Team Focus – Dynamic Dec 5 - Tosh

"Normality is a paved road. it's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it." - Vincent Van Gogh

Welcome back to yet another Team Focus update, as you can infer from the title, this week we're sitting down with Dynamic. He's a 3D artist here on Installation 01, you likely know his work from our Bruteshot from a couple of weeks ago, and that lovely little Regenerator you all seen a while back. Enough telling you what he’s done, let’s learn more from the man himself!

Hello? Testing. Testing. Is this thing on? Oh, there you are. Thanks for joining me today. Go ahead, and let everyone know who you are, and what you do here on Installation 01!

Hey! My name is Ali, but here on i01, I’m known as Dynamic. I’m a 3D artist, so I do all sorts of stuff, from modeling to texturing, weapons to environment props. Basically, I do anything that involves 3D assets.

Another Barrel maker? Why do we have so many of you?! With the enormous workload that comes with modeling, and texturing so many different objects, how do you organize, plan, and prioritize your work to get it all done?

3D art can be a long process sometimes. It all depends on the type of model you’re creating. Hero assets need to be detailed, and sometimes that can take a while, so that’s why there’s so many of us! Over the years I’ve picked up many techniques to help with certain aspects of modeling and texturing. It’s all a pipeline, and once you learn that pipeline, you’ll know exactly where to start and what to do at certain stages of the process to make life easier later on.

I feel like this "pipeline" is just a clever word you all are using to take over, slowly. Anyways, With such a long "pipeline," and the plethora of tools out there, what are some of these tools, advice, courses, or tips you can give to aspiring 3D Artists that may be reading this?

Great question, The 3D industry has really grown in the past few years, and there are a lot of very specific job roles out there, so when looking for information it can be tough. As a 3D artist, there are many tools out there for modeling including Blender, Maya, 3Ds Max, and for texturing Substance Designer and Painter are the software to use. If you’re just starting out, I recommend picking up Blender. The community is massive there, and there’s a lot of resources for you to learn from. Also, remember to do your research! Look at industry standard techniques if you’re aiming to get a job!

Fantastic advice sir, and thank you for sharing all of that Knowledge with us. Blender is a great tool to use for beginners to professionals. Now, you speak to specializing in a specific role of 3D art, but earlier you mentioned that you do nearly everything from modeling to texturing, and weapons to environmental objects. I'm curious, which do you specialize in, and why did you go down that path?

Funny you should ask, I’m actually specializing in Film! Films are a lot more specialized than Games. At a game studio a 3D artist can be doing everything from modeling to texturing, whereas, in a Film studio, you can have people specific to one thing. When trying to break into the industry, generally it’s a good idea to be a generalist to increase your chances of getting a job. I’ve made sure I’m comfortable with pretty much everything, although I am aiming to specialize in modeling, texturing, lighting & compositing for film.

Interesting, so games are kind of your way to work on honing your skills, and ability to one day make use of them in film? That's a fascinating approach to it. So I must know, have you always wanted to work in film, or is this a newer passion after working on games for a while and getting a better understanding of it all?

When I was younger my uncle installed a copy of Command and Conquer Generals on my brick of a PC. I was amazed, and since then I had a burning passion for game development. I would go out of my way to learn how to make games. That’s how I first found out about Blender! However, as I grew up that passion slowly shifted over to animated films. I absolutely adore Pixar and Disney films, and while I wouldn’t mind working on a game project, my dream is to work on a massive animated film.

Command and Conquer Generals? That's a name I haven't heard in a loooooong time; I can see why you became so passionate though. With your love for Disney, and Pixar films as well as gaming, I have to ask, how do you feel about some games these days having cinematics that meet the quality of Pixar/Disney such as the Overwatch series from Blizzard Entertainment? Is that something that you're excited about, or would you rather still do that sort of work on films?

There’s actually a studio here in Sydney that does just that! They go by the name Plastic Wax and make cinematic trailers for games! If I ever get the opportunity, I would love to work there. It’s also interesting how both the Game and Film industry are merging. You’re seeing a lot of game tech being used to render films and vice versa. I think it’s incredible, and it’s making it a lot easier for artists to jump between the two industries. It’s also fun to see animated shorts of our favorite game characters, and it’s something I think more studios should do!

Agreed, I can't wait to see where the Industry is in 5 years. It's crazy how much it has already changed, and with technology getting so advanced we're starting to see some truly phenomenal things from both Industries. So, with your focus on film what exactly convinced you into lending your amazing talents towards working on Installation 01, and how long have you been on the team?

I have been a massive Halo fan for as long as I can remember, and the PC is my preferred gaming platform. I used to play Halo CE on PC almost religiously! So naturally, the state of Halo PC games interested me. I am confident in both the game and film pipelines, so I think it was pretty much destiny to mix both my interests together and land a spot on the team! I joined the team earlier this year, and since then it’s been nothing but studies and working on i01!

It's amazing how things fall into place like that. Well, we can't be happier to have you on the team! I'm sure I can speak on behalf of the rest of the team in saying, It's been an absolute pleasure working with you. Thanks for being part of this. With such a busy schedule from school, and work what does a typical work week for you look like on i01?

It feels like I haven’t been able to catch a break all year! I’ve been doing something art related pretty much every day, all year long. I usually have class on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and I’ll regularly be working on i01 stuff over the weekend and leave Monday and Tuesday for homework/assignments. I actually only just finished my major project so I’ll have 2 months off for nothing but i01 work before I get right back into the grind!

A man dedicated to his work, education, and the grind. I can respect that. With all of that work, and schooling though, do you leave any time for hobbies or other activities?

Lucky me, my work is my hobby! Although it can get stressful at times. My fellow car guy, Bean, would also know that I really enjoy working on/driving cars, however, with this crazy schedule I haven’t had much time for anything lately. My car is broken and sitting out front, and I don’t have the time to fix her! If I’m lucky I may be able to play 1-2 hours of a game every week or watch a single movie, but for the most part I’m at my computer working. I do also make sure to take breaks and go for a walk.

All too relatable my friend, and utterly tragic about your car! You’ve got to take a small break and fix her up. We'd all understand haha. With being on the team for a good while now, and being entirely dedicated to your work on it, how would you describe working on Installation 01 in one sentence so far?

Working on i01 is like working on that broken car you have sitting out front. You know you’ll get it fixed soon, but you refuse to tell anyone exactly how soon, and the team of mechanics you’re with are absolutely brilliant and talented <3.

Oh my... I think that might be the single best analogy of working on i01 thus far. Well done my friend, well done. Let's wrap this up with my favorite question to ask! What is your ultimate Halo match? (Game, Gametype, Map)

Call me crazy, but I’m gonna have to say Halo CE, Snipers only, Blood Gulch. Thanks, Tosh!

Alright. I will; you're crazy. You absolute mad lad! What sane person picks Halo CE, SNIPERS, ON BLOOD GULCH?! Calm down, Tosh... It's okay.

Well, I can't thank you enough for sitting down with me today Dynamic! It was a pleasure speaking with you, and I hope everyone learned a little something today. If any of you would like to follow Dynamic, and his work you can find him on Twitter @SplatterSpree, and over on Artstation! I'll see you all this weekend with another Weekly Update!

Tosh