3d modelling, rendering and animation has always appealed to me as it is a unique combination of technical and creative skill.
I rendered my first 3d scene in about 1993 with version 1 of Strata Studio Pro and was immediately hooked. Saving my wages each month to buy equipments and software so I could practise at home in the evenings began to pay off two years later when a german magazine 'Digit' began publishing my work. By this time I was doing well as a freelance graphic designer working as part of a small creative team in Honiton, Devon.
Over the years I have built up my own resource libraries and developed ways of managing them as building accurate, geometrically correct models can be a time consuming business and I do not believe in re-inventing the wheel. I always try to construct models in an object oriented manner so that they can be reviewed or edited for future projects and so that other people can work with them quickly without having to work vertex by vertex on a flattened mesh.
In more recent years I have complemented my 3d skills with maths and programming skills and over a two year period developed my own 3d software which has given me a great insight into how commercial 3d packages work and I now find them much easier to use.
Software Experience
Mainstream 3d
Form•Z
11yrs
3d Studio Max
9yrs
Lightwave
8yrs
Strata Studio Pro
4yrs
Amapi
3yrs
Poser
3yrs
Adobe
Photoshop
15yrs
Illustrator
16yrs
After Effects
7yrs
Premier
5yrs
Other Relevant Skills
Fast Typist.
Experienced Programmer.
Solid understanding of the design process abstract from the computer desktop.
Have 3 years experience training others to do what I can do at well know and prestigeous training centres around the country (mainly London).
Client
Kawasaki Precision Machinery
Employer
Clear Communications Ltd
Date
January 1999
Created For
Interactive CD Rom
Software Used
Form•Z 2.8 & Lightwave 5.6
As the integral part of an interactive CD Rom used by the Kawasaki Precision Machinery (KPM) sales team to demonstrate the efficiency of their new K3VL hydraulic swash-plate axial piston pump, this highly detailed model had to animated and rendered in such a way so that not only did it look absolutely photorealistic to the observer but so that the user could 'control' the pump in the interactive demo in real time.
I was given a prototype of the the K3VL to work from which was stripped down to its individual components, each of which (approximately 300 in total) was measured, rigorously observed and then modelled individually using Aut-Ody-Sys Form•Z. (v2.8)
The components were then converted to Wavefront OBJ files and assembled in Lightwave Layout (v5.6). The base animation was achieved with a combination of inverse kinematics (IK) and mathmatical expressions, some of which were supplied by KPM, the others I developed myself.
I can provide a demonstration CD of this work on request. Please telephone me on the number below or email me at: chris@elias-nation.com
Client
Thermoboard
Employer
Advanced Media Engineering Ltd
Date
April 1998 & June 2001
Created For
Brochure & /Printed Data Sheets
Software Used
Form•Z 2.8 & Lightwave 5.6
Created for Thermoboards promotional material when the company first formed. The boards were built mainly from drawings and photographs (supplied by the client) using Aut-Ody-Sys Form•Z. (v2.8). The project, which also involved the design of the clients corporate ID and logo, was a great success and Thermoboard has since grown considerably, moving to purpose build premises in Exeter, Devon.
As well as being printed, the models were also used in a short promotional animation introducing new customers to Thermoboard.
Client
Land Rover/Tombraider Movie
Employer
Advanced Media Engineering Ltd
Date
March 2001
Created For
Viral Marketing Tool
Software Used
Form•Z 2.8 & Lightwave 5.6
Created for the intro of a shockwave/flash based 'Desk Toy' or viral marketing tool which was used by Land Rover to promote its involvment in the Tombraider movie, released in 2001.
Reference for the Land Rover Defender was taken from numerous magazines dedicated to this celebrated off road vehicle.
Any Questions?
I am always happy to answer any questions you may have about any of my work. Please feel free to ring me on
3d modelling, rendering and animation has always appealed to me as it is a unique combination of technical and creative skill.
The components were then converted to Wavefront OBJ files and assembled in Lightwave Layout (v5.6). The base animation was achieved with a combination of inverse kinematics (IK) and mathmatical expressions, some of which were supplied by KPM, the others I developed myself.
