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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1451520
"If I can render a dramatic image of the design, it really helps them visualize how the character/creature could appear in the film — KeyShot is perfect when it comes to achieving those renders.” What is unique about your approach to a project? I don’t know if anything is necessarily unique about how I approach a project. I start with the story and the source material and try to find the best solution for the design. I like to start with gathering references. The best designs are always grounded in reality. If it’s creature design, I’ll look at animals that I want to incorporate into the design and their anatomy. If it’s a costume I might look online at armor, fashion, or historical photos. Starting with a reference is the best way to brainstorm. From there, I’ll try a sketch or two. Nowadays, clients rarely want to see loose work. This is just a roadmap for me to get into ZBrush. I find it’s best to have something — some kind of idea — for what you want before opening up a 3D program. You want to be as efficient as possible, so have a plan. Finally, and if there’s enough time, I try to make an exciting image to sell the design. If I can render a dramatic image of the design, it really helps them visualize how the character/creature could appear in the film — KeyShot is perfect when it comes to achieving those renders. What is your primary 3D modeling software? I work entirely in ZBrush. It’s a great program and so far is all I need for concept art. I used to sculpt throughout my childhood and did a lot of design maquettes. Working in ZBrush feels very similar to working with clay. It’s artist-friendly and once you get used to the interface you can hit the ground running. I used to get all my renders out of ZBrush. It was pretty good at the time. I would have to do several material passes and composite them together in Photoshop. There was always a lot of paint over, but I didn’t mind the results. When I started using KeyShot that was a game-changer, especially after the bridge. I knew I would never go back to doing ZBrush renders after that. Where in the process do you use KeyShot? I use KeyShot primarily for rendering at the end, but I do like to bounce my model into KeyShot as I’m sculpting just to see how far I need to take the model. I’ll play around with my lighting set up and start adjusting my materials as soon as I can. I often find the sooner I bring the model into KeyShot the better. As a concept artist, the model doesn’t have to be perfect and I may find that the sculpt is taken far enough to get the idea across to clients. With good lighting and materials in KeyShot, I’m usually closer to done than I would have suspected by just viewing the model in ZBrush. The ZBrush to KeyShot bridge was a huge game-changer for me. It allows effortless transfer of the model into KeyShot with Polypaint and material painting. It really changed the way I work and how many renders I would need to bring into Photoshop. Nowadays, I really only need to do three renders: one pass on the model with textures, one shiny black version of the model for specularity, and a matte white version of the model as an occlusion pass. That’s pretty much it.