Arch Viz Career Path

[Waywardsoul2]

I'm trying to start a career in the architectural visualization field and I'm curious as to how people arrived at the jobs they currently hold. Was your focus on arch viz and were you lead there? Did you start with a small company doing something completely unrelated to arch viz and work to where you are? What got your to where you are, was it a portfolio, connections with friends, a phone call? There are many other questions but I'm blanking so if you feel like imparting some wisdom please do. I welcome any help or advice. Thanks!

[Dave Buckley]

Strictly speaking i don't 'just' do arch viz, although it is part of my job.

 

Heres the path i took.

 

I went to uni to study digital film and 3d animation technology.

 

I hated it however, i developed a lot of knowledge of 3ds max amongst other products

 

I wanted to quit uni, however, i decided to stay and use the knowledge of 3ds max that i had already gained to take an 'industry' change.

 

i looked into arch viz (internet, mags)

 

i loved it

 

i looked into it somemore

 

i devoted my last year of uni to arch viz

 

i graduated

 

i went on job sites

 

all i found was 'sales, recruitment, sales, recruitment'

 

i then saw a job selling 3ds max

 

i thought if i'm gonna get a job in sales then i may aswel sell something i know how to use

 

i got an interview

 

they saw i had the technical capabilites

 

i was offered a technical job rather than sales

 

i now work with 3ds max every day, mostly arch viz, but other things too such as mechanical animations etc, as our clients span multiple industries.

 

after almost quitting, i know teach 3ds max at a basic level

 

and i'm now looking for work with dedicate arch viz companies

 

hope it helps a little bit

 

(sorry for the life story)

[ihabkal]

wanted to work with animals, as a vet or farmer. Brother advised me to study architecture. played games early 90s and liked the 3D in them (command and conquer).

wanted to do 3D so taught myself with books. After graduation couldn't find anyone to hire me for $500 a month. people in Lebanon thought that 3D was stupid and useless. Left and worked for an arch firm in Egypt for 1 year in 2001, then left to USA for 5 years working for arch viz firms. loved it. had to leave after visa expired. came back to Lebanon. now everyone here knows what 3D is. took them 10 years though. Now I won't accept a job for 4 times as much as I was asking when I graduated. I work alone for myself. Wish I was a vet and treated cats and dogs.

[3rddimension]

Studied Building Services Engineering in College

Graduated with an honours degree from DIT and Trinity College Dublin

Went to Chicago for some R&R for 4 months (drink baseball drink baseball - witnessed the sammy sosa mark maguire slugg fest!)

Came back and began work in an engineering firm.

Didn't know any 3D but managed to land a job in a small arch viz studio

stayed there for a year and a half and then setup my own studio

Started from the bedroom and eventually built it up from there

10 years later running a business I love and have a great team around me.

Things are tough at the moment though but trying to diversify - training courses and medical 3D

 

Its funny reading this post as I only just gave a presentation to architectural students outlining the above in a bit more detail and to get across the point that everyone needs to have an open mind no matter what career path you choose.

 

Regards

Nick

 

3rd Dimension dot ie

[Waywardsoul2]

Dave - no worries about the long and short of it not being so short, you never know what information is important and what isn't. I do have a question though. What kind of activities are you doing or organizations your going to to find a job with an arch viz firm? Meaning what are you doing to find a job?

 

ihabkal - nice story, sounds like you made it happen, very encouraging I have a question for you. What was the main thing that landed you your first job? What are the things you've done to maintain a steady work flow throughout the years?

 

Thanks for replying!

[KahnDigital]

I went to school for Architecture, had a couple summer jobs at an AE firm. Started full time at the same firm in the IT dept. while still in school. In my spare time at work and in classes at school I found a passion for modeling/rendering. This was in the early years of Arch Viz, before it became the industry it is now. The design dept. needed someone who could do 3D and I was the best candidate, after working on one project for 5 months straight, doing modeling/rendering, I knew it was the best job for me.

 

I finished a B.S. Arch degree, but convinced my boss we needed a full time renderer. It's been my position at this company for over 15 years, the group grew to 3 but we recently lost one due to layoffs.

 

Unfortunately you are in a time where finding a 3D job is very difficult, but it won't be like this forever.

[Devin Johnston]

I started off at the University of Houston studying Architecture, in about my 3rd year I took a 3D class and decided that's what I wanted to do for a career. From that point on I took every 3D course I could find but there were only a few. I got into a studio that strictly worked in 3D and during that year I took all of my old projects and turned them into 3D models which I used to create a portfolio. I graduated with my Architecture degree and began working at a local firm as their 3D guy but two months after that I was laid off. It took about 2 more years before I found a full time position doing 3D again, during that time I worked as an architectural intern which really sucked. Now I run the viz department at my current firm and I love it.

[Dave Buckley]

Dave - no worries about the long and short of it not being so short, you never know what information is important and what isn't. I do have a question though. What kind of activities are you doing or organizations your going to to find a job with an arch viz firm? Meaning what are you doing to find a job?

 

again i've kind of landed on my feet with this one, due to the job i'm in now, i have great contacts. a lot of companies using max for visualisation are good friends of mine on a business level. so your probably asking why i've not made the move yet? i've been making the most of the time at my current job, getting the training, certifications, qualifications, basically getting myself up to a professional level where i feel i could apply for other jobs.

 

so to be honest i'm not really doing anything other mainting a network of contacts in the industry.

 

i may decide not to go and apply at another company. i really want to go freelance and eventually build that into my own company. and i'm currently looking long and hard into that.

 

hope it helps

[mahorela]

 

i may decide not to go and apply at another company. i really want to go freelance and eventually build that into my own company. and i'm currently looking long and hard into that.

 

hope it helps

 

I am hearing you there but it feels quite risky to do that at the moment.

 

Like the other guys I struggled through freelancing in the early days and eventually landed a job creating models for a lighting company for prototyping (woo hoo). Went on to teach IT at college. But the whole time through every job I had since, I was working on my skills and my portfolio for archvis.

 

Eventually I applied for a job just to see if I would get a call back, had a good portfolio and a portfolio website. I ended up getting the job and was working along side a junior. Within 12 months (and alot of hard work) our team had swelled to 8 and I was suddenly the creative director of quite a large vis company.

 

At the end of the day the most important thing is that your portfolio is good and well organised. If you can do work that turns heads you will get an opportunity.

[Waywardsoul2]

Best of luck to everybody on your jobs and careers. It's a bit daunting at the moment for me trying to go into a field in a recession so I was curious how people ended up where they did. It doesn't seem like there is a set path like the mail-room to assistant to manager to VP path which is interesting to learn. I wonder how I'm going to get to where I want to be, aside from the hard work that is. Cheers!

[lizzie]

Hi there!

I studied a BA Fine Arts (Honors)

Knocked on the door of my next door neighbor - to borrow Photoshop Mags, got offered a 3 month job (I hardly knew how to use photoshop)... They taught me EVERYTHING.. it took 6 months to learn modeling and 5 years to learn lighting... AND STILL LEARNING! Now it's 6 years later and LOVING it!

 

good luck!

[ihabkal]

ihabkal[/b] - nice story, sounds like you made it happen, very encouraging I have a question for you. What was the main thing that landed you your first job? What are the things you've done to maintain a steady work flow throughout the years?

 

Thanks for replying!

 

my first full time job in Egypt, they needed someone, I sent my portfolio, they thought that it was not my work and I took it from magazines (that's how good my student work was), but they decided to take a chance on me anyway, I was cheap so why not?, 8 months later their team was using my methods for modeling and rendering, and I was looking for another job in the US where I could be more appreciated and respected, like a human being.

[3D_IC]

I studied Interior Architecture at Leeds Uni. Was bored to death with the course but was introduced to 3ds max and spent all my time learning the program with some others in my class. Rendering a single image on all the computer lab PC's overnight, computers were pretty slow back then. Graduated and found a job advertised in my local paper for a architectural visualiser. Applied and got the job based on my portfolio. Realied I had learned nothing at Uni and spent the next two years learning. Worked at the company for five years and then moved to Australia to set up my own company. Grew the company over four years and then moved to Norway for a new start. At the moment I'm freelancing in 3D and considering the options of my career path. Hope this helps.

[stee]

I'm currently working as a technician in an architectural practice and also want to break into 3D full-time, but a move seems risky at the moment, especially with the way the architectural industry is in Ireland. There are unfortunately a lot of unemployed architects here.

 

Graduated 4 years ago with a very basic knowledge of 3ds and a decent knowledge of Sketchup and Photoshop. When I started working I taught myself 3Ds Max and Vray in the job, and was luckily given the '3D guy' role in my office. Unfortunately there is just technical work for the past 6 months (tender/construction drawings and specification writing) which has made me realise how much more I enjoy 3d/presentation work, and despise the technical stuff!

 

I have considered courses but find it difficult to gauge what level course I should take. I know 3ds pretty good, but for all I know, I'm doing things the hard way because I'm self-taught. So i've immersed myself in a few books (3dats books are excellent) and am taking it from there.

 

Currently I'm piecing together my 3D work from the last 4 years into a show-reel which will hopefully lead to something.

 

Best of luck to everyone breaking into the industry, and remember - "If you enjoy what you do, you will never work another day in your life"

 

Stephen

[CJI]

I currently work as a visualiser in an Archiectural Practice.

 

I started off doing my Bsc in Architecture at Strathclyde University in Glasgow. Loved it for the first three years. FormZ (i hated it at the time) was the package of choice there for first year but by second year it was replaced with ArchiCAD.

 

Joined a practice as a student for my year out based on a traditional Architecture Portolio with some limited 3d monatages. Got the job and was designated the role of 3D whenever there was some to be done. In this period i squeezed the most i could out of ArchiCAD even managing an animation but i quickly realised i was approaching the limits of ArchiCADs potential. I also did a lot of Planniing, Warrant and tender stuff and had also picked up a copy of cinema 4D introducing me to the higher end of 3D production and rendering. I quickly realised i didn't want to be stuck doing the regular architecture work and that 3d animation and presentation was where i wanted to go. I then moved on to learn Max and Vray.

 

I finished my year out and went back to Uni to finish my honours in architecture learning more about 3DS Max and as much as i could about 3D and Arch Vis. Instead of going on to my RIBA part 2 and Postgraduate Architecture i made the decision to go elsewhere and went to the Glasgow School of Art to do a Masters in Animation (3d).

 

Here i learned how to use Maya and focused on animation techniques, storytelling and character so that i would learn some of the more complex techniques like dynamic character rigging and animation etc etc. Had a lot of fun creating short films and finished with a pretty good grasp of 3d and animation (still LOADS to learn).

 

Finished in Autumn and luckily managed to land a job straight away at my current job. Was skeptical about getting back in to it at first but decided that it was a good spring board at the very least. Using 3DS Max and Mental Ray now and the adjustment back to architecture Visualisation was rough at first but now i can hand on heart say i have rediscovered my passion for it and why i got in to this game in the first place although now I have a hell of a lot more experience, knowledge, and technical experience that i can draw on.

 

I am currently trying to create a my first portfolio and showreel and i am learning and very often re-learning more and more every day. I got the job based on the strength of my Architecture portfolio combined with the animations i had done for my Masters.

 

If i hadn't taken the plunge and left arch school to do the Masters in animation i think i would have continued down the path of an architect trying to learn 3d in my spare time. I think the road i took allowed me to get to where i wanted just that little bit faster and A LOT more enjoyable for me to boot!

 

Its hard to get a job just now, im just gratefull i had luck on my side this time. Best of luck to you all. Just remember that there is no set way to do it, work hard and keep ploughing and you will get to where you want to go in the end!

 

Ok....i think im spent! Hope this helps.

[Noise]

I love art and painting.

 

One day I mentioned to my brother when I was making some key decisions on my educational future and he asked me 'Are you the best artist you know?' Correctly I said 'No'. He said 'Don't do it then.'

 

So I did architecture instead - big mistake. I spent 7 years doing architecture then, one month from doing the Part III professional exams, I sacked it - the best decision I have ever made.

 

My brother is still an excellent man but, I listen to me - no one else.

 

Follow your gut instinct and have the conviction to do so.

Edited January 21, 2010 by Noise

[Frosty]

I spent 7 years doing architecture then one month from doing the Part III professional exams, I sacked it

 

I dig "Do what makes you happy" but WHY would you do that??! You had completed 83 of 84 months of training! Some of the most sleep deprived, frustratingly difficult training there is. Once you had passed those exams, you would have had a professional designation for the rest of your life. Even if you decided to do something else, you would still hold that designation.

 

Come hell or high water, I'm finishing those exams. All freakin 28 hours of them.

[Noise]

I used to live in New Zealand and had done all 24 months of training which was documented and signed off so, all I had to do was the exams etc..

 

When I came home to do the exams I discovered that the first training book had vanished so I would have to work in another architects for 12 months before even starting my exams. At that point I was already dedicated to 3D and ready to start my own company.

 

So, you are no different from all the random people that I spoke to - they all suggested that I should do the exams which, is logical and 100% correct BUT, I hated working as an architect and hated getting up in the morning to go to work.

 

There was no contest and like I said, it was without doubt the best decsision I have ever made, completely illogical but the right one.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Noise

[DanGrover]

I have a degree in 3D animation. I didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do when I left (I mean, obviously I wanted to "do" 3D, but I was equally interesting in games, VFX etc) and I got offered a position at my current workplace a month or two after graduation. The prospects of the company combined with the specifics of the job really attracted me, so here I am!

[CJI]

Dan, that is scarily similar to the position i was in when i left uni. I wasn't sure either, wanted to get in to games, or more the advertising FMV short cinematics. Offered the chance of an interview so went along. What the guys said really interested me, and similar to you, here i am.