The Andrew Price Podcast
#30: The Underrated skill of Optimization, with Stephen Hauer
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Traditional schools in the art field often prioritize technical limitations, hindering artistic growth.
- Continuous learning and self-improvement are crucial for artists beyond college education.
- Investing in graphic programmers and technical artists is essential for game development optimization.
- Collaborative teamwork and effective communication are crucial for creating visually compelling content.
- Frugality and optimization are key in balancing resource allocation and enhancing game quality.
Deep dives
The School Experience and Artistic Limitations
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the flaws of the traditional school structure for teaching artists. While schools can teach artists how to do art, they often prioritize technical limitations, which can be off-putting to artists who want to work in fields like games and film. However, the speaker emphasizes that artistic restrictions shouldn't be seen as hindrances but rather opportunities for creative solutions and artistic growth.
The Journey into Game Development
The podcast episode features an interview with Stephen Hower, who shares his journey into game development. Stephen was inspired by a recruiter's visit to his hometown in Montana and decided to attend the Art Institute of Seattle to learn how to make games. He initially gravitated towards film and games and found a passion for the latter. He shares his experiences working on titles like Halo and the challenges faced during production, offering insights into the industry and the importance of optimization in creating compelling content.
Schooling and the Importance of Continuous Learning
The podcast episode delves into the discussion of schools and their effectiveness in preparing individuals for the industry. Stephen shares his experience attending the Art Institute of Seattle, highlighting both the value of being surrounded by like-minded individuals and the limitations of the curriculum. He emphasizes that while schools can provide a curriculum, continuous learning is necessary beyond college. He cites examples of artists who have self-taught and gained success through constant learning and self-improvement.
The Transition to Camouflage Studios
The episode addresses Stephen's decision to leave his position at 343 Industries and join Camouflage Studios. He explains that the opportunity to take on an art director role and mentor aspiring artists attracted him to the company. He recounts the challenges faced in building a mobile game episodic series called Republic. Stephen discusses the technical aspects, such as transitioning to physically-based rendering (PBR), and the importance of educating the team on proper art production techniques for mobile devices.
Importance of Graphic Programmers and Technical Artists
One of the key priorities in developing a game efficiently is to invest in graphic programmers and technical artists. Graphic programmers focus on optimizing shaders and ensuring efficient rendering of visuals, while technical artists bridge the gap between art creation and technical limitations. They educate the art team on best practices, guide them in working within constraints, and provide input on building efficient pipelines. By having a solid foundation in technical optimization, the art team can create visually appealing content that performs well within the limitations of the hardware.
Finding Artists with Collaborative Mindset
When building a team, it is important to look for artists who are willing to collaborate and share their knowledge openly. Hiring individuals who have a track record of working well in a team and are not afraid to mentor others is crucial. Ensuring that the team has artists who can communicate effectively with graphic programmers and technical artists allows for a smoother workflow. By finding artists that can adapt to technical limitations and work within them, you can create visually compelling content that takes advantage of available resources.
Outsourcing Concept Art and Models
Outsourcing can be a cost-effective approach for creating content. Concepts and models can be outsourced to external vendors, who can build assets based on the provided proxies and concepts. This process involves educating the external vendors properly and ensuring they understand the technical requirements and limitations. By leveraging external resources and having a strong art pipeline in place, you can save time and focus on polishing and elevating the artwork internally.
Frugality and Optimal Content Creation
To create high-quality content without exceeding the budget, it is important to prioritize frugality and optimization. By focusing on optimizing environments and props, you can allocate resources to add visual effects, particle systems, and other immersive elements. This balance between environment creation and effects can enhance the overall quality and immersion of the game. By carefully managing resources and budget, you can create visually impressive content while maintaining efficiency.
Asset curation and prioritization
One of the main ideas discussed in the podcast episode is the process of asset curation and prioritization. The speaker explains that in order to create a cohesive and effective scene or environment, it is important to involve artists in curating a list of assets that they think are the most important. By gathering input from multiple artists and identifying common elements, the team can determine the key assets that will contribute to the overall feel of the scene. This process helps to ensure that resources are not wasted on less important elements and allows the team to focus on building the assets that truly matter.
Efficient content creation and standardization
The podcast also emphasizes the importance of efficient content creation and standardization. The speaker highlights the need to find a balance between artistic creativity and technical limitations in order to produce high-quality content in a timely manner. By setting limitations, such as a limited number of materials, and encouraging artists to think creatively within those restrictions, the team can streamline the content creation process. Additionally, the speaker mentions the use of tools like Gira, which helps track asset creation and ensures standardization throughout the production pipeline. Standardization and efficient content creation allow for increased output and faster delivery of relevant assets to the community.
Stephen Hauer was an Art Director at Camouflaj Studio and now Director of Assets at Poliigon.
In this podcast, we discuss whether or not schools are a good experience and what you can do to get the most out of it. We talk about his experience working on game titles such as Halo 4. Also we discuss developing VR games and the challenges that come along with that.
Stephen’s Links:
- Website: https://www.stephen-hauer.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-hauer-93228313/
Links discussed in podcast:
- Proko: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProkoTV
- Sparth: https://sparth.artstation.com/projects
- Kim Jung Gi: https://www.instagram.com/kimjunggius/?hl=en
Signup to Poliigon: https://www.poliigon.com/?utm_campaign=andrewprice-pod&utm_source=desc&utm_medium=youtube&utm_content=ep-25
Chapter Markers:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:45 - Podcast start
00:04:28 - The negative side education in the 3D field
00:11:51 - Resources that 3D schools don’t provide
00:14:47 - Stephen’s journey after 3D school
00:23:39 - Stephen’s experience working on Halo
00:36:23 - The future of Halo and professional retention
00:37:47 - Sparth & the importance of spending time in the UK for design
00:40:28 - Benefits of drawing from memory
00:47:25 - Stephen’s move from Microsoft to Camouflaj
00:51:03 - Working with Physically Based Rendering
00:54:04 - Production vs Freelance mentality
01:00:01 - Working on Virtual Reality for the first time
01:02:36 - Working with Marvel on Iron Man VR
01:05:29 - Poliigon Ad
01:06:45 - Difference between developing for VR and for screen
01:14:12 - Developing within the constraints of VR
01:22:03 - Importance of collaboration
01:55:20 - Managing a team as an Art Director
01:59:20 - Working with Poliigon!
02:01:29 - How Poliigon started
02:02:43 - Using tools like Jira for asset management
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