3ds Max IES Lights

AN INTERVIEW WITH Ed Harriss

Q. Were you trained in 3D or self taught?

I’d say it was half and half. While I did go to school for computer animation, the field was so new that much of the learning had to be done on your own simply because there were little or no resources for learning 3D.

Q. Tell us about your book “How to get a job in Computer Animation” are you planning any other books?

It’s a book containing all the information that you need to get a job in computer animation. From demo reel tips to resume creation to interview tactics to salary negotiation to job hunting advice and much more. It also contains web addresses, telephone numbers, physical locations and names of thousands of production and game companies located all over the world.

I have written some of an XSI book on rendering, texturing and lighting but due to freelance obligations and the birth of my son, I have not had time to do any work on it for quite some time. In addition I’ve also been working on a version .0 of my “How to get a Job in Computer Animation” book. It also has been put on the back burner for the time being.

Q. Is SOFTIMAGE|XSI the only software that you use for 3D? If not, then how does it compare with other packages in your experience?

I use SOFTIMAGE|XSI for 99% of the work I do. Occasionally I do some freelance work that requires me to use different software, however that is rare.

AN INTERVIEW WITH Ed Harriss

Q. Why should people who currently use other software packages think about making the switch to SOFTIMAGE|XSI?

XSI has many great features and workflows that make it an obvious choice for many of the current animation productions out there. But something that most people don’t think about when choosing a 3d package is its future. This is one of the things that XSI has going for it’s self that many other programs do not. Since it’s newer than most other programs, its internal construction is much more advanced. This makes it easier to add new features and enhance existing ones. One thing that I’ve noticed in other 3d packages is that major additions seem “bolted on” rather than integrated into the software. This is fine, until you want the new “bolted on” features to work with older parts of the program. If they can’t interact with each other your ability to perform complex tasks in that area becomes very limited.

Q. Which area of 3d do your really enjoy doing?

I really enjoy rendering, lighting and texturing.

Q. What’s the most useful thing you have learned in 3d?

It is difficult to put that into words. It’s not a single feature or an application. It’s the ability to work more efficiently. When I first started doing 3d the journey from starting a project to finishing it was filled with “brute force” techniques rather than adaptable ones. Projects I work on now are always constructed in a way so that I can easily go back and make changes. This makes me (and the clients) very happy. There is nothing worse than spending hours changing something that should have only taken minutes, simply because you built a sloppy scene.

AN INTERVIEW WITH Ed Harriss

Q. What are your plans for future?

As for day to day operations, I would like to continue with my current schedule. I work a full time job most of the year while taking off a few days/weeks here and there to do freelance work.

From a personal standpoint, I would like to continue working on training material both for XSI and for people who are hunting for a computer animation job. I also speak at conventions, users groups and schools on the topics of both XSI and computer animation jobs and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Q. What are your hobbies and daily routine?

I spend a lot of time on the computer. However outside the office I like to spend time with my wife and son. I also try to go to the gym at least 5 or 6 times a week. However, during crunch time or heavy freelance work I usually have to skip it. I really like watching movies and TV when I get the time.

Q. Are you working on any projects currently? If so, what are they?

The most recent work I’ve been doing is on site XSI training for a North Carolina Hockey team called the Carolina Hurricanes. (www.carolinahurricanes.com)They use XSI to create all of their in house 3D animations that play both in-game and on television. One of my first computer animation jobs was for a baseball team called the Durham Bulls. It’s been years since I’ve worked in sports media, but after being at the Hurricanes for a couple of days, it felt like I never left. I really enjoyed it a lot.

XSI training is not my full time job though. I spend most of my time working for SAS Studio productions where I tackle a very wide range of 3D animation jobs. In the past few months I’ve worked on 3D graphics for dozens of live broadcast events, a few large conventions, magazine ads, television commercials, some videos, dvds, cd-roms and even a flight safety video for one of the company jets.

In addition to my job at SAS, I also do freelance work for various companies around the globe. Most recently I worked with a company called Spontaneous in New York. We collaborated on two television commercials and a music video.

AN INTERVIEW WITH Ed Harriss

Q. Last but not the least, please tell our readers what things should keep in mind when creating portfolio?

The printed portfolio gives you a chance to show off more than just your sculptures, paintings or drawings. There are some other mediums that video does not treat with justice, and if not presented on paper, will not be fully appreciated. An example is high-resolution print advertisements or film graphics. Your portfolio is a great place to show off printouts of complicated models or detailed texture maps. I’ve even seen some that included before and after shots. These can prove to be very valuable when you are trying to explain just what you did on a shot. In addition to your portfolio, consider putting some of your traditional artwork on your demo reel. It’s easiest if you scan the artwork (or photographs of the art work) and size/crop the images to video resolution. Once you’ve done this, you can dissolve/cut between the images on your reel. Try to leave them on the screen long enough that the viewer has time to understand what they are seeing, but not so long that they get bored and fast-forward over them. In some instances, your traditional artwork might be too complicated to show in its entirety on a TV screen and be visually readable at the same time. In this case it might be better to show a couple of close-ups of the artwork rather than the entire thing. A good example would be a very complex drawing that just looks like a blob from a distance, but when you get really close you see that it is actually intricately detailed. Make sure you send copies of the artwork/photographs and not the originals! If they get lost or damaged then you are out of luck, and many companies will not, or do not have the time to, return submitted material.

Why would you want to show traditional artwork when applying for a computer graphics job? Because many companies want to see that you can do more than just push buttons. While it may be obvious from your demo reel that you are qualified for the job, this does not always mean that you’ll get it. Most computer graphics jobs require an artistic sense and as well as a technical one. As a result, traditional art skills are usually held in high regard. A good demo reel with no portfolio will almost surely lose when put up against a good demo reel with a good portfolio. Not only does traditional art skill help the artist create better CG artwork, it also makes it easier for them to quickly share ideas. In the typical production environment time is money. Ideas need to be exchanged efficiently and rapidly. Describing artwork with words usually takes much longer and is less effective than words combined with a small sketch. If you can’t draw at all, it will hinder you at some point in your career. Some companies want to see portfolios up front and some do not want to see them until you come in for an interview. (If you get one) Make sure that you know what each company wants before sending them a portfolio. If you are not sure, call the human resources department and ask. All that is needed is a simple portfolio. If you are mailing it, do not send large printouts. The 8.5” by 11” images are perfectly acceptable. Roughly 10 to 15 images will suffice.

Wow, Thanks a lot Ed for taking out sometime for us from your busy schedule.