3DVIA® - 3DVIA

Peter is a Production Artist at Turbine Entertainment working on Lord of the Rings Online Massively Multi-player Online Game.  He’s also worked for Electronic Arts, Sony Interactive and Vivendi Universal on such titles as Bulletproof, Everquest II and James Bond: From Russia with Love.  Along with his professional duties, he also teaches at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University (CDIABU) in Massachusetts USA.  His 2D illustration work has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald and the Chicago Tribune.

Q1:  How did you get your first break in the Gaming/Entertainment Industry?
 
My first few opportunities were as a subcontractor for some rather unsuccessful titles.  I had interviewed with Ballistic Pixel (BP) Lab back in 2003 to work their then Middle Earth Online contract with Turbine Games. I unfortunately had to turn the job down due to pay requirements, but I guess I left a good impression.  When I worked at CDIA BU, BP contacted me to do some subcontract work.  I mainly did some props, but I did get one character. The important thing for me was the end client names like  Sony Interactive, Vivendi Universal and Electronic Arts.  Doing less than glamorous work was okay.

Q2:  How much time do you spend, on average, on one particular model?
 
When you’re in production, you need to be aware of deadlines. You have to learn to not only produce high quality, but also in a timely matter.  I typically spend anywhere between 5-15 days on a character depending on its complexity and importance.

Q3:  What program do you use for modeling and what 3rd party software do you use to make your job easier?
 
I mainly model in Maya, but I use Zbrush for high resolution models.  It’s a Maya to Zbrush work-flow at the moment.  I imagine in the future I may cut out Maya altogether. UV layout by Headus is by far the best 3rd party software I have come across in a while. The hardest part used to be getting your UV’s just right, now UV layout takes all the guess work out.  It’s awesome. I also have to mention Crazybump and Xnormal, both incredible software to produce high quality Normal Maps with ease.

Q4:  What is your day like?

Work, work and more work, but that’s how I like it :)
 
I usually get in around 9:30 and get right to work. I take lunch at 11:30 for an hour or so. The afternoon is where I spend my time really getting into what I’m working on, surfing the web for textures, etc.  I make sure to keep EVERY image I find for reference or overlays. I typically listen to my favorite TV shows or movies while I work.
 
Sometimes I skip lunch and practice Zbrush, but I’ve always got a good cup of cereal to get me through.

 
Q5:  What influenced you into becoming a 3D Artist?
 
Well, I started off my career in traditional illustration. I was pretty successful, but was always concerned about full time employment.  I am not the sort of illustrator to get into concept; guess I’m not all that imaginative, but I love to create.  Being a Production Artist just seemed the perfect fit. Maybe someday I’ll paint again, who knows.
 
Q6:  Favorite game? Movie? Comic Book?
 
My favorite game… that’s tough.  I’m kind of old school, but you have to remember the roots.  Let me give you my top 5 in no particular order: Bionic Commando (NES), Metroid (NES, N64, GC,  Wii), Dragon’s Lair (Arcade), Zelda (NES, N64, GC,  Wii), Pac Man (arcade). 
 
My favorite Movie? Here’s a few: The 40 Year Old Virgin, Van Wilder, Billy Madison, Clerks, Naked Gun, Airplane, The Natural, Unbreakable, Raiders of the Lost Ark, August Rush, Austin Powers, Major Payne, Office Space, Strange Brew, The Rundown, Better off Dead, and One Crazy Summer. I could go on and on but I’ll stop with just one more:  Spaceship… horribly awesome!

Q7:  What are your tips to staying focused on a large model/project?

That’s easy, I just think of all the crappy jobs I had before this and remember how much fun it is to do anything on LOTRO!

Peter was one of my teachers at CDIA, and I was always impressed by his energy and endless instant knowledge of Maya and how things work.  He’s tirelessly tinkering and improving on his work making all of his art look fantastic.  Peter’s website is currently going through renovations but as soon as it’s available I’ll edit the post and add a comment so you can all see his jaw dropping images.   And we may be adding some images soon of his work with Lord of The Rings Online.   Thank you Pete for doing the interview!