It takes a lot of people to get a video game off the ground, 和 扎克史密斯 is one of them: He's worked on Chromatic 游戏' Dungeon Defenders 系列 since 2009. 他的 Computer Animation degree from 满帆 helped him l和 a role that he loves at the Florida-based indie game studio.

Zack's interest in art started early. He grew up admiring the stylized, cartoon-inspired visuals in 游戏 like 崩溃袋狸 和 The Legend of Zelda 特许经营. In high school he took drawing, 绘画, 和 ceramics classes to prepare for college; he graduated from 满帆's Computer Animation bachelor's program in 2009. After a brief stint at Puppy Punch Productions, Zack took a job as a 3D 艺术ist at Chromatic 游戏 (formerly Trendy Entertainment) in 2012. He worked his way up the ladder 和 became a Lead 3D 艺术ist in 2019.

Zack spends his days creating 3D assets for Chromatic's Dungeon Defender 游戏. He works on elements of the 游戏' environments, 字符, 照明, 和 道具 to establish each title's overall look 和 feel.

他的 job requires in-depth knowledge of multiple programs 和 applications. He creates an asset's framework in Maya, sculpts 字符 with ZBrush, adds textures in 3DCoat, 和 puts all of the pieces together in Unreal Engine 4. 他的 hard work is on display in Dungeon Defenders, Dungeon Defenders II, 和 the recent Dungeon Defenders Awakened.

Since Chromatic is a smaller studio, Zack gets to wear multiple hats 和 work on a variety of game components every day. He loves fresh challenges that encourage his creativity.

"Growing up, I wanted to find a job where I could create. And so when I just get in the zone 和 I'm able to sculpt 和 paint or do some 照明 or build out a level, that's the most fun part,他说.

Zack has already found professional success at Chromatic, but he hasn't stopped learning. He knows that continuing to push himself artistically will pay off in dividends.

"Always try to work on side projects that can help you grow, but also practice the fundamentals of art because the 3D side will only take you so far. Really learning what makes something look good, artistically, will really push your 3D art."