Q: Growing number of 3D movies and 3D effects also increase the demand for 3D artists. What can we expect in the closest future?
A: The movie industry and even the "triple A" games industry is only going to employ so many artists. While that is great for the relatively few people who work in those glamorous fields, the real action is happening in fields where 3D is moving from "experimental" to "standard". This happens at different rates but is happening all of the time. In many cases, if you have the 3D skills, you may want to think more in terms of "how can create my own job" than how do I get a job in movie industry. Indy games where people are developing iPhone or other mobile apps using tools like modo® and Unity is a huge area of opportunity to name one that I am really excited about. We are seeing people quitting their jobs or creating their own jobs anew in this area. Digital photography and re-touching are other fields that are now joining forces with 3D artists.
Q: Many of our readers want to become 3D artists. What you would recommend to them? What should they do first? (Buy many tutorials, finish school of CG, choose the right software or join many competitions)
A: First you need to learn your craft. That should be thought of as a one-time achievement, you should think of yourself as a constant student and make self-improvement a daily goal. You can get this skill through many paths, but the main thing is you have to spend a certain amount of time with goal-directed work. The idea is not to see "what can I create" but more "how can I do this thing IO have in my imagination." Hanging out with other like-minded people is important to some people, either in school or via user groups or on-line. Really, you need to spend a lot of conscious effort practicing and actively developing your skills. Once you get to a certain level of skill, you will be so much more alert for opportunities to make a living or supplement your other skills with 3D. You do not need to a 3D specialist any more than you have to be a full-time writer. But being able to use 3D, and write and edit video are skills that you can parlay into a job or a venture of your own. I say carve your own path if you possibly can. Try not to go into massive debt in the process.
Q: Working in the CG industry often means permanent education. Is additional education also necessary for such experienced artists like you? How this education looks like?
A: By permanent I think and hope you mean "lifelong learning." To be in this industry it is vital that you adopt a world view that you must learn something every week. This requires effort and being open to learning opportunities. Learning is NOT necessarily taking a class or getting some sort of degree. Doing is often the best form of learning. And asking for help as you really need it and returning that favour to your friend or colleague - or passing the knowledge you have gained to others. Everyone has something to teach me is my attitude.
Q: Do you still remember your first model? What was it and which software did you use?
A: I do. It was a model of a symbol used by the band Queensryche. I modeled it and made an animation of it and sent it into Nickelodeon (the kid's network), hoping they would use it. This was before the idea of "user-generated" content was in people's minds. Plus, I did not have permission to re-create that band's logo. They turned me down flatly. I moved on to the next thing. I used 3D Studio.
Q: What are Luxology's next plans for the future?
A: We want modo® to always be our favourite tool as we move it forward. That means we do not want to mess up what we have down as we add more to it - always keeping that essence of what modo® is at the forefront. This gets more difficult as we add functionality, but since we are consistent in our philosophies that drive tool use it is not as hard as you think. We want to make it easier for people to make their living using our tool, and live where they want. We have a lot of plans. They are partly about "product features" but also about helping to "create the future." The journey we are on at Luxology involves many moving parts, and we see ourselves as being part of something bigger and certainly not "above" the people who use our tools. We use them too!
