Art Team Management

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Art Team Management

• Di Davies
• Visual Development Manager
• Vicarious Visions, Inc. Troy, NY

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This is the fun stuff
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This is the hard part
30 artists

• 5,000 textures

2 MB of texture memory
10,000 frames of animation
Legacy assets
Uncooperative team member
Old baggage
New platform
Burned out artists
Accelerated development schedule
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What if we didnt manage production?
This is a 10MB movie from the Prelinger
Archives it is just for fun to emphasize why
managing production is wise. If you do not wish
to view this, please just click ahead to the next
slide.
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• Art team management comes with
• many challenges in addition to
• the technical challenges
• Platform changes
• Scheduling artists
• Professional development
• Big picture mentoring
• Artist issues
• Support

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• Preparing art teams for platform changes

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The Game Industry has history to draw upon

• Note the trends in prior hardware life cycles.
• New tech art teams need tools and tech support.
• Dont overestimate or underestimate new hardware
• specs prior to receiving dev kits.
• Expect and plan for hardware features in your
  project.

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Waiting on dev kits

• Find ways to simulate the target platform
  characteristics.
• Calibrate monitors, send images to TV or LCD
  screens.
• Try to plan for like system configurations in
  making budgets.
• (Is the PSP most like a PSX in terms of power?)
• Push the envelope where you can.
• If the system is weak on texture tech, then push
  the polys.
• Rely on hardware tech but blend it with applied
  tech.
• Test, test, test.
• Use current generation hardware that supports
  early versions of technology to prepare and get a
  leg up for the next gen.
• Test as many systems as early as possible.

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• Scheduling artists for projects and art tasks

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Matching artist skills to projects

• Get to know the artists on the team.
• Learn about their strengths their passion.
• Find opportunities in low risk areas for people
  to learn.
• Reserve high risk areas for your sure bets.
• Consider longer term objectives in making
  assignments.
• Consider the balance between visionaries and
  implementers.
• Having a good mix of experience and work styles
  can strengthen everyone.
• Ensure roles are well-defined and expectations
  are clear.

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Speaking of artist roles

• Here is what art teams looked like in the 90s

1990
1994
1998
(1) Artist
Lead
Lead
Lead Animator
(1) Artist
(5) Artist
(2) Animator
(1) Animator
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Speaking of artist roles

• Look at how complex art teams have become

2002
2006
Lead Animator
Art Lead
Lead Animator
Technical Art Lead
Art Lead
(6) Animator
(10) Modeler
(8) Animator
(2) Tech Artist
(4) Modeler
(3) Character Artist
(3) FX artist
(6) Cinematics
(5) Texture Artist
(3) Texture Artist
(4) Lighting Artist
(1) Lighting Artist
Cinematics Outsourced
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Scheduling art tasks

• Have the person doing the work plan their own
  tasks.
• Be there to guide and to offer insight into
  dependent factors.
• A schedule is a guide to keep people focused.
• It is more of a compass than a roadmap it
  changes.
• Remember the Salmon of Progress!
• Visible progress helps maintain focus and gives
  a
• sense of completion.

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Accurate estimates

• There are constants and variables in making
  estimates.

The accuracy of the estimate depends on the
inclusion of all factors. Without proper
information, estimates will be guesses at best.
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Tracking art tasks

• Treat art assignments like bugs prioritize and
  track.
• Using some kind of tracking software may enable
  people to be more directly responsible for
  signing off of their tasks, identifying
  dependencies, prioritizing and encouraging open
  dialogue.

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Art pipeline planning

• Establish proper version control software as
  early as possible.
• Failsafe systems and version tracking helps
  pinpoint source issues faster.
• Discuss and agree to naming protocols during
  pipeline planning.
• Determine the major asset types that will cross
  paths in the engine.
• Test as much as possible before launching the art
  pipeline.
• Pre-production is the ideal time to work with
  the graphics engine
• while concepts are being developed.

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• Professional development

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Improving yourself is not easy.

• Accept that you will make mistakes - learn from
  them.
• Talk about success and failure openly.
• It never hurts to ask. Not asking often is
  worse.
• Ask for help. Ask for clarity. Ask for feedback.
  Ask for training.
• Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses.
• Think about how your skills need to mature with
  the industry.

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Do it yourself

• Stay up to date with technology and trends.
• Subscribe to magazines, newsletters, product
  forums, etc.
• Network for knowledge.
• Use game conferences to develop relationships
  with other peers.
• Look for better ways to do things.
• Peers, magazines, online tutorials, user forums

And more
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• Big picture mentoring

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First and foremost its business.

• Its big business.
• There is a lot at stake for companies.
• Its similar to other entertainment industries.
• Ratings and reviews matter.
• A lot of people want to be here.
• The competition is global.
• There are both rewards and sacrifices.

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The bar will always rise

• Consumer expectations will continue to grow.
• Its important to know what the (visual) goals
  are for the project.
• Keep this in mind throughout the project.
• Expectations and quality standards will change.
• Keep the team informed and plan how to meet
  those expectations.
• There is always an opportunity to improve.

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What needs to be done?

• Think beyond the task.
• Pay attention to what is going on around you.
• Speak up if there is something the team should
  note.
• Dont wait to ask get clarity early.
• Communicate!
• Talk to team members who may be impacted by your
  work or can help you.

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Developing the artists eye

• Quality is attention to detail.
• Encourage artists to use peers to critique their
  work. Go that extra mile.
• Ask what is wrong with this picture?
• Develop questions for your review designed to
  address your visual goals.
• Look at other games and film for appealing eye
  candy.
• You dont have to jeopardize your games style
  to adopt good ideas.
• Be honest with yourself and your art team.
• Dont be brutal just be honest. Is the work
  having the desired impact?

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• Artist Issues

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People and passion

• Creativity is hard to contain in assembly line
  work.
• There is a time for ideas and a time for
  implementation.
• Personalities and ego.
• When all is said and done what is best for the
  project?
• Getting the job done is the goal.
• Maintain professionalism and remind people there
  is a job to do.
• Keep things in perspective.
• Developers are paid to use their skills to make
  a product.

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External forces

• Successful production includes contributions from
  everyone.
• The seemingly inconsiderate forces may be
  important to your success.
• Nobody comes to work hoping to drive you nuts.
• Ask your boss to help set priorities if needed.
• It takes time to build relationships and trust.
• Everyone is part of the team and wants to do a
  good job.

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Energy

• We all have peaks and valleys.
• This varies depending on the person.
• Working past artistic slumps is hard to do within
  the buzz of the hive.
• Nobody is superhuman.
• Artistic energy is not inexhaustible.
• Burnout is a major reason good people quit
  companies sometimes its the only way to get a
  break!

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• Support

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Meeting technical challenges
Team structure

• More sophisticated requirements need more
• focus and leadership.
• Art Directors focus on the artistic vision.
• Art Leads are partly technical, partly artistic
  and can organize.
• Tech Artists are the bridge between programming
  and art.
• Animation Directors focus on all animation in
  game and cinematic.
• Art teams now include lighting specialists,
  shader artists and character artists who all need
  technical support.

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Meeting technical challenges
Tools

• Art teams need good tools and good tech support.
• Good tools are critical to optimize time and
  effort.
• Tools systems require support for the art team to
  succeed.
• Middleware is never out of the box.
• It can reduce time in writing code, but still
  needs customization.
• Setting visual goals for projects early should
  help set goals for tools development as well.

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Meeting technical challenges
Be prepared

• Know and teach the quirks of the hardware
  platform.
• Its important to be able to optimize graphics
  for the platform.
• Recognize what is hardware limitation and what
  is an art defect.
• For example what causes the defects in the
  images below?

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Meeting visual goals
Team critiques

• Get in the habit of having regular reviews of the
  work.
• Each production group should self-review.
• Agree what will be reviewed ahead of time so
  people can prepare.
• Ensure nothing is slipping through the cracks.
• Critical Stage Analysis catch issues before
  entering a new milestone.

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• In Summary

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A managers responsibility
Communication!

• Managers are there to help the team get the job
  done.
• Advise, facilitate and support.
• Be professional.
• You hold the big picture in your hands