Careers in Computer Graphics
Between computer gaming, movie & commercial effects, and scientific visualization, computer
graphic career options abound, but what’s the graphics job market really like these days?
Professor Bill White from the Department of Computer Science will discuss several of the
professional panels and seminars on this subject that he attended at the SIGGRAPH 2004
conference in LA in August 2004.
He’ll also show several of the award-winning computer animation videos from the SIGGRAPH
2004 Computer Animation Festival.
Tuesday – November 9, 2004
3:30-4:30 PM
Engineering Building 1033
FREE SODA & PIZZA!
FREE SODA & PIZZA!
FREE SODA & PIZZA!
SIGGRAPH 2004 Electronic Theatre
CORTEX ACADEMY
3D CGI on AMD 1.2GHz and dual
P3 800MHz CPU using Maya on
Windows 2000
Video editing on Apple G3 with Mac
OS
Compositing on SGI Onyx using
Inferno on UNIX
Ave. CPU time for rendering per
frame: 5 minutes
Total production time: 130 days
ATTACK OF THE NOTE
SHEEP
PC Intel P3 single 550MHz CPU
using Adobe After Effects and
Photoshop on Windows 2000
Hand-drawn animation
Total production time: six weeks
ROCK THE WORLD
PC AMD dual 1.67GHz CPU
using Maya and Adobe After
Effects on Windows XP
Ave. CPU time for rendering per
frame: 30 minutes
Total production time: 600 days
SIGGRAPH 2004 Educators Program Panel Discussion
Preparing Students for Job Hunting in the HighEnd CG Industries
Pam Hogarth
Debra Blanchard
Kathleen Milnes
Gnomon School of
Visual Effects
DreamWorks SKG
Entertainment Industry
Development Corporation
Barbara McCullough
Stan Szymanski
Rhythm & Hues Studios
Sony Pictures/Imageworks
Peter Grassi
John Hazelton
Robin Thompkins
Electronic Arts
BioLucid
Electronic Arts
A 90-minute discussion with industry professionals regarding the
tools that students need in order to improve their chances of
obtaining CG employment.
Preparing Students for Job Hunting in the High-End CG Industries
Artistic & Technical Skills
• Traditional Artistic Experience
• Sketching, Painting, Sculpting, Animation
• Digital Artistic Experience
• Maya, 3ds Max, Softimage|XSI, LightWave 3D
• Programming Experience
• C++, UNIX, OpenGL, DirectX
• Mathematics Experience
• Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, Geometry
Preparing Students for Job Hunting in the High-End CG Industries
Interpersonal Skills
• Literacy
• Poorly written cover letters, resumes - all too common
• Speaking Skills
• “Deer In Headlights”, “Babbling Idiot” – common extremes
• Evidence Of Teamwork
• School projects, jobs, extracurricular activities
• Research
• Know what the employer does and what they’re seeking
Preparing Students for Job Hunting in the High-End CG Industries
Future Growth
• Assessment of Individual Strengths & Weaknesses
• Ongoing, reality-based, with efforts to improve
• Rapid Shifts in the CG Market
• Continuous appraisals of trends in technology, art, style
• Versatility
• Broadening one’s capabilities as much as possible
SIGGRAPH 2004 Animation Theatre
THE PAINTER
I’M WALKING
PC Intel dual 1GHz CPU using Maya, Quantel Editbox,
and experimental HP rendering software on Windows
2000
RedHat Linux used to network 18-104 CPUs
Ave. CPU time for rendering per frame: 22 minutes
Total production time: 2.5 months
Single 2GHz CPU using Hash Animation
Master and Adobe After Effects on Windows
2000
Ave. CPU time for rendering per frame: 7
minutes
Total production time: 2.5 months
SIGGRAPH 2004 Panel Discussion
Careers in Computer Graphics Entertainment
Rachel Falk
Kate Shaw
Hael Kobayashi
PDI/DreamWorks
Industrial Light & Magic
Animal Logic
Luke O’Byrne
Dan Scherlis
Bob Nicoll
The Orphanage
Etherplay
Electronic Arts
A two-hour discussion with industry professionals regarding the
needs of the job market and how to best prepare for entry into the
industry.
Careers in Computer Graphics Entertainment
Size Matters
• Large Companies
• Departmentalized
• Require specific skills for each production department
• Small Companies
• Core teams of all-rounders
• Rely on individuals to become skilled generalists
Careers in Computer Graphics Entertainment
Medium Alternatives
• Visual Effects for Live Action
• Work divided between several facilities
• Primarily 3D artists
• Occasionally 2D artists
• Schedules between several weeks and several months
• Digital Features
• Work done by a single company or studio
• Primarily 3D artists
• Artists divided into skill groups due to complex pipeline
• Games Industry
• Art directors balance storytelling with game design
• Technical artists balance art and technology of graphics
• Level designers, animators, modelers, engineers,…
Careers in Computer Graphics Entertainment
Desired Skills
• Problem-Solving Skills
• This often means (gasp!) math
• Interpersonal Skills
• Deadline pressures mean long hours in close quarters
• Good sense of humor helps
• Good hygiene is essential
• Aesthetic Background
• Creative and visual
• Technical Skills
• Solid computer skills
• Long list of software packages (including non-graphics)
• Love The Medium
• Play the games, watch the films, know the audience
SIGGRAPH 2004 Animation Theatre
THE SITE
THE PIER
THE BALLOON
PC/Intel dual 2.9GHz CPU using
Maya. After Effects, Shake,
Combustion, and Photoshop on
Windows 2000
Ave. CPU time for rendering per
frame: 10 minutes
Total production time: 150 days
PC Intel dual 2.6GHz CPU using
Maya, Shake, and Adobe Premiere
on Windows 2000/XP
Ave. CPU time for rendering per
frame: 10 minutes
Total production time: seven
months
PC/Intel dual 2.6GHz CPU with
Quadro FX 2000 using Maya,
Renderman, and Shake on
Windows 2000
Ave. CPU time for rendering per
frame: 7 minutes
Total production time: seven
months