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Lux: Let's discuss your creative process.
Do you personally have a specialty, such a modeling?
KAA: I am one of those people that do everything.
When I started in Art School in Houston, one of my professors
used to always say to me 'Do one thing, specialize!!!' But
like any artist, I was stubborn. So I learned everything from
design to photography to advertising, though 3D art is something
that I never studied and just learned on my own after working
hours. I was interested in modeling, texturing, rigging,
lighting, and finally, animating and have been through almost
all the 3D applications over the past few years. I always
encourage artists to give themselves time to learn one thing at
a time, be good at it before going to the next page, that way
they will learn more things and have good work to back it up with.
Lux: Do you sketch out your ideas first?
KAA: Yes for sure, I am a hands-on artist and
was painting before I even started to use computers. People call
their first drawings sketches, I would like to call it the road
map or the plan. It is basically the foundation of any nice
concept and I think most good work comes from nice plans.
Lux: As chief principal at your company
you must be very busy. When during the day or night do
you really settle into doing 3D?
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Kessha
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KAA: Yes I am usually booked months in advance,
I also know that the company name sounds big but actually, it’s
only me and my partner at the studio...well, we do have our company
secretary Keesha as well, but she is a German Shepard. I
am a hands-on guy and I do all the creative work myself. At
first, I thought it was normal to carry that load because of the
speed I work in, but later found out that I am actually very fast
compared with bigger teams of artists in other studios, and finally
understood what people were telling me when they said I was 'unusual'. That’s
why some of the CG magazines in Europe were amazed that a lot
of our work is done by a one man team that puts all the 3D components
together into a visualization. I work about 13 to 18 hours
a day, I love 3D work, so my hobby and my work has joined into
one...so...yes, very little time for a normal life.
Lux: How long would you work at a time
before taking a break?
KAA: During the course of the day, I try to
have as much fun as possible and laugh and chat and enjoy which
keeps me going, but I usually don't have breaks, not even on weekends;
my wife had to push me to start my Korean martial art class once
a day for an hour to force me to get back in shape...this kind
of work is not good for the artists, especially since Art drains
up all the artist’s energy. I do feel better now that
I am exercising, though.
Lux: Do you have a philosophy on how software
tools should work?
KAA: Yes for sure! Software should work around
the artists not the opposite. In the past a lot of software's
used to enslave the artist, and force them to go around it’s
problems to make things happen. Today, developers like the
Luxology team work closely with not only Users but also artists
and you can clearly feel it in the formula that was used to create
the lovely dashboard and simple shortcuts that make it a fun process.
Lux: People are always wondering about
what makes modo interesting to some people. As an experienced
3D user what are your favorite features in modo and/or favorite
things about its workflow?
KAA: Right now, I feel very attached to the
modeling tools which are allowing me to do things that I was not
able to do before. Also, the UV mapping function is one of
the best tools I have ever seen, especially since I have already
experimented with most of the applications in the market. Finally,
texturing directly onto the model using my Cintiq monitor was
such a delight, I cannot get enough of it. These tools are the
core ones I would use in starting and ending any project and Modo
has already become an invaluable part of my creative process.
Still these are not my only favored tools. I can go on
and on about this for a long time, but let me name a few of the
best options I like on modo: Bevel tool, Loop slice Tool,
slid tool, extend tool, sketch extrude, solid Sketch tool, Tube
tools, all the Duplicate tools especially the Mesh paint tool...oh,
and there's plenty more...
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