Project Planning Checklist for Efficient 3D Art Outsourcing Cost Assessment
When embarking on a game project, partnering with a reliable 3D art outsourcing company is crucial. Here are ten essential questions to ask potential outsourcing companies to ensure a productive partnership.
1. What is your experience with game art production? Ask about their portfolio, types of games they have worked on, and examples of characters, environments, or objects they have created. Confirm they follow industry standards for game art.
2. Can you provide a dedicated 3D artist or a complete team? Understand if they offer flexible cooperation models such as individual artist hire or full project-based teams, based on your needs.
3. How do you handle communication and project management? Clarify how they integrate with in-house teams, manage timelines, provide updates, and handle feedback. Knowing their tools and workflows is key to smooth collaboration.
4. What is your process for meeting game art specifications and quality standards? Inquire about their quality assurance, adherence to style guides, and how they ensure art assets meet technical requirements for games.
5. How do you protect the confidentiality and intellectual property of the project? Ask if they sign NDAs and how they secure game assets and data from leaks or unauthorized use.
6. What are your pricing models and payment terms? Understand the cost structure, whether it’s per asset, hourly, or project-based, and milestones for payment.
7. What is your turnaround time for different types of assets? Get realistic timelines for concept art, modeling, texturing, rigging, and animations relevant to your game's schedule.
8. How do you handle revisions and changes during the project? Confirm policies on the number of revisions included, how change requests are managed, and impact on timelines and budget.
9. Can you provide references or case studies from previous game projects? Request client testimonials or success stories to validate their track record and client satisfaction.
10. What software and tools do you use? Verify the 3D modeling, texturing, and animation software they use aligns with your pipeline (e.g., Maya, Blender, Substance Painter).
In addition to these questions, it's essential to consider specific requirements for your project. For instance, if you are working with RocketBrush 2D and 3D art studio, detailed attention is given during the research & development stage, and they specialize in creating custom 3D assets for video games. They can help bring your vision to life by creating models from scratch or based on an existing model, offering services such as UV mapping, retopology, LODs, PBR, textures, rigging, animations, skinning, blend-shapes, VFX, and particles.
Ensure to share any existing models, scenes, or concept art for review and analysis. Also, specify the number of polygons per model, the length of each animation in seconds, and whether animations need to be looped. If VFX or particles are required, provide a list of VFXs and visual references. Lastly, clarify the preferred software for 3D models, ensuring the outsourcing company can export models to your specified software. By asking these questions and considering these requirements, you can find the right 3D art outsourcing company for your game project.
- When discussing potential partnerships with 3D art outsourcing companies, it's important to inquire about their experience in creating cutting-edge 3D assets, such as integration of gadgets, environments, or characters that may require artificial-intelligence elements.
- In addition to game art production, it's essential to consider if the outsourcing company has expertise in the integration and development of advanced technology, such as AI or interactive gadgets, to enhance the gaming experience.
