The Sharpest Eye in the West

In this Paths interview, Lead Texture artist Jessica Vallée describes her career journey, from her first interest to leading teams, before giving advice to aspiring texture artists.

What made you want to work in this field?
The first Jurassic Park film; I saw it and decided I wanted to make dinosaurs. My father told me: ‘If you want to make dinosaurs, you have to go into 3D’. Unfortunately, I’ve been working in this field for twelve years and I still haven’t made any dinosaurs!

Tell us about your career path. How did you get here?
When I was in high school, I told my guidance counsellor that I wanted to make 3D dinosaurs and he said that I should study 3D at the Cégep du Vieux in Montreal. I didn’t pass the entrance exam, but I came to Montreal anyway and started studying graphic design. Then my brother told me about the NAD school of digital arts. At the time, it was private and I didn’t know if I wanted to go back to school since I started working in another field, but I saved up and got into their VFX certificate – which became the first year of NAD’s university course while I was enrolled.

What do texturers do?
The texturer’s role begins when we receive assets (models) from the modellers, with the UVs applied. UVs are mapping coordinates which we need to apply the textures onto the 3D geometry. We take the client’s references, which generally come from the shoot, and then we align the assets as closely as possible with what we see in the shot: the colour, the dust, the scratches, the type of materials, the reflection that the object will create etc. It’s really about matching everything up – a bit like personalized gift wrapping that fits around an object perfectly.

Can you tell us a bit about your job?
As Lead, I attend meetings to ensure that all the artists are up to date on their tasks. I know what the client wants and review all the assets and textures to make sure everything is working. I also give feedback to the artists. When they have technological or artistic issues, I help them find solutions to resolve them.

What’s your favourite part of your job?
I’m someone who loves teaching and solving puzzles. After twelve years in the business there are some tricks that I have learned, like how to find subtlety in references, and what to look for to bring the level of realism up a notch, which is often what people struggle with. People often look at a wall and think, ‘Oh, I’m going to put a colour and a bump on it and my wall is done. My role as a mentor is to say: “No, no, look at the bottom, there’s a bit of dust. Take your reference and change the contrast”. And there, all of a sudden, you see the demarcation of dust at the bottom or if you crank up the saturation, some leak or piece of dirt will show up. There is a difference between what you see and what you perceive and that will bring your asset closer to realism. I find it so rewarding to be a technical and moral support for the artists. Debugging a scene and finding a solution to make something new is always very rewarding.

Are there any things you put into practice to make sure you continue to grow in your profession?
I have my favourite YouTubers that I follow all the time. One I’m really fond of is Harvey Schneider, who does a lot of tests with Arnold, the rendering engine. He explains the materials and gives useful tips, so I listen to a lot of his tutorials. I also draw a lot. I try to do a lot of digital painting and stuff like that. It’s a nice way to sharpen my eye and my digital painting skills to make better textures.

For students interested in texture, can you explain what makes a demo stand out in your opinion?
It’s not the length that makes a demo good or not, it’s the content. I’d rather have a shorter demo with only shots or assets that are strong, than a longer one with weaker elements because it’s the weaker ones that will stand out. We’re happy to see a short demo with strong elements because we can see the potential. Also, avoid intrusive music, as it can be quite distracting. So it should be low-key or not used at all.

For general texture demos, it’s important to have at least one asset with the reference included, to show that you’re able to match a texture reference. Showing your different texture maps for an asset can be nice too ( diffuse, spec rough, bump, etc).

What tools and software are important to master?
When it comes to texturing, you need to have a basic knowledge of how to properly unfold UVs. The most used software programs are: Maya, Rizom and UV Layout. After that, you need to know texturing software. In general, companies use Substance Painter, Substance Designer and Mari. These are the main ones I’ve seen in my career. A base in Photoshop to be able to modify some pictures is also a plus.

At the start of a career, what skills or qualities are needed to break into the industry?
Character will be the main determining factor; a junior who asks questions, who wants to learn and who is enthusiastic will often get more attention from senior staff and improve faster. When you see that chemistry developing with a junior who’s interested and motivated, you’re going to want to keep them because you know they’re going to grow quickly.

Then, you need a good eye. In texture, that means being able to spot the differences between the reference and your asset. It’s a bit cheesy, but even little games to find differences in newspapers can help sharpen your eye. And that’s what makes the difference when I see an asset. Did the person see the little piece of dust, rust patch and grease stain in the corner of the reference image? Did they study it properly?

Are there any mistakes that you often see repeated among juniors?
The biggest thing is trying to do things too quickly and not asking for help or advice. Those are the two worst mistakes to make. Juniors are often embarrassed and don’t want to ask questions. They’ll spend hours on something when the senior or lead could have told them the right way to do it – which would have taken half the time. They also often publish too quickly, without having looked at their model and then everything breaks down.

One last piece of advice for aspiring artists?
Do something you’re passionate about and that will make you want to get up in the morning. There’s always a crunch at the end of a show, you can’t get away from it. So it’s important to find something that motivates you, that’s interesting and that you want to do.