Lightworks Winners

Lately, trueSpace has had a very good showing over at the Lightworks Quarterly Image Contest. We spoke to Kheang Chrun, Flavio Adriani and Barry French, artists whose work has been selected for display in the Lightworks gallery, to learn a little about them and their work, and also to hear their tips on what makes a winning image!

Tom: How long have you been using trueSpace, why did you start using it, and why do you use it today?

Flavio Adriani's winning image from the Lightworks quarterly contest.

Flavio: I have been using trueSpace since 1995 I worked with it and taught myself how to use it.

I wanted a program that took into account the issue of cost of the software versus the benefits it gives you. For that reason I now use trueSpace for 60% of my work.

Kheang:  I have been using trueSpace for 9 years now, starting with trueSpace4.3 in 2000.

trueSpace is still my favorite 3D application because of its user-friendly interface, and predictable results.

Barry: I first became aware of trueSpace when a version, 2 I believe, was given away free with PC Format. I was pretty much hooked straight away and kept upgrading In my childhood, my friends and I ran around armed with 8mm cameras remaking all the classic films of the time. I guess creating them all again in 3D/CGI was the next logical step.

However having a challenging career and raising a young family, my use of trueSpace was extremely limited. It has only been over the last 2 years or so that I have found the time to sit down and take it a bit more seriously. As for why I stick with trueSpace, I would say that is purely down to the interface. I have trialed other software but you just can't beat trueSpace for that vast blank canvas and intuitive interface.

 

Tom: What do you think made your image a winner in the Lightworks gallery? What attributes or qualities of your work?

Flavio: In my mind the Rule is: Make something different that does not exist!

Kheang: The Lightworks render engine is incorporated in a large number of professional grade 3D/CAD applications. If you look at past winners, you will see that the winning images are generally focused on very specific subject matters. If your image depicts a product, it must look “real”, and by this I mean it must be modeled like by a professional, and rendered beautifully, to vindicate the capability of the Lightworks render engine.

Kheang Chrun's winning image from the Lightworks quarterly contest.

Barry: My submission to the Lightworks gallery is the first time I have ever submitted an image competitively so I would still class myself as being very naive in this new arena. That said, before making my submission, I did take the time to study the website's previous submissions gallery to gain an insight into the standard required and to gauge which subject matters tended to be the more successful. As a result, I changed my planned submission to another version which contained more subject matter and was lit in a way that showed-off the capability of the render engine to a far greater degree.

 

Tom: What advice would you give to others who want to enter contests (including the Caligari Gallery and external contests)?

Barry French's image from the Lightworks quarterly contest.

Flavio: My advice is to study hard before you enter - make the sketches by hand, set out to find and make something that nobody has made before, and follow your intuition. It's important not to think about prizes or about winning.

Kheang: Model well, and render beautifully! Also, do not get side-tracked by too many components in an image, sometimes less is more. Just concentrate on the most important item in your image, and remember that other details in the scene may in fact reduce the visual impact in the final image.

Barry: First, be candid about your work. Submit it to the forum as a WIP and ask for advice on how it can be improved. There is a wealth of extremely talented artists out there who are more than willing to help out a fellow trueSpace user with some friendly and constructive advice. Second, read the entry requirements and criteria very carefully and make sure you fully understanding what kind of image the host is looking for and don't be afraid to alter your image accordingly.

 

Tom: What have you learned about your 3D art from entering contests that you might not otherwise have realized?

Flavio: As I said, we are always learning. What I learned was that the world is changing and we need to join ideas and concepts from different disciplines to make something good to show to all the people. The art of 3D is imagination and intuition. Today our world need arts, be that 3d, 2d, music, sport, etc. Contests are an opportunity to show emotions.

Kheang: People love 3D, but most find it hard to learn. Only professionals seem to have the time, motivation and money to invest in 3D. Mere mortals like us should realize we are very lucky to have access to an “almost” perfect FREE 3D application such as trueSpace!

A Spiderbot image from Barry.

Barry: You really need to pay attention to the detail. Entering an image into a competition normally requires it to be rendered out at a far higher resolution than normal and when viewed on a large display, there really is no hiding place for all those tiny little errors you thought nobody would ever notice.

 

Tom: Any special projects you are working on right now that you can tell us about?

Flavio: Of course! We always need to make and create and have ideas, especially today because there are many people making 3D too! However, I can't tell you anything about the projects right now - you will see very soon!

Kheang: Yes, but I cannot reveal any detail other than it is another car! All I can say is this latest project will once and for all dispel any remaining doubt that anyone has that trueSpace can produce professional results.

Barry: Currently I am still working on my Future Fighter solo animation project, am involved with Dyson XP in a joint animation project to create a homage episode of the children's TV series ReBoot. Non-animation work includes the second installment in my Strange Discoveries series, an entry into this months community Monthly Modeling Contest, and I am currently actively researching a new long-term modeling project that will be based upon a mythical/legendary hero/villain.

Flavio Adriani's entry into a non-3D contest, where trueSpace was used to make the imagery

Tom: Will you be entering the Lightworks gallery again? Are you planning on entering any other non-Caligari contests?

Flavio: Yes, it is very good to enter competitions, NOT to win or because of the prizes, but because you learn a lot, and it is wonderful get ranked among other people and to look for new ideas – we are always learning.

Kheang: Oh yes! In fact I like to enter non-Caligari contests because these are usually based on what you can create regardless of the software you use; in this respect, you are judged more on the merit of your work than on which software you can afford. Also, these “open” contests pit you against the best from users of other 3D applications, so the competition is tougher, but any win is the more gratifying.

Barry: I certainly intend to submit to the Lightworks gallery again and am already working on a new submission which is based on a highly altered version of the bank vault I created for the community-run Monthly Modeling Contest a while back. As for other contests, if I could find ones where I thought I could at least be competitive, then I would be very keen to enter on a regular basis.

 

Tom: Thank you to the three of you for taking part! We all look forward to seeing more of your work in the future, and we hope you continue to win and gain the recognition you deserve for your work.