Vertex School

I joined Vertex last August and have just recently finished at the same time as I got my start in the industry! I now work at Antimatter Games based in the UK. I studied illustration for 3 years and used 3D applications for all of my work - I was always... Read More drawn to concept art and still image but wanted a job in the industry but didn't know how to approach it or what to try to specialise in. During my degree I did a lot of freelance work for various artists such as directors, writers, musicians etc. And got to early 2020 and decided I wanted to just go for that studio position somewhere. I started looking online at tutorials on game art and how to alter my workflow and was making some progress but felt very lost. So, I searched around for online courses with mentorship to further my knowledge with industry pro's - I checked out Cliton Crumpler's course, cgma, think tank etc. And while all of these are great I was much more heavily drawn to Vertex and what they had to offer as the courses were at a good length, price and split into character and environment. I hopped In after meeting the advisor (who helped me out a lot over the course) and we started with the basics and fundemtals of game art and 3d. Further down the course became more intensive and exciting as we started building our capstone props, followed by a full environment. We would have two weekly meet ups that typically last 3-4 hours which you should pay attention all the way because other peoples problems you most certainly learn from as your instructor helps out whoever is in need in alphabetical order. I found it great as outside of class time instructors will always try to get back to you quickly with feedback and advice - bear in mind they have tonnes of other students to look after as well as lives to live so I really appreciated them going out of their way to do this. John for instance would draw up annotated slides for me to fix issues I was having and Jacob did a portoflio review with me once on his lunch break once. So, they are very caring instructors who do their best for you. What Ryan has built is great and I can't recommend it more. But the catch is - you have to work. Work hard. The minum each week is 20 hours but push that and sacrifice you're free time for the duration of the course if you want to do well and improve your skillset and get noticed. Thanks!

I came in to Vertex School after quitting my job in the film industry. I wanted to do something creative in my life. I began dabbling in 3D art and self teaching myself whatever I could grasp from various YouTube videos and online premade courses. What... Read More I lacked from these resources was stability, a routine, and most importantly live feedback. I found Vertex School and it’s Environment Art Bootcamp online and pulled the trigger. This was one of my best decisions ever! I got two days per week of exhausting (in the best way possible) of one on one interaction with Ryan Kingslien and John Waynick as they taught us everything they knew from industry behavior, to proper industry pipelines and their respective softwares. I came in with limited knowledge of Blender and came out knowing 5 times the amount of software and feeling confident enough to tackle anything. When I was fighting imposter syndrome during the process I was able to reach out to Ryan and John and be able to speak with them, and as proper mentors they guided me back on the right path. All this may sound amazing, and it was, but it was extremely difficult. I worked around 10-11 hours a day on my craft. I was unemployed and this was my hail marry, I poured my soul into this and it payed off. That being said, I feel that if I hadn’t I wouldn’t be in the position I am now. This online course that Ryan provides is not a course that will land you a job the same way an Ivy League does. This place provides you with the tools and knowledge to get to that point yourself. I applied to endless jobs for months before I started working at High Moon Studios. I have the bootcamp to thank for directing me in such a way that I had a strong enough portfolio to get the job, however, after that I had to work on my own to apply and get myself out there. It was comforting to know that any question I had, and any time I needed help with a cover letter or an application, or even my art test for my interview, I had a network of beautiful artists and the team at Vertex to help me out. I’d recommend this program to anyone who has the time and the will to learn but lacks the initiative. I needed the schedule, and the deadlines to work, I was not able to do this on my own. And I found that here. I am eternally grateful to Ryan and John.

I had several specific goals in mind before I started at Vertex. I wanted to receive feedback that was constructive and critical. I wanted to improve my current modelling, texturing and Unreal Engine skills to something closer to the industry standard.... Read More And I wanted to add portfolio pieces that clearly showed improvement. During my time at Vertex instructors helped me to create a large game level in UE4 complete with animation, VFX, custom modelled and textured assets and several basic blueprints. After weeks and months of feedback we refined my presentation of the level greatly and I learned several new skills and improved others, as I had hoped would happen. There is no doubt that if I had done this level "solo" it would not have come out as nice as it did. I may not have even attempted it in the first place. At that point, I was happy with the work I did, felt like I improved over the period of taking the course and would have been content to add the experience to my Artstation and skillset and move on. Half way through the second course at Vertex, I was contacted and offered a position by a studio that, while I was growing up, I had always considered to be a dream job, working on a dream IP. Like so many of us, I have spent many hours crafting and refining resumes and applications, only to never hear back; this is the first time I have ever been cold called and offered not just a good job, but one I was thrilled to do and that I would have previously considered out of reach. I understand this outcome can't be guaranteed for every student that might take a course at Vertex, but in my case, the results far exceeded my expectations.

Hey folks! I've taken multiple classes run by Ryan Kingslien and crew, and I would have to say this is one of the most generous schools in terms of resources and time. The teachers are constantly working on their craft and always trying to improve the... Read More courses. If you need help, teachers are always willing to sit down and help you out. They are very giving with their time, and they really care if students succeed. They also make sure that you take care of yourself, along with doing good work. The courses this school offer are also some of the most affordable. I found that I was a more experienced person looking to push myself further in certain aspects, and I was allowed to fit projects to what I needed from them. The classes gave me a reason to push myself to do the hard work to show progress every week, but they are forgiving enough to understand that their students have work and life responsibilities. Overall, I would say these classes are great for people who are self motived to do the work for their career. You really get the value from the classes if you can put in the effort consistently. Be wary that you are in charge of yourself and your schedule. The teachers are there to help you along, but staying on top of your own things such as coming to class on time, making sure to update regularly, and pushing yourself each week will give you the results that you want more than anything. You'll be taught by some of the best people out there, and one of the most helpful things is to make sure to understand each teachers teaching style and the best way to maximize the time you spend with them. I would say the cons is that in order to do well, you really need to put as many hours as you can. Recommended time to invest in homework is really 30 hours + just because you have to go through useful resources, teacher critiques, and then actually do the work of learning, so its not really a 20 hours a week endeavor. But in the realm of the game industry, that is just a very real amount of time you'll have to spend in order to be better. One of the benefits of course is the fact that you can extend out the time if you need more time to learn things before moving on to another class. They have the classes, happen regularly, so you can jump in at a later date, if you find that life is just a little tough at the moment which is nice. Overall, I would recommend these courses to everybody, but especially the people who need guidance and a deadline.

Since graduating from a traditional 4 year college as a 3D Artist student, I was greatly struggling trying to find a full time career in the field. After learning about the Vertex School and their student's outstanding portfolio work, I was quickly convinced... Read More that Vertex School was the real deal. I enrolled in their 1 year bootcamp training program to help push my creativity as a 3D Artist to the next level and help me compete in the industry. With some prior knowledge of creating 3D artwork, I already had a head start in the beginning of the bootcamp training program. For those who were just beginning to learn 3D, were quickly brought up to speed and even exceled further than most traditional college students. Vertex School strongly focuses on producing outstanding 3D Artwork and helping their students to effectively demonstrate them. To get the most out of the learning experience, attending the online sessions is crucial. This is because when working on a project, there will be times where a mistake is overlooked and it will be brought up by the mentor. In addition, the mentor will demonstrate solutions that will help guide you to successfully achieve the desired outcome. From the online community and the mentors, they will post jobs that they have connections with or came across on the web. After graduating from the Vertex School, I felt more prepared and confident in landing a full time job in the industry. In about 6 Months of graduating, I finally achieved my goal in landing a full time career as a working Graphic Artist & Multimedia Specialist. Overall, the Vertex School is extremely helpful to anyone who is passionate in being involved in creative tech.

Stumbled upon Vertex School online environment boot camp by chance and it was a very good decision to enroll. The staff is super dedicated to helping students, getting people from different levels up and running and ready for a game studio role. Some... Read More students came with little background in 3d and still ended up with great looking results. Originally our program was supposed to be nine month long and we ended up getting a lot of extra high quality content. It ended up being over a year and two month (with no added cost for what we RECEIVED). Courses and content are being created constantly and are added to the boot camp, which make it very compelling for aspiring game artists. Both the staff and the AAA instructors are willing to spend as much time needed in lessons to solve issues and guide you in your environment art journey. Recommended to anyone trying to land a job in the industry.

I took the environment art boot camp in October of 2018. My previous education up to that point was self taught using YouTube and Udemy. Once I hit the wall with self-teaching, I looked to Vertex School to put me in contact with professionals in the industry.... Read More It's really easy to just do the curriculum and call it a day but if you want to succeed and be qualified for hiring at a AAA studio, expect to do more than what is expected of you. During the weekly interviews with professionals, I reached out personally to them to ask questions. I spent time outside of the meeting hour to talk to my mentor. Beyond that, I took it upon myself to go to the meet ups of the local International Game Developers Association, while also volunteering time as a camera operator so I can get free access to the annual conference. I attended GDC and made contacts. I made sure to keep in touch with those contacts, be it social media or email. My point is, Vertex school helped me by getting me in touch with those that are the top of the industry. I was responsible for the rest.

Prior to Vertex I had very little knowledge programs. I only knew a little bit of Maya. Now I’m comfortable using Maya, Zbrush, Substance Designer, Painter, and etc. I also very much enjoy the Vertex Community where there are full of people exchanging... Read More infos and feedbacks. I've been enrolled in Vertex since from 2019-2020. I took two bootcamps / one immersive / one Vertex term 3 course. I still work with alumni from Vertex school with game project that started in Vertex in September 2020. Vertex school is one of those schools where you can get lots of help if you are willing to look for it. I guarantee you that if you are willing to push yourself, you will be able to get a lot out of this bootcamp. I know lots of online sites that will teach you skills, but don’t worry about you after you finish the course, however, when I was enrolled in Vertex, I felt that I was a part of the school community. John Waynick / Scott Kingslien were super supportive and helped me a lot even after I graduated. With the knowledge and portfolio that I’ve made at Vertex, I was able to put my foot into the game industry. Super grateful that I’ve joined to Vertex :D

They give you a basic TA session once a week, where everyone in the course goes over their own project. You have to wait for everyone else to have one-on-one converations with the instructor while you wait. They don't attempt to schedule around people's... Read More lives, so you have to make a 3-4 hour allowance in your schedule to do this, at whatever time they decide. The resources consist of hour long youtube videos, with fairly limited documentation. It's quite a lot of material and much of it is good. But it's an unorganized pile and extremely difficult to sort through. And the material is undifferentiated by experience level or prior knowledge. There are no supplemental, remedial materials. Or if there are , the administration is disinterested and unorganized and won't necessarily point you in the right direction. I think the intentions are good, but the school is overly generous in what levels it is attempting to teach simultaneously and, in doing so, is giving a sub-par experience for certain experience levels. I would be careful about making the plunge without any prior experience, thinking they will be able to train you adequately for a job. Personally, I'm doing it for a hobby. In that context, it's adequate, if a bit pricey.

The program has a good baseline curriculum to introduce students to basic game industry pipelines and tools, as well as industry professionals who give valuable critiques in their respective courses . In fact, the AAA studio professionals who teach the... Read More various bootcamps are probably the best reason to attend a Vertex course. On the contrary, while enthusiastic, the core academic instructors & faculty fall into over-promising and under-delivering, and much of the job support is left to the students to figure out on their own (most job leads you find on your own or other students post; the faculty seems to have little to do with it until you get a job and they can nab your testimonial). As soon as the course ends, responses from the core faculty (not the guest instructors who work in AAA studios) becomes non-existent, and your best resource becomes Google. With so many other places doing online teaching and grabbing top-tier talent to deliver courses, faculty support and job hunt support would have been critical to set Vertex apart from the others. That being said, the skills learned here could probably be picked up elsewhere, especially if you find a place that offers better targeted learning towards your desired path (and guest instructors from studios that fit your style and interests), and less of a general assortment of topics.