Dan John Cox

Now that I've decided to step away from the world of commercial art production, for some reason my thoughts, of late, have turned to my time as an art student and to the handful of years spent teaching art production in a university setting. Over the next few weeks I'll share some insights, primarily addressed to those contemplating a commercial art careeer and to parents trying to sort out how to structure their kiddos art higher education. Insight no. 1: Before commiting time and thousands of dollars to participation in a university commercial art training program, be that a program that teaches art production for video games and movies, or art production for more traditional fields such as illustration, check the backgrounds of the faculty who will be teaching the art classes. If only a minority of those faculty have spent an appreciable amount of time as working pros, prior to entering academia, that program should be avoided. Much love.

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RefBoard’s 3D section has come a long way since I last shared it. I’ve been building out the 3D workflow to make it easier to view, arrange, and work with references in a more spatial and interactive way. The goal is to move beyond a flat reference board and create a workspace where images, depth, and 3D context can come together. This week, I’ve also been testing @Anton Obukhov Team's Marigold V2 as a depth estimator inside RefBoard. I added it to explore how depth estimation could support the 3D workflow, and I’ve been very impressed with how well it integrates so far. Still experimenting and refining, but RefBoard is starting to feel much more like a complete 3D reference workspace. Youtube Link :- https://lnkd.in/dcC86f8C #RefBoard #3DWorkflow #DepthEstimation #MarigoldV2 #ComputerVision #AI #DigitalArtists #DesignTools

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Hearing the news and personal stories of my colleagues at Iron Galaxy suffering another sudden mass layoff is heart-wrenching. I have most of you connected through other platforms, but to anyone not on those channels, please don't hesitate to reach out if I can provide any support or assistance. For everyone else, I can't recommend these folks highly enough. Any worker skilled and lucky enough to be hired into this industry is excellent at what they do. These folks have not only that high skill level, but uncommonly excellent soft skills and an uncanny ability to squeeze incredible quality out of even the most limited resources. You should absolutely grab them while you have the chance.

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I apologize in advance, as I am going to be doing to do the same exact problem that I'm trying to pinpoint... I can see the irony 😩 but all you AI-evangelist, or linkedin-fluencers who want to talk about any daily topic for f**king engagement... please just shut it for A DAY talking about Bungie (or any other team affected on that particular day) and let those people's posts actually shine. I guarantee those people who are ACTUALLY affflected have 100x the talent you wish you ever had.

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It’s been difficult seeing so many talented artists and genuinely good people affected by layoffs recently. There are individuals out there with incredible skill, experience, and professionalism who absolutely should not be out of work - it’s simply a reflection of how tough the industry is right now, not their ability or value. If anyone finds themselves in that position and would find it helpful, I’m always happy to offer advice, review portfolios, or point people in the right direction where I can. No expectations, just wanting to support the community where I can. Wishing everyone the best, and sending positive thoughts to those navigating uncertain ground.

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No matter how small the project, these are still pretty solid words to go by. It's always tempting to jump straight into the visuals, but taking the time to block things out, test ideas, and make sure the asset actually behaves the way it should makes the whole process smoother in the long run. Last week I shared a mini breakdown of this asset workflow on Artstation, you can view it here: https://lnkd.in/eiVWVguH

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I’ve been working on a business restoration simulator in Unity, a game about restoring run-down local businesses and getting them ready to reopen. Think House Flipper, but for businesses. This clip shows an early vertical slice of the parking lot cleanup loop: bagging trash, clearing weeds, scraping old parking lines, sweeping up paint chips, sealing the asphalt, and repainting it clean. It’s still rough, but I have to say, it’s already pretty satisfying to play. Watching a neglected place slowly come back to life is surprisingly addictive. #GameDevelopment #IndieGameDev #SimulationGame #Unity3D #SoloDev

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Think Tank Training Centre Alumni Interview Series!! "I got laid off… but I knew opportunities would come back, so I focused on being ready." We spoke with Edu Morales, who started his career working at Mainframe Studios and is now continuing in the industry, working alongside mentor and Think Tank alumni Tomas Sackmann. In this conversation, Edu talks about: • what it was like getting his first role in the industry • navigating setbacks and uncertainty • how mentorship played a role in his growth • staying focused on improving his work over time One of the things that doesn’t get talked about enough is that this path isn’t always linear — and that’s part of building a real career. This is a great example of what that can actually look like. ▶ Full interview below (10–15 minutes) We’ll also be sharing a few clips from this one. #ThinkTankTrainingCentre #ThinkTankAlumni #VFX #3DArtist #Portfolio #CreativeCareer #GameDev #TheRookies

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Now we know why Tim Sweeney was so adamant on having Valve remove the AI tags from Steam. A $1.5B Disney x Epic investment which will now be “AI first” for code AND art will be the biggest litmus test the game industry has seen so far. I am not saying they can’t do it, but the more important question is, will gamers want to play it knowing AI played a huge role? My gut tells me, if this Disney shooter even ships, it’s going to go down in a ball of flames. AI tech and tools are super cool, but I really don’t think players want this. So far, players have been very vocal and pretty aggressive in their stance against AI and I liken it to how they responded to NFT/Crypto/Blockchain games. This will be one to watch very closely if you are or are considering going all in on AI for your game.

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