Environment Artist
The job of the environment artist is to create a computer-generated place which was either impossible or too difficult to film in real life. The examples of environments vary from fantasy landscapes, such as waterfalls, mystic forests, all the way to entire galaxies and new planets. Their workflow starts out with the art from a 2D concept artist, which they will then further turn into a believable 3D environment. The start for their work could be also based of photographs or line drawing sketches that can be sketched into 3D software.
Firstly, what they create is a ‘wireframe’, often referred to as ‘mesh’ of the environment. It will look like a series of overlapping lines in the shape of the intended 3D environment. If the environment has more polygons it will look more realistic. Using the mesh, the artist can sculpt the environment closer to what it is intended to look like. They would have few levels of details: the ‘mesh’, secondary detailed model with all the main shapes established and the third one with the last level containing all the surface details.
An environment artist is required to have good skills of art and drawing, have strong understanding of form, colour, texture and light, have the knowledge of the environments, understand the architecture, be aware of city spaces and landscapes, know how to use a game engine, be able to collaborate and have great communication skills, as well as be organized. They often work within programs such as image editing software, i.e. Photoshop or After Effects, 3D modelling software, such as Blender, 3D Smax, Maya, Mudbox, ZBrush.
Look Development Artist
Look development (look dev) artists job is to define the appearance and look of computer-generated creatures or objects making sure that the art of the TV show or film is consistent. Whilst a concept artist draws an alien, the work of the look development artist is to figure out how the skin of the alien looks like in different conditions such as raining, if it is dark or light, when the creature is experiencing different emotions. They work closely with creature technical directors (TDs), lighting TDs and texturing artists to formulate the various looks, balancing the processes of lighting, texturing and rendering to match reference images and real footage. Their work is further checked and signed off by VFX or CG supervisor.
The key skills that a look dev should have include having strong artistic ability, good understanding of form, colour and texture, having an understanding of lighting, be collaborative, have a strong knowledge of VFX programs such as Arnold, Blender, Maya, Mental Ray, Photoshop, RenderMan, Substance Painter, V-Ray and ZBrush and be organized. They work closely with other VFX artists, lighting and texture artists, compositors and shader development TDs.
Lighting Artist
With the use of computer-generated lighting, the lighting artist creates depth and realism within the scene, like the process done by director of photography in the live-action film. The artist would control and adjust the colour, placement and intensity of CG lights to create the atmosphere, add realism and depth. To match the illumination of the CGI 3D objects to the look of on-set production and overall cinematography the artist would use photographs taken on set or location as the reference. To make a successful and realistic lighting of the shot, it is required to have a blend of artistry and scientific knowledge of how light falls on objects. It is essential to reflect the look and style set out by the director of the film or TV program.
Depending on the size of the studio the role of the lighting artist will vary. In a bigger studio the job between lighting artist and the pipeline TD will be separate, where the artist is lighting the shot while the lighting TD is working to overcome the technical issues and create the software tools that the lighting artist will need. In a studio of a smaller size the two roles will be combined. A good lighting artist will have the key skills of design and art knowledge, great understanding of the colour theory, understand lighting, have a good knowledge of 3D lighting software such as V-Ray, Arnold, Redshift and RenderMan, have great problem-solving skills and be organized. They work with variety of people from different departments of a VFX studio, as well as communicate with research and development teams.