazing or not, it’s just about getting you into the groove with the tools and workflows.

學習基礎流程包括高模製作，地膜製作，UV展開，烘焙以及貼圖繪製。動手去實踐並且做出一些屬於你的第一次的物件（資產）。它們最後的效果是否驚豔並不重要，這隻是引導你進入最佳狀態的工具和流程而已。

Get in the habit of creating. Consistently.

養成持續創作的習慣。

Then start jumping into the game engine. This is the place where all of your work will end up in the end to composite the final game environment / scene.

接下來開始嚐試進入遊戲引擎。這是你的工作最終完成整個環境、場景製作，結束工作流程的地方。

Start making your first little scenes. Keep it small. Again, it’s not about making it look amazing in the beginning, it’s about getting used to working with your 3D packages and putting components into the game engine.

嚐試製作第一個你的小場景。別做太大。再一次強調，一開始這個場景看起來是否好看並不是重點。它隻是為了讓你習慣使用你製作的3D物件並且用於完善你在遊戲引擎裏的場景。

While doing those things, you will gain a lot of theoretical and technical understanding as well. Things like texture density, tiling textures and many more. It's up to you where you start first.

在進行這些工作的時候，你將會掌握大量理論知識，並且也能積累實踐經驗。比如貼圖密度，貼圖紋理以及其他更多的。這取決於你是怎麼開始的。

5、buy some advanced tutorials

購買一些進階的教程  

There are a lot of paid quality tutorials out there. Usually these videos go deeper on a specific topic than your average Youtube video.

有大量付費的高質量教程。比起油管的教程，這些視頻往往更深入細致的講解特定的主題。

If there are things you see yourself struggling with, try to dig for some long-form tutorials that go deep into a specific topic.

如果你發現自己卡在了某個地方，試著去尋找你需要的具體的一些長篇教程。

Really study those tutorials. Follow along and learn the thought process behind the artist’s decisions and visual adjustments. This is a good stage to push your skills further quality wise because now you know the basics that you taught yourself and can really put in effort to increase the quality of your work.

認真的學習這些教程。獨立學習，並且了解藝術家為何如此決策和調整視覺的思維流程。

Here are some of my favorite well-known websites for tutorials.

這裏列舉了一些我個人最喜歡的知名教學網站。

6、What I recommend after going through those tutorials and watching them, make your own thing from it.

當你已經通覽整個教程並且觀看結束以後，這裏我建議你通過這些積累製作屬於自己的東西。

We see too many portfolio pieces with the exact same result (or often worse) as the person teaching in the tutorial. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay if you do that. But to really learn and practice what you saw in the tutorial, it’s a good habit to create your own version of it.

我們已經看到太多作品集有著極其相似的或者更糟的完全複製教程中的求職者。別誤解我的意思，你這樣做也無可厚非。但是如果你想真正的學習並且聯係你在教程中的所見，創造屬於自己的版本是一個好習慣。

For Example: Tutorial on how to make desert sand in Substance Designer.

舉個例子：一個教你如何用SD製作沙漠的教程

Follow the tutorial closely and learn the steps. To practice it, make beach sand instead of desert sand. Or even snow. Maybe you add pebbles to the sand and create your own new interpretation out of it. This is where you will see most of your growth. Because you have to actually make your own decisions and by doing so, you build “muscle memory” and improve your creative problem solving.

仔細地學習教程並且學習步驟。要練習這個教程，製作一個沙灘沙來代替沙漠沙，甚至雪。又或者你在沙中加入鵝卵石或者創造屬於自己的一些理解。這才是最能讓你成長的地方。因為通過自我決策，你能夠建立“肌肉記憶”來改善你的創造性解決問題的能力。

7、Make your first environment (or any bigger project)

製作你的第一個環境（或任意更大的項目）

Time to give your first proper environment a shot. For the sake of this guide, I don’t dive deep into the how-to's and keep it simple.

是時候試一試你的第一個合適的環境了。基於本指南的目的，我不會深入具體的製作流程並且保持簡潔的概論。

Choose a topic for your environment and apply what you learned. Block the scene out and bring all your elements into the game engine. Make some nice props for it. Light your scene and improve your compositional skills. Really polish this environment as far as you can. Usually the last 10% are the hardest (but most crucial)

為你的環境選擇一個主題並在其中運用你學到的東西。搭建場景粗框架（Layout)，並且在引擎中加入你的個人元素。為它製作一些漂亮的資產。給的場景打光並提高你的綜合技能。盡全力打磨好這個環境。通常來說最後10% 是最難的（但也是最關鍵的）

This will increase your understanding of the whole process a lot!

這將極大的增進你對整個流程的理解。

8、communities

社區（論壇）

During all this time, you will be learning crazy amounts. You will be exploring a lot and probably feel lost once in a while. So one of the best ways to increase your skills and also have like-minded people by your side is to join Communities! It’s a great way to make friends and talk about 3D and art in general.

在這段時間裏，你會學到很多驚奇的東西。你會進行大量探索，也可能偶爾會感到迷茫。社區則是一個提高技能和尋找誌同道合的人的好地方。這是結交朋友交流3D 藝術的好地方。

Additionally, you can (and should) share your work and receive feedback. There are lots of professionals lurking around those places, so you never know what might come from it.

此外，您可以（也應該）分享您的作品並獲得反饋。有很多專業人士出入這些社區，你永遠不知道它它可能會帶來什麼。

Here are two of my favorite discord communities relating Environment Art. Just follow those links and press on the discord tab, it will bring you right into the action.

這是我最喜歡的兩個與環境藝術相關的社區。

9、fundamentals

基本原理

Another thing I want to point out here is the importance of art fundamentals. They apply to 3D exactly the same as they do for any other art medium.

我想在這裏指出的另一件事是藝術基礎的重要性。它們適用於 3D 以及其他的其他藝術媒介。

Study them closely. Look into what makes a pleasing composition, lighting, color, shapes etc. There are several tutorials online that explain them. Google is your friend.

仔細研究它們。看看是什麼構成了令人愉悅的構圖、光影、色彩、輪廓等。網上有很多教程可以探索他們。穀歌是很好的途徑。

Try to dissect pictures from your favorite artists to see how the fundamentals apply. It will make or break your work because in the end, it always comes down to the fundamentals.

試著剖析你最喜歡的藝術家的圖片，看看基本原理是如何應用的。它會成就或破壞你的作品，因為最終影響作品效果的，是藝術基礎。

You don’t have to get obsessed over them, just understand them and try to implement those fundamentals into your environment-work as you go along on your journey. It will truly help.

你不必沉迷於它們，隻需理解它們並嚐試將這些基礎知識獨立地運用到環境工作中。這將真正的對你產生幫助。

10、Take Classes or courses

參與課堂或者課程

You’re now at a point where you know the basics of proper environment art creation. It’s important to get to this step because once you actually start diving into classes and mentorships, you won’t start from scratch.

目前為止，你已經了解了環境藝術創作的基礎知識。接下來這一步很重要，因為你將整整開始深入課堂和課程指導互動，這樣你就不需要一開始自己為進程頭疼。這讓我想到了 CGMA。CGMA在業內非常有名，很多人至少參加過一門課程。

This brings me to CGMA. CGMA is very well known within the industry and many many people have taken at least one course there. You get weekly step by step videos on the topic or area you choose. You'll also get access to a mentor and weekly live Q&A’s.

在這裏，每周都會收到和你選擇的主題或領域相關的手把手教學視頻，同時還將獲得導師的指導以及每周在線問答的機會。

I personally found it very valuable when learning all this because it gave me a clear structure. If you can, work a lot during those weeks. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Get as much feedback as you can! It’s the best way to learn and get better.

我個人發現它非常有價值，因為它給了我一個清晰的結構。如果可以的話，在那幾周內盡可能地工作。你越投入其中，你就會從中得到更多，以及盡可能多的獲得反饋，這是學習和獲得的最佳方式。

還有很多其他的在線課程平台出現，行業也在不斷發展。CGMA是我經常去的，但我相信你也能找到提供同類知識的其他課程或平台。確保在投資之前進行一些研究，然後全力以赴。

11、Once you completed a course (and your work resulting from it), reflect on what went well. Reflect on what didn’t go so well. See where your strengths and weaknesses are. Then take another course wherever you need to improve on.

一旦你完成一門課程的學習（或者你的工作因此得以展開），重新思考一下哪些地方進行的比較順利，哪些地方不太順利。然後參與你需要改善所需要的另外的課程。

It will increase your know-how greatly and you will soon start gathering some nice portfolio pieces.

它會極大增進你的知識儲備，你很快就會開始收集一些不錯的作品集。

Also, learn to compare your work critically with already established people in the industry and their portfolios. This is not about feeling bad if “they are so good and I am so bad”. No. This is about seeing and learning what exactly makes their pieces work so well and then applying this to your own work. Now, this is a skill in itself and you’ll develop your eye for those things as time goes on.

此外，學會批判性地比較自己的工作與業內工作的人及他們的作品集。這並不是為了讓你感覺到如果“他們很好，而我太糟了”。完全不是，這是關於查看和學習究竟是什麼讓他們的作品如此出色，然後將其應用到你自己的作品中。從現在開始，將成為一門技能技能，隨著時間的推移，你會培養出對這些事情的洞察力。

12、mentorships

導師引導

Now onto my favorite part of the whole guide - Mentorships.

Mentorships are probably the one thing that can push your skills the furthest in a short amount of time.

現在進入整個指南中我最喜歡的部分——導師製。在導師的指導下，你可以在短時間內最大限度地提高技能。

I took a few mentorships when I was learning and I saw most of the growth in that period.

我在學習的階段接受了一些導師指導，並且在那段時間感受到了自己明顯的成長。

With mentorships you get a lot of individual feedback from a professional directly on your work. You can analyze your projects closely and someone can show you the necessary steps to going from A to B. If you put a lot of effort in the mentorship and constantly apply the feedback you will receive, you will see a lot of progress.

通過指導，可以直接獲得很多工作相關並且專屬於你的專業反饋。你的項目可以得到仔細的分析，並且有人可以向您展示從 A 到 B 的必要步驟。如果您在指導中投入大量精力並不斷根據收到的反饋進行實踐，你將看到十分明顯的進步。

Some mentorships I highly recommend:

有一些導師課程我強烈推薦：

13、So, why now mentorships and why not before? Of course you can take a mentorship at any stage of learning, it’s always valuable and it will boost your progress. Let me explain.

那麼，為什麼現階段才提到導師指導呢？當然，您可以在任何階段接受指導

學習，它在任何時候都有價值，並且會迅速提升你的能力。讓我詳細談一談。

Since you already practiced a lot and probably have some portfolio pieces, it’s now about getting you from a medium-portfolio to a polished and jobready-portfolio. And the best way to achieve it is to get hands-on inputs from a professional over a fixed period of time.

因為到目前為止，你已經練習了很多並且可能有一些作品集，現在是讓普通的作品集有機會進行打磨並且成為求職用的作品集。實現這一目標的最佳方法是在固定的時間內從專業人士那裏獲得指導。

Who to mentor with is completely up to you. There are lots of people offering mentorships. Few tips what I look for in a mentor.

選擇誰指導完全取決於你自己，有很多人提供指導，這裏有幾點建議。

Do I like her/his work and art?

我喜歡她/他的工作和藝術嗎？

Does she/he work in the games industry?

她/他在遊戲行業工作嗎？

Does the person seem sympathetic and engaged in what they do?

這個人是否看起來有同理心並投入到他們所做的事情中？

14、Don’t take a mentorship from a person that doesn’t work in the games industry. It means they don't have the skills necessary yet to get into it in the first place and they should focus on their own progress first (you can still get feedback from them of course).

不要接受非遊戲行業人員的指導。這意味著他們還不具備讓你去到第一個地方必備的技能，他們應該首先關注自己的進步（當然你仍然可以從他們那裏得到反饋）。

During the mentorship, ask as many questions as you can. Show your progress regularly to your mentor so he or she can give you feedback on it. Really use this time wisely and don’t be afraid to ask. Show that you are willing to learn and be open minded to re-work things for the better. Don’t get defensive, you are only hurting yourself.

在指導期間，盡可能多問問題。定期向你的導師展示您的進度，以便他或者她可以給你反饋。真正明智地利用這段時間，不要怕提問，表明你樂於學習，並以開明的態度修改反饋，讓事情變得更好。不要閉門造車，這隻會對你自己有害。

The goal from a mentorship is to improve your art in whatever area you choose and get a clear roadmap on how you should continue after the mentorship is over. Try to get clear inputs from your mentor if you are ready to apply for a job or what you should do until you can do so.

指導的目的是在你選擇的任何領域改善你的作品，以及獲取指導結束後，應該如何繼續作品製作的清晰路線圖。如果你已經準備好申請工作，或者你應當做什麼，請嚐試從您的導師那裏獲得明確的意見。

15、start applying

著手申請

After the mentorship, basically just repeat what you have learned and polish your portfolio. Once you’re at a certain point, start applying to jobs. I won’t go too deep into the how and where of applying since it could fill another full article. There are various websites showing jobs, LinkedIn and communities.

指導結束後，基本上隻是重複你之前學會的部分並完善了作品集。因此你可以在某個合適的時間點，開始申請工作。我不會深入探討申請的方式和要申請的公司/網站，因為它可能會占用大量篇幅。有各種網站展示了工作機會，LinkedIn 和其他機構。

If you don’t hear back from any employer or only get rejections, that means your work is not good enough yet. Don’t get discouraged, that’s just how it is. Keep working on your portfolio, make a new scene and you will improve. Once your work is really good, you will hear back, trust me. Not saying you get the job, but you will get more chances to go on an interview. Portfolio is one thing, you also have to be the right fit for the team. Some good resources on portfolio/job-hunting as an artist:

如果沒有收到任何雇主的回複或僅收到拒絕，則意味著目前為止你的作品還不夠好。不要氣餒，都是這樣過來的。繼續創作你的作品集，創造一個新的場景，你會進步的。一旦你的工作真的很好，你就會收到回複，相信我。並不是說你得到這份工作，但你會

獲得更多的麵試機會。作品集是一方麵的，另一方麵你的作品和整個團隊的風格適配也很重要。

一些藝術家尋找好的作品集資源的平台：

16、“But Patrick, I don’t have 3+ years experience in AAA and 2 shipped titles”

“但Patrick，我沒有 3 年以上的3A遊戲製作經驗以及2 個已發行的遊戲作品。”

Doesn’t matter, apply anyway. You have nothing to lose. A lot of companies might consider you as a Junior because your work is really good, even though they are not actively looking for one. Just go for it. Don’t be spammy and always stay professional. Respect other people’s time. It may take you a while to figure it out, but stay with it.

沒關係，隨便申請。又不會有什麼損失。隻要的作品非常好，許多公司可能會將你視為初級藝術家，即使他們沒有積極尋找。去吧。不要發垃圾郵件，始終保持專業。尊重他人的時間。您可能需要一段時間才有收獲，但請堅持下去。

Or as our homeboy Master Yoda would say: Patience, you must have. Worth it will be.

或許正如我們的尤達大師所說：耐心等待，一切都是值得的。

17、A few tips

一些小提示

The whole journey takes time. Don’t rush it. Learn, observe and apply feedback. It’s not easy, it takes a lot of discipline, especially when learning on your own. Benefits a good uni can give you are accountability, peers and "homework". When learning by yourself, this has to come from you.

整個旅程需要時間，不要著急。學習、觀察以及接收反饋。這並不容易，需要十分自律，尤其是在自學時。一所好的大學能給你帶來的好處是責任感、同學以及“家庭作業”。當你自學時，這必須取決於你自己。

It really comes down to your excitement and drive to pursue a career as a 3D Artist. If you don’t enjoy it, maybe rethink if it’s really the path for you. Otherwise it will be extremely tough and draining.

隻有你的興趣能驅動你追尋3D 藝術家的職業。如果你不喜歡它，也許重新考慮它是否真的適合你。否則它將非常艱難和令人筋疲力盡。

You will always have some tough moments where you feel like giving up, especially near the end of certain projects. But if you enjoy the process of learning 3D overall, it will be a lot of fun. And that’s really what matters in the end. Otherwise, what’s the point?

總會有一些艱難的時刻讓你想放棄，尤其是那些臨近結束的項目。但是，如果您享受整個學習 3D 的過程，那將會非常有趣。這才是真正重要的。否則，有什麼意義？

On the next page you can find a few things that personally helped me when I was learning 3D.

在下一頁可以找到一些在我學習 3D 時對我有幫助的東西。

18、peer group

誌同道合的集體

Find some like minded people to regularly hang out and share your work with, it’s a great motivator and can keep you going. It’s a great way to help others and also receive help. Sometimes you need an honest outside perspective on your situation and this is where close friends and peers can really support you.

找一些誌同道合的人經常交流，分享你的工作，這是一個很好驅動力，可以讓你繼續前進。這是幫助他人並獲得幫助的好方法。有時你需要一個客觀的外部視角審視你的情況，而親密的朋友和同齡人真的可以支持到。

reward yourself

獎勵你自己

Finished a project? Awesome! Go play some games or take 4 days off to do whatever you want. This will keep you engaged and excited to keep going. Be proud of yourself that you put in the effort!

完成了一個項目？這麼棒！去玩會遊戲或休息 4 天做任何你想做的事情。這將使您保持興奮地繼續前進。為自己付出的努力感到自豪！

aim high

胸懷大誌

Find the people that inspire you the most and whose work has an extremely high standard. Try to match that quality. Study their work closely and see what makes it that good. Even if you can’t match the quality, your standard automatically levels up and that will only benefit you over the long run.

尋找最能激發您靈感的人，那些作品有著極高藝術修養的人。嚐試去達到這種品質。仔細研究他們的工作，看看是什麼讓它如此出色。即使您無法達到這個品質，你的標準也會自動升級，從長遠來看，這隻會讓你受益。

take breaks

學會休息

Don’t work 24/7 and basically kill yourself. You’ll burn out quickly. Work hard and smart. Take some time off once (or whatever you choose) a week. Hang out with family, friends. Go outside, read, play games, whatever. Do some exercise. You will be much more focused on your work again after you had some time away to clear your mind.

不要一天工作八小時，基本上是自殺。你會筋疲力盡。用聰明的方式用心工作。請假一次或者找些空閑時間（或無論您選擇什麼）每一周。和家人、朋友一起出去玩；出去閑逛；看書；玩遊戲，或者別的。做一些運動。在一段時間清理思緒之後，你將再次更加專注於工作。

19、The last item on the list I want to talk about is time.

我要談的最後一項是時間規劃。

One of the main reasons why someone's portfolio isn't good enough yet is basically just because that person hasn't put in the required time to learn the basics and there's a lack of repetition. You can't cheat this. There is no magical tutorial out there that makes you a god. It's plain repetition. (I had to realize that too myself)

一些人作品集還不夠好的主要原因之一是沒有投入掌握基礎知識所必需的時間，並且缺乏重複的練習。你不要試圖在這個事情上作弊。沒有魔法可以讓你速成大神。重複很重要。（我自己也必須意識到）。

Yes feedback is important and no I'm not saying you shouldn't get it. But a lot of the time this person has a good understanding of the pipeline and now just needs to do it over and over again.

是的，反饋很重要，不，我並不是說你不應該得到它。但是隻有一遍又一遍地做，才能真正的理解。

In the end, it comes down to raw practice of those learned skills and you will see improvement. Your visual library will build up over time and you will be able to point out a lot of things by yourself.

最後，歸結為那些最基礎的實踐學到的技能，你會看到進步。你的視覺

圖書館將隨著時間的推移而建立，您將能夠自己指出自己的很多問題。

20、small financial overview

簡單的財務概覽

For the end of this article I just made some (very) basic calculations on what budget I would set myself for all the things I mentioned. I know not everyone’s situation is similar in terms of finances, but this could give you an overview on what you might expect over the course of around 2 years. (I left out cost for software)

在本文的結尾，我隻是為我提到的所有事情做了一些（非常）基礎的預算計算。我知道並不是每個人的財務狀況都相似，但這可以讓你預判大約 2 年的學習過程中可能的花銷。（此處忽略了軟件成本）

原文Patrick Ziegler

翻譯dianTThia

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