Here is another fresh batch of 3D hotness across the interweb fresh out of the oven. This is not software specific, but meant to serve as an inspiration to the rest of us. Every week or So we are going to try and post a “batch” of things that catches our eye. We are all about promoting the underdog, or unknown so if you have a portfolio or know of somebody that deserves some attention let us know. contact form Give these guys some attention, hire them for gigs and see you on the next batch.

Nicolas Ferrand

http://www.redwhirlpool.com

Phong-Thai “Ez” LEO

http://www.ezmeow.com

Michael Vicente

http://orbart.free.fr/

Robert Briscoe

http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/

Gaëtan ‘GoSsS’ Montaudouin

http://gaetm.free.fr/

Hope you enjoyed this weeks Fresh Batch of Artists. If you know of an artist you think deserves some attention please let us know.

We are currently working on a few new upgrades to the network, but I am pleased to announce that CG Cookie is receiving an upgrade for our file delivery system for our source download files right now. As more and more of you hammer away on our servers, they are starting to dent a bit. We have heard this clatter and before anything cracks we have started to upgrade our files to CDN (Content Delivery Network) from Rack Space Cloud.

“A content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is a system of computers containing copies of data, placed at various points in a network so as to maximize bandwidth for access to the data from clients throughout the network. A client accesses a copy of the data near to the client, as opposed to all clients accessing the same central server, so as to avoid bottleneck near that server.” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_delivery_network

Learn more about how CDN works

We are uploading all new education source files directly to this service, and are back logging our older education over the next few weeks. It is going to take a bit of time to get everything moved over with a truck load of GB to move, upload and correct any download links, but we will get it.

How does this affect you?

If anything you should see quicker download times and more efficient connectivity on the large .zips. It is pretty slick how all of this works, so if you do notice a difference drop us a note and also read the link above on Wikipedia.

That is it, I didn’t want to take too much of your time. Big high fives and back to it.

Blender Cookie

How long have you been in down town San Francisco and how has it been treating you?

Well I am actually down in San Jose, about a hour south of San Francisco.  And our offices are in Mountain View, the heart of “Silicon Valley” as they say.  Both great locations, awesome weather and we are surrounded by all the best tech companies.

Could you describe your roll as a resident artist at Luxology?

It is actually always changing which I love.  I started out creating a good deal of the material presets, then worked out the structure of the preset library as a whole for the 401 release.  Also I do onsite training for some of out larger clients like Apple and ILM.  As well as the demo monkey for trade shows.  More recently I created Luxology’s first go at smart content with Splash Kit.  Splash Kit was a very rewarding project for me.  I modeled and rigged the whole kit in modo and hearing “Hey did you use Real Flow for that?” is actually a huge compliment.  Over the last few months I have been working on our new Kit, HDRE – High Dynamic Range Environments.  Basically rigged HDR environments with matching back plates, cameras and physical suns in modo.  For that one I have been shooting all the HDR spherical panoramas as well as the backplate images.  It has been nice getting away from the computer and behind the lens… of an actual camera.  The kit should be out pretty soon, so keep an eye out for it.

When you are not cranking away on computers and Modo, what do you to relax or unplug?

My first love will always be skateboarding.  San Jose has one of the best scenes for skating in the world, good spots, great people and a true love from everyone involved.  We are also lucky in the Bay Area for great natural landscapes.  I try to get out for a hike at lease once a week.  Which is also awesome for photography, another passion of mine.  But too often I find myself back behind my machine creating some personal work, which you can see at digitalvice.net.

What do you feel are the strong points of Modo versus other applications?

The ease of use for sure, oh and the speed.  modo just makes 3D fun again.  The UI is laid out nicely and can be customized so easily.  For me I can’t model in another app again, the tools are great and having an integrated sculpting toolset is the best.  Maybe my favorite aspect of modo is the interactive preview viewport.  No need for test renders, change an attribute and it is updated on the fly in preview.  Drag on a material preset and change the environment with a double click, again it’s fun.  The fur toolset and integration also plays a part in why I love modo.  And of course our replicator technology, painting leaves on trees or plants on the ground it too fun.

When you are creating, do you listen to music? If so what is on your playlist?

Oh yea!  Music is a huge driving force in my live.  Ok, lets have a look on the playlist.  Interpol, Modest Mouse, Spoon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Radiohead are a must.  I also really dig Santogold, MGMT, Lykke Li, Dirty Projectors, Rouge Wave, Yeasayer, The Duke Spirt and some Man Man.  And I can’t forget my imaginary girlfriend Zooey Deschanel from She & Him.  Honestly I could go on for a while.

Would you consider yourself more of a Materials and Lighting artist? (Some great renderings showing off glass, liquids and light situations)
Well not really.  I would say I am just a 3D artist.  I love it all and never stop to focus on one thing.  Maybe that holds me back at ever mastering anything but I just like to explore all aspects of CG creation.  At my first studio I was known as the modeler and never did any material work.  Now I hardly model.  I just like to create the colors and shapes in my head and I do whatever it takes to get it out.  So I guess I would say I am a generalist who is not great at animation.

Do you feel there is anything the Modo Community is missing, or what it’s strong points are?

Not really, the community is strong.  It is actually one thing that really attracted me to modo in the first place.  You can ask a question and sure enough someone will answer it, either a Luxology employee or a user.  The gallery is amazing and it is the first thing I check every morning.  The addition of the asset sharing section really has solidified the existence of a community.  So many people share amazing models and materials it is fantastic.  When I pick up a quick turnaround freelance project it is the first place I go.  You need a plant, there it is.  Looking for a iPhone, hey there’s one.

Visit Ryan Drue’s Portfolio

Here is another fresh batch of 3D hotness across the interweb fresh out of the oven. This is not software specific, but meant to serve as an inspiration to the rest of us. Every week or So we are going to try and post a “batch” of things that catches our eye. We are all about promoting the underdog, or unknown so if you have a portfolio or know of somebody that deserves some attention let us know. contact form Give these guys some attention, hire them for gigs and see you on the next batch.

Francisco Perez

http://www.pac23.com

Marthin Agusta

http://3dsquid.deviantart.com/

Ruanji – Darkmummy

ZBrush SketchBook

Jonathan Fletcher

http://www.artpanda.co.uk

Alex Varanese

http://www.alexvaranese.com
Hope you enjoyed this weeks Fresh Batch of Artists. If you know of an artist you think deserves some attention please let us know.

Can you tell me a bit about Quad Studio?

Quad studio was created at UNIFIEO university in Osasco while I was studying for my Bachelor in Design. The studio’s operations expanded beyond the university. Currently, we are a small team of five that receives great visibility doing illustrations for advertisement agencies.

How did you end up working with Modo and using it in your art pipelines?

While, I was working in a company called Truetech (the company has Discovery Channel as a client), and I worked with designing the DVD cover art for Discovery documentaries. At the time, I was using mostly LightWave 3D and Photoshop. One day, we had the opportunity to use Modo, and I loved it at first sight! Well, it was quite risky because I used Modo for the first time in a great project. I was designing the cover for the Chernobyl documentary, and I decided to use Modo (version 201).  I have outlined the making of the Chernobyl cover art at http://lshock.blogspot.com/search?q=chernobyl
Our pipeline is very simple, we frequently analyze what is better to do in Modo in comparison to Photoshop. We always use incremental scenes. Therefore if something goes wrong, we have previous backups. Lucio (co-founder) and I manage the main scene, and we assign copies of this scene to our assistants to help us.

You have quite a variety of work out there, when you are not working with CG, what do you to do to relax or unplug from the computers?

Wow, well, he he. I love to play tennis in real life and virtually, on my Nintendo Wii; to spend time with my wife; and (not so unplugged) I love to play Counter Strike and Half Life Deathmatch. Sometimes I go ride with my motorcycle in dedicated racetrack.

Through your experience, what do you feel has been your biggest failures and successes as an artist?

We are constantly in a learning process, so failures occur sometimes. Since I am a perfectionist and very detail-oriented, I occasionally miss deadlines. As a success I think that my dedication and one more time my search for perfection and details brings great quality to my works and I know that I have much to learn and to research.

If you could meet anyone in the world alive or dead whom would it be and why?

Well, he he, I think that would be Roger Federer to play a tennis match.

With the numerous jobs under your belt, what has been your favorite to be apart of?

I like almost all of them but some are particularly special to me like the Robogirl (by me and Lucio), the WWF tree (by me and Leo Dobbins), BGourmet Copan (Me, Lucio and Leo Dobbins) and recently, the Indycar 300 project (Me, Lucio, Ariana, Andressa and Mario). All of these jobs were really tough to do with tight deadlines. To this day, I can’t believe the amount of detail and effort required and that our team was able to accomplish them with such great success in a short period of time.

After watching your Iphone Video, do you own an Iphone yourself? If so, any must have Artist Apps?

Yes, I have one. Unfortunately, it conked due to a strong rainstorm here in São Paulo.
I would love to buy a new one, but it is too expensive currently here in Brazil.

Visit João Ferraz Portfolio

Hello everyone, my name is Dieter Meyer and I’ve been modeling with Modo for around 3 years now. I mainly model aircraft or tanks as I’m a huge military history buff. I like to create very detailed and accurate models, even if some details end up hidden it’s still satisfying to build them. I work mainly as a freelance/contract artist and you may find a few of my aircraft tutorials around, there are more on the way as well.

If you could take a quick ride inside any of your models, which one would it be and why?

Well it’s a close decision between my Macchi 205 or my Me-262. I think in the end it would be the 262, from what I’ve read it had fantastic power and handling and of course it would be much more quiet than the prop driven Macchi.

What made you choose Modo as a tool in your work flow?

Modo is very user friendly and working in SubD is for the most part very easy, there are always challenges no matter what you decide to model though. I also really like how UV’s are handled in Modo and the many options provided to streamline the workflow of UV mapping. I love everything about it really, it’s a very straight forward fantastic modeling program.

Most artists find they are creative in the late hours of the evening or rather early morning. Do you feel you fit into this category, or when are you the most creative?

Definitely early in the morning, I’m an early riser and before my head is clogged full of the days work I use that time to come up with ideas for new artwork. I always keep a sketch pad handy and sketch down ideas as I work during the day.

If you could add on any feature to Modo, what do you think it really needs?

With the latest version of Modo an entire new suite of animation tools came out, they’re really great and a nice addition. I think the next step would be to add full skeleton rigs for character animation.

Are you currently working in the industry, or mainly working off of contract work?

Currently I work only off contract work but I’m definitely having a serious look into working in the industry full time.

How have you integrated Zbrush into your pipeline to creating assets with Modo, or what have you found it works well with on your artwork?

Zbrush is an amazing tool to use in addition to Modo, I just need to find time to use it more! I love sculpting clothing, pilot’s gear or uniforms for the most part.

Is there part of the airplane mesh that always gives you hell on, or is a part of the model that takes quite a bit of time to get right?

I really like to keep everything in SubD, coupled with the fact I also like to model in a lot of the detail on a fuselage I would have to say anytime there is a major access panel on a curved surface…it makes me cringe!

Visit Dieter Meyer’s portfolio site.

I was watching your demo reel and can’t help to sense that some of these were inspired by Battlestar Galactica cinematography?

First off, thanks for taking a look at my reel, and for your interest in my work. I appreciate that.

Being a life-long sci-fi and VFX fan, BSG TOS (the original series), as well as neo-BSG have been a big enjoyment, and thus influence in my life and art. BSG TOS was the first high-level motion-control-based VFX show to hit the airwaves after Star Wars came out, and I was of course an instant fan. When neo-BSG came along years later in the full-on era of CGI VFX, it obtained a new level and set a new benchmark in regard to the quality of broadcast VFX, both in terms of model-building, VFX as a whole, and VFX “style” in general. A good friend of mine was the CG Supervisor on neo-BSG, and continues that roll on the spin-off series, Caprica. The whole BSG in-house VFX team just continues to produce simply amazing VFX work, IMO. So yeah, I look to their work on neo-BSG as a benchmark of quality to aim for, as well as for personal inspiration. And fun viewing as well!

What made you choose Modo as one of your tools of the trade?

Around 2004, I began my first serious modeling with LightWave 3D, working in it for about two years, in the end (modeling-UVing-wise) finishing with building my Slave 1 in that program. Then, I was on Jose A. Perez’s website (whom I so admire and respect in regard to his VFX career) and saw that he used modo. I said, “Well, if it’s good enough for Jose, I’ll give it a shot.” I bought a copy of modo (then v.102 (IIRC) and never looked back as far as modeling and UVing goes. 20 minutes into opening “the modo” (as Brad sometimes calls it on the ‘cast) for the first time I thought to myself, “Oh heck yeah, this is how modeling should be! Thank you, modo!”

When you are not working on the computer and cranking on Modo, what do you do to fill your time?

First and foremost I love to spend time with my darling wife, Christina, our two dogs and our cat, as well as the rest of my family, esp. my brother, as we have been best-buds for life. I enjoy travel and spending time in nature, hiking, skin-diving, bike-riding, and just smelling the flowers in general. I enjoy playing sports (don’t really watch ‘em though), as well as being a mixed martial artist. I am also a life-long student of the Tao Te Ching. In addition, I love watching movies (at the show or at home), as well as certain television shows, sci-fi and/or action-adventure of course, as well as pretty much anything educational, astronomy/universe, animal, or history related. Oh, and I’m a life-long Marvel Comics fan and collector, as well as a life-long Trekker, esp. TOS, so, peace and long life, everyone!

How long do you usually spend on a single project? For example the Slave 1 ship from Star Wars has some micro details.

Slave 1 was my finally get serious about modeling and painting, and to do so; my “pick-the-hardest-model-I-can-find-detail-wise-and-build-it-baptism-by-fire-sink-or-swim über-learning project. Plus I just love that ship! At the time, I was “OK” at best at modeling, but I knew I wanted to reach a new level. I figured if I could build Slave 1, after that I could build most anything hard-surface-wise. At the time, I really didn’t know anything (much anywho), so it took me like 10 months to build her. Now, she would take 3-4 weeks (less if I was to really crank on her), as there is an insane amount of detailing on her, and when you hit the detailing phase of a model, time sloooooows down! Come to think of it now, I think time actually stopped while building Slave 1 due to all the seemingly never-ending detailing to her undercarriage! LOL

She, and much of my work-to-date, are fuss-over-every-detail-to-perfection personal projects with no dead-line time-limit though. In production, two weeks is a fair average for a “ship-of-the-week,” six plus weeks for a hero model, and I can (and have) hit those production time requirements, with excellent quality, no prob now. Building for production is a whole other animal than hobby-modeling. Quality as well as speed must always be honed if one desires to work professionally in the film and/or television industry.

As a contract artist, how do you maintain a steady flow of work?

Oooo, the biz side of it, eh. I love the biz side as much as the art side itself, as I love being of good service to peeps. As such, as a successful contract graphic designer for seven years, I did so by following the good-business basics (as I see them anywho); I provided a good product with friendly and dependable service (at the time of the project, as well as follow-up service if needed). I believe in always going the extra-mile in regard to good service provided. I believe in doing this in the spirit of helping others first, and allowing the rest to naturally take care of itself (and stepping in if required, as billing can be “tricky” at times with certain clients). I believe in the Golden Rule in general, thus in business as well. I strive always to treat peeps how I would like to be treated myself, on all levels, including business. And if I mess up in any way for any reason, I own up to it, and try my best to set it right again as quickly as possible.

I am forever a shoot-from-the-hip, keep-it-simple, straight-shooter type o’ guy, always letting my clients know exactly what is going on with me during a project, or in regard to my schedule if already booked on another project. I always give clients the straight dope, so-to-speak. This is how I prefer to be treated as well. I have found it keeps projects (present or incoming) in proper focus and best on-track for all concerned, allowing for informed schedule adjustments if needed. No “yes man/ma’am” maneuvering from me, or for me, please. I strive to keep it simple and straight-forward, honest and honorable. This methodology served me (and my clients) perfectly for a successful seven-year run as a graphic designer. I now am on the first steps of applying that same business philosophy and application in the VFX industry. So far, so good. Heck, providing and receiving good business is not rocket-science, IMO, as I know I will always return to a place if I received good, dependable, and friendly service(s) and product. I feel most peeps will as well. It just makes life and business all the more easier, and thus more enjoyable for all, in my experience anywho. Oh, and produce an excellent demo-reel and then send it out everywhere you can think of that you feel you might be able to be of good service.

If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you meet and why?

Hmmm, interesting Q, eh. I do not really think in those terms, as I am the kinda guy that just lives in the moment and flow of life and enjoys that so much as is. However, I believe it would be Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching. Though I’d have to travel back in time as well for that meeting. I’d like to just sit and riff Tao philosophy back-and-forth with him for an afternoon, as I feel like ol’ Lao, he’d be a pretty cool and chilly dude to just hang with, just smellin’ the flowers an’ all.

If just in the world (per your Q), I’d like to meet my bud Doug Drexler in person, as he and I are “brothers from another mother” as he calls us, and it would be sO nice to finally be able to shake Doug’s hand and hang out. deg and dug; good times had. Be nice if Johnny (Eaves) could be there as well, but I see him next month. So yeah, my friends, I like meeting my friends. But oh heck, I just like meetin’ new peeps in general, eh.

Working with Modo, what do you feel it does best and where do you think it could use some improvement?

Well, IMO, hands-down; modeling and UVing, esp. UVing! I can’t even express how much I love modo in those regards. I love Allen’s render-engine as well for many things. I like the Shader Tree, too. As to what to improve; I pretty much leave that up to the Lux boyz and their big-brains, eh. They have done sO well so far, sO quickly, and thus made my 3D life sO much more enjoyable (and my life in general easier as well), that, at this point, I pretty much just live in a constant state of gratitude to them. If I do run into a sniggle now-and-then, they always seem to iron it out come update time, or will answer Qs posted on the modo forum promptly and comprehensively. Lux just rocks, product, and service-wise, IMO. They are an inspiration business-wise, as well as their modo just being a joy to work with. Thank you, Lux!

Can you explain where you came up with the Production Triangle?

Oh geez, that’s no credit to me, eh. I just made my own graphic of the concept and have it up as a staple/funny in the “on the beach…” section of my website. The PT has been around forever. I can’t even recall where I first came across it at this point. As far as I know, it’s just an industry production truism/funny (maybe not so much for un-objective and/or unreasonable clients) in any industry that operates within the fast-paced dead-line framework.

Hey, thanks for the opportunity of being interviewed, modocookie! It was a pleasure. Happy modo-ing to all my fellow modonauts!

Douglas E. Graves – Portfolio Site

As with most interviews, please give a quick introduction to yourself.

Ok let me see…I did study, advertising and marketing for 7 years in the US. I did not like CG at first. I am a traditional painter…artist. It took me 6 months at school to be able to accept it. I also did photography.  I was with digital retouching and enhancing imagery.

So I did not study 3D in any class…it was not available at my school, but I was playing around with applications at that time. From Strata 3D, to Bryce, to Alias Sketch, nothing was available on Mac at that time.

I got into Lightwave first back in 1993 and I really enjoyed it. I used it in a lot of my projects for the next few years. I was at the same time checking out all the new apps, or other stuff. I like to test out things, and keep an open mind to new apps. So I went on and tried Maya…Max…and even Cinema 4D.

Usually with me it either clicks or it doesn’t…they did not. One day, I saw these really cool UV tools in an application called Modo. I investigated further  and then Modo goes on board here at the studio. We even put it on the to do list. (Download Demo and test)

So…we began testing in between jobs. I was waiting for a client to approve some of my designs and visualizations and well…it was this project: http://muharraqi-studios.com/muharraqi_gallery.php?cat=ARCHITECTURE&id=57 The 2030 master plan for the entire Kingdom of Bahrain. I was working with one of the top architects from around the world, called SOM http://www.som.com/content.cfm/bahrain_national_planning_development_strategy and I was helping them do the presentation for his Majesty.

I had some downtime from this project and I downloaded the Demo of Modo 201, 30 day try out. I started it up and was able to do some work. This allowed me to creat the image “Mith Of The Floating Islands”

So from there people from the Modo community, Brad, and all their amazing staff have welcomed me into this amazing technology and the community was so much fun to chat with and interact.

I want to also add an interesting twist. When I first learned 3D properly on Lightwave, I used to buy DVDs that Brad had made…many years ago. It allowed me to get my work started. I had no idea that he will create the next generation of application that will hep me to get my work even better. So that’s why I always call him “My Teacher” because I learned everything from the Modo guy… Brad
So there you go…

What has been the most interesting project you have been involved in?

I don’t have one of those just yet, as I feel I am always moves upwards with each project. I always get interesting projects…whenever I believe that I am on the most interesting project the next one comes in and it is even more interesting. One of the of the interesting ones I have been involved in is this project where I have been working on future concepts and how cities may look in the future. With this I was asked to build the past.  http://muharraqi-studios.com/muharraqi_gallery.php?cat=SCENES&id=92 This is one of the oldest, well known names in the Kingdom of Bahrain…

The Al Khamis Mosque.

Every detail in it was examined with maps from the 1800’s. I had historians that specialize in old building structures and renovation preservation, old writings,  and what is left of the foot print of the building. The idea was to render the structure as it would have looked back in the past.  Even though it was taken over by different areas …in different times. No one is sure. The job was not as complex as some of my other jobs, but it was challenging to make something that old.  It was difficult to capture the textures and how the building looked. But overall, it was a fun project to be involved in.

Do you usually listen to Music while you work? If so what is on your play list?

For sure…love the music. I listen to everything, sometimes classic, sometimes.. NewAge or Chillout music. I love the 80’s stuff too…I am pretty colorful usually..and I am learning how to salsa

Working with the large scenes that you deploy do you run into memory management constraints, or do you have a pipeline set up for this?

On my workstation I have no problems with memory. I use Mac and a BOXX PC. Usually I use them 50-50, but nowadays I have been doing more stuff on the PC, and I do have a render farm with 8 GB RAM as base for every unit with 20 nodes which gets upgraded most of the time.

I do update Applications much faster than I do with hardware. I just get too comfortable with a system and always get afraid of migration.

If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you meet and why?

I wanted to meet Michael Jackson. I mean, he is dead now, but bout 3 years back he was in my fathers house with the prince. I was in a meeting at the time and couldn’t be there. He was in my fathers gallery for 1 hour.

I did not know until they called me that he was in my father’s house. Michael Jackson was very creative as well as an innovator, a creator of new ways, and the future of pop music. I mean most everyone knows of him big or small. He managed to make millions with his talent. And yes, as a human he screwed up at the end. But who cares, I look at the great things he did…and the long lasting sounds…style, and as a creator that was creative with his talent…one of a kind.

Can you describe a bit more on “Fun is Fundamental”?

That means…that if a job is not fun…then I will not do it. I mean we work for money, but it has to be fun…otherwise, hm…nope.

When you are not working on the computer, what do you do to fill your time?

Well…it is 1 AM here and I have been on my PC since 10 AM yesterday… I do work a lot…it is my hobby as much as my work, but I also work out a lot. I do Brazilian Jujitsu with my instructor, we do that 4 times a week and I do spar a lot with him…heavy fights. I like to do what boys do, fight each other

http://muharraqi-studios.com

Here is another fresh batch of 3D hotness across the interweb fresh out of the oven. This is not software specific, but meant to serve as an inspiration to the rest of us. Every week or So we are going to try and post a “batch” of things that catches our eye. We are all about promoting the underdog, or unknown so if you have a portfolio or know of somebody that deserves some attention let us know. contact form Give these guys some attention, hire them for gigs and see you on the next batch.

Mark Behm

http://www.markbehm.com

Justin Sweet

http://www.justinsweet.com/

Nicolas Collings

http://www.nicolascollings.com

Richard Macdonald

http://www.richardmacdonald.com/

Ruben Martinez

http://www.ruben-martinez.com

Hope you enjoyed this weeks Fresh Batch of Artists. If you know of an artist you think deserves some attention please let us know.

Here is another fresh batch of 3D hotness across the interweb fresh out of the oven. This is not software specific, but meant to serve as an inspiration to the rest of us. Every week or So we are going to try and post a “batch” of things that catches our eye. We are all about promoting the underdog, or unknown so if you have a portfolio or know of somebody that deserves some attention let us know. contact form Give these guys some attention, hire them for gigs and see you on the next batch.

Amador Valenzuela

http://digitalblackbook.com/

Michal Suchanek

http://www.michalsuchanek.cz/

Levente Peterffy

http://www.leventep.com

Alexis Van der Haeghe

http://www.vdhalexis.com

Toni Bratincevic

http://www.interstation3d.com
Hope you enjoyed this weeks Fresh Batch of Artists. If you know of an artist you think deserves some attention please let us know.