Introduction

Hi all. First up, my name is Daniel McKay, and I am currently employed as everything from a Motion Graphics Designer and 3D Generalist, to Concept and Production Designer at a post-production company named TOYBOX. I have a background in design, having studied for 4 years and gaining an Honours degree in Computer Graphic Design. My first experience with 3D was learning Electric Image Universe and a tiny bit of Maya. On graduating, I did a mix of jobs in the television industry, but nothing of great mention. I decided to make the move to London around 2008, and the opportunities that arose on various freelance projects (as well as working alongside some amazing talent!) really pushed me to further myself and my skills. Some of the highlights were: a brief stint with Territory Studio working on Killzone 3 cinematics, working with the talented folk at SPOV, and an extended ‘permalance’ gig working with the fine folk at Flock. Throughout all these jobs, I dabbled in anything 3D, using Maya and Zbrush, as well as motion graphics bits and pieces, predominantly in After Effects. Since 2013, I have been based back in New Zealand (Auckland) and am currently interested in learning Unreal Engine and furthering my knowledge in real-time technology. If anyone’s interested, most of my latest works end up here, as well as more frequent updates on stuff/experiments there.

Materials

As anyone in the industry knows, the internet is a bottomless pit of resources and assets. Coupled with this, we always seem to be up against tight deadlines and the requirement to get that idea floating around our heads out onto the screen to see if we’re hitting the mark brief and concept wise. In my role at work, I wear many hats, with 3D Generalist and Concept Designer being just some of them. You have to be able to adapt to the brief, learn that the first idea won’t always be the right one, and be ready to have an idea that you spent hours on might get binned within a few seconds of a review. It’s for this reason that I’m always looking for short-cuts to get those ideas out and in the best quality possible. The use of the Quixel Suite has allowed me to generate some great-looking textures extremely quickly, and with little fuss, so that I can up the quality of my final concept with a small time commitment. Not to mention that by making textures seamless, where possible, you’re always adding to a library of assets that you can keep re-using for future projects. Win-win!