Piotr Kolus, Lead 3D Artist

Agency: Ars Thanea

Sector:: CGI Artist
Location:: Poland

How did you get into 3D CGI?
It started when I was 14 years old. My dad showed me 3D Studio (for DOS!). I didn't know what it was all about but I had a lot of fun. A few days later dad bought me two books about 3D Studio and this is how I got into it.

What type of 3D work do you?
When I started my career I was working on architecture stuff mainly - interiors and exteriors and collections of models for visualization purpose. Right now I have much more things to do, eg. cars and products visualizations, or rendering characters and animations.

What’s your main 3D app and why?
3DS Max is my main 3D app from the very beginning. I think it's because I started with it and was "too lazy" to try different app. Also 3DS Max is one of the most popular 3D software here in Poland. I don't know other apps well but 3DS Max has everything I need, especially the modeling tools.

What are your main renderers and why?
Currently V-ray, again it is the most popular renderer here (I guess). I like its speed and easiness of use. You need just few days of training to produce some decent results. I plan to learn mental ray as it come with 3DS Max, it has a fantastic SSS shader.

How did HDR Light Studio fit into your workflow?
Fit perfectly. I have used it in each project since we bought HDRLS in the agency. It speeds up my lightning process a lot.

What are the main benefits of using HDR Light Studio?
The best thing is "Live View" feature that appeared in version 2.0. Now I can try many different lightning scenarios in short amount of time. It's easy to find the good one when you have real-time preview.

Would you recommend HDR Light Studio to other 3D artists?
Yes, I would. Actually, I already did recommend it to few of my friends. Don't waste your time, guy, give a try and you will not be disappointed.

Website: http://pionier.cgsociety.org/gallery
Agency website: http://www.arsthanea.com

Piotr Kolus

Martini

Matching the lighting from a studio photo shoot to the 3D characters, click here for more information.

Ideas Books