The Artist Synapse	Example Artist Interaction: Q&A for New RT3D Art Assignment
The Artist Synapse Back to Intro Example Artist Interaction:   Page 1     Page 2       Page 3         Page 4           Page 5             Page 6               Page 7 Degrees of Separation [View] Psychology [View] Suggestions [View] Features vs. Beauty [View]	Before starting a new assignment, the artist needs to know specific information about the project. Without proper briefing, the art isn't going to match the needs of the game. This major communication event provides a rich stew of interaction to observe. Since art assignments are very project-dependent, no complete, general-purpose checklist for eliciting the proper information has yet been developed. Nonetheless, I've created a hypothetical conversation so we have realistic information. In my scenario, the experienced contract artist has just been hired to crete artwork for a real-time #D game already in development. The artist is now getting acquainted with the project and its team members. As the artist asks questions of various team members (in the left-hand columns), I analyze the answers from both a psychological ("psych") and a technical ("tech") standpoint, which you can see in the right-hand columns. This will help you understand the context of and motivations behind the answers. Artist: What's the basic idea of the game? Producer: We're building a simple, real-time 3D comic strip about a cat that is hunting a bird, as the bird sits in its cage. The style is simple with somewhat realistic rendering. It's a cartoon, but we don't want any drastic squash and stretch effects. Psychological Interpretation: Contractors are often brought into a project without being told any more than necessary. The artist needs to know some basic context to do his or her job. Artist: What artwork do you need, exactly? Producer: A bird, a cat, the birdcage, and the room, plus some animations. Technical Interpretation: The purpose of this question is to clearly define the assignment. If the artist had more design freedom, he or she would make a detailed list of objects to build. Psych: This answer is quite brief, possibly because the designer hasn't thought out the scene in much detail. Also, this designer doesn't want to commit to a list, in case something else comes up later. However, the artist should continue to find out as many specifics as possible: What kind of animations are needed? What's in the room? These details will definitely affect the scheduling. Also, this is a good time for the artist to vaguely describe the planned style (quick examples) to make certain that the designer likes it. This kind of early communication can prevent disagreements about style. Artist: What's the face/polygon (or vert) budget? Producer: For the cat, the budget is 250 polygons. Tech: The basic geometry budget must be known up front before any work begins. Like most budgets, the polygon count is usually approximate, since its purpose is to guarantee a certain frame rate for the final game. A cat can be created using 250 polygons, but it won't be very detailed, so let's hope the engine has good texture-mapping capabilities. Psych: This is another question that can make the artist feel trapped, because it's where the rubber meets the road. Often, programmers don't know the polygon budget or make up untested numbers. This uncertainty could be the sign of a basic design problem (which means it could be a sensitive issue). Experienced artists will gently explore the "why" of this budget and see if it matches their intuition.
	Example Artist Interaction: Page 2