Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1474486
j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 2 5 I was very focused on animation and rhythm, but my focus and preferences shied more and more towards rendering, lighting, cinematography, and photography, and just creating mood and ambience in an image. Tell us about your areas of specialization and the types of projects you have worked on recently. The most recent project that I can talk about is Nomankind. This project initially was in my head for several years, but when the Pause Fest event called me and proposed for me to make a short for their event, that was the perfect opportunity to finally get this done. Nomankind is a pretty dark short film about a futuristic world that is basically ruined by men's behavior and robots decide to take over. I was very surprised by how much this film touched people. It won a bunch of prizes and since then, the client called me to do ba- sically the same thing so I'm very pleased with the outcome of this. You can watch it on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/531153525 Tell us about your "Realistic Portraits" presentation that was featured in Maxon's 3D and Motion Design Show. Character design is not really well represented in the Cinema 4D motion graphic community. I felt that I might help people with the rendering aspect of that. Making a tutorial about how to make a cool character very quickly could be helpful. It covered sculpting, texturing, and lighting. There are a lot of new motion graphics artists that are very talented and if I can help them, why not do it. How do you utilize Maxon's suite of creative tools for your projects and workflow management? I utilize basically everything that Maxon has today in their catalog: ZBrush, Red Giant Suite, Redshi, and Cinema 4D, of course. I also use OctaneRender, World Creator, EmberGen, and other tools that can help me do my job a little bit faster. I have no attachment to tools or brands. I just want things to work and for now Maxon Cinema 4D is the best for my use. Of course there are always bugs and some stuff that could be better, but this is basically the same for every single piece of soware that you can find out there. Nothing is perfect, you just have to manage how imperfect it is sometimes. For example, when I have lots of elements or a big scene to work on, I know that Octane might be pretty unstable, so in that case I prefer to use Redshi. That is one example of imperfection of soware that you can bypass by using something else, but you have to be aware off those flaws to bounce back to a better solution. For my process of work, Cinema 4D is basically the main hub for my workflow. Everything is created in C4D: camera layout, modeling, rigging, rendering. I also use ZBrush and Substance Painter to refine and add details to every main asset I'm going to use. Then I render in Octane or Redshi, depending on the type of project I'm working on, and I make it pretty with all the great tools that Red Giant has. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming digital artists? My advice would be to try to find what drives you and what you want to be in this industry, and ask for feedback as much as you can. Receiving critiques is not the most comfortable thing to do but it is essential for improving and growth. Always try to learn new things, even if you find it complicated and boring. You have to have a basic understanding of everything regarding the CG world. This industry is moving and changing con- stantly and you have to be up to date to be relevant. ¢ Mehdi Hadi