3D Modeling

The skill covers high- and low-poly modelling, retopology, UV layout, baking and LODs, with a constant eye on polygon and texture budgets. A model is finished when it looks right in the engine at the distance players see it, not when it looks right in the viewport.

Blender, Maya and 3ds Max dominate the postings, with ZBrush where sculpting is involved and Substance tools for the material pass that follows. Clean topology is the recurring requirement, because deformation under animation and the accuracy of a bake both depend on it.

3D modeling appears in character, prop, environment and technical art roles, and the specialism usually shows in what comes next: a prop artist carries the asset to a finished material, a character artist hands it to rigging, and a tech artist makes sure the pipeline between those steps holds.