A career that started in 2011 in film and TV animation, Onkar switched to the gaming industry in 2017. And now, he has mastered a specialisation in creating animations for immersive gaming experiences. Being proficient in industry-standard software and animation principles, he strives to push the boundaries of visual storytelling in the medium of video games. In this edition of Studio Spotlight, we get to know more about his work and what entails in 3D animation.
Hey Onkar, what does a Senior 3D Animator typically do?
A Senior 3D Animator holds an important role within a game development team and works with the Lead Animator and Animation Directors. They are responsible for creating compelling animations, overseeing the animation process, and ensuring the quality and consistency of character movements and interactions.
We collaborate closely with other team members including artists, game designers, and programmers to integrate animations seamlessly into the game’s world. We create animations primarily using motion capture data and sometimes keyframe animations. A senior animator is responsible for identifying and resolving the technical and artistic challenges related to the animation pipeline, such as rigging or animation performance issues, and work with Tech Artists and Rigging Artists to resolve such issues.
One of the most important responsibilities is providing mentorship and training to junior animators. We must foster their growth and development within the team so that they can deliver their best.
What is the difference between animation in film and video games?
Animation in film and video games share many similarities in terms of the principles of movement and storytelling. However, there are significant differences due to the nature of the mediums and the way animations are utilised.
Film animations are passive. Viewers have no control over the sequences, characters, or the outcome of the events. The animations are predetermined whereas in game animations, it’s interactive and responsive to the player’s inputs. Characters and objects react dynamically to the player’s actions providing a sense of agency and immersion. Animations in film are pre-rendered frame-by-frame whereas in game animations, they are rendered in real time based on the calculations generated by the player’s inputs.
Film animators have more freedom in terms of technical constraints. They can use complex rigs, detailed textures, and high-polygon models to achieve desired visual effects. Video game animators work within technical constraints imposed by the game engine, user’s hardware limitations, and performance considerations. They must optimise animations for real-time rendering while maintaining acceptable frame rates.
Animations in films contribute to the overall narrative and storytelling, but they are not directly influenced by viewer actions. However, it plays a more active role in storytelling in video games, as they are often tied to player progression.
How did you land a job at Ubisoft?
I always wanted to work with Ubisoft way before I started my career. During my specialisation in character animation in Pune, I didn’t have enough knowledge on how to get into the gaming industry. So, I took the usual course of securing a job in film and TV animation. I always assumed that game animation didn’t offer much freedom to showcase the creativity for an animator. However, after joining Ubisoft, I realised that was not true and found game animation to possess a fascinating process. The moment I got to know about Ubisoft hiring animators, I applied, passed the animation test, and the rest is history.
What is your favourite project at Ubisoft?
My current project is my favourite: Skull and Bones. I got the opportunity to join this project and it has been a great learning experience for me. I got to explore a lot of technical aspects in game animation and was entrusted to lead a team of juniors in this journey. We worked on multiple mandates and completed them successfully. Finally, it has released, and I am so happy about it!
Are you a gamer? What is your favourite video game?
I started playing video games in 2004 when I got my PC with a Celeron processor that had only 128 MB of RAM. Since then, the gaming experience has changed a lot but not my evergreen love for video games. I was a fan of the Need For Speed franchise in those years in which NFS Most wanted is still my favourite racing game.
In recent years, I loved playing Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, Far Cry 5, The Last of Us franchise, Uncharted 4, etc. Someday, I would love to work on Far Cry animations, especially those spectacular takedowns and reload animations. Also, how can I forget the EA FIFA franchise? It’s my go-to game. Although I wish I had more time to play video games.
How do you spend your free time after work?
I have a baby daughter, so I spend most of my free time with her. However, when she’s away and I don’t have anything else to do, I quickly switch on my PlayStation.
I rarely watch video content because I’m very picky about them. I enjoy the thriller and suspense genre of TV shows on OTT while sometimes, I delve into comedy shows and movies as well. Honestly, I am trying hard to spend less time on social media which takes a lot of my free time. What I would love to do more in my free time has to be animation. I love animating!
What advice would you like to share with an aspiring animator?
My advice to aspiring animators is to keep practicing and improving your core skills. That’s the only way you can become a good animator. It’s an art and you can only master it by practicing. Work on your portfolio to include diverse animations. Remember, quality is more important than quantity.
Learn how to use and apply animation principles and focus on your keyframe animation skills. You will need to explore certain technical aspects like integration and implementation of animations into game engines if you want to become a game animator.
And importantly, whether you want to specialise in film or game animation, choose it in an early stage of your career. It will help you to grow in the industry. Once you have the skills and knowledge you will find your way for sure.
Studio Spotlight explores the backgrounds and lives of our talented teammates across Ubisoft India. Here you will get to know more about their favourite projects, video games that they love, sometimes career advice, achievements which make them proud, and much more!