Studio: The Syndicate
Website: http://www.fredbytes.com/
Syndicate animator, Freddy Oropeza, has been blazing a path in Hollywood and his journey is just getting started. We talked with Freddy about the work he did for Rhythm and Hues on the Fable 2 trailer, Banjo Kazooie and Call of Duty commercials and his most recent work on the Syndicate spots for NASCAR.
The Syndicate animator, Freddy Oropeza, has been blazing a path in Hollywood and his journey is just getting started. We talked with Freddy about the work he did for Rhythm and Hues on the Fable 2 trailer, Banjo Kazooie and Call of Duty commercials and his most recent work on the Syndicate spots for NASCAR.
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Can you tell us a little about yourself and your history with 3D?
I would say my interest in 3D has been since 1995/96, but growing up in Venezuela didn't give me many options to develop this interest of mine, so I kinda left it alone for some time. Later on I moved to New York City where I took some introductory courses on 3D, but I still didn’t take on it to the fullest, I took on a career doing stunts, which was another interest of mine, so I figured I needed to do that first while I was still somewhat flexible and bouncy, that took me down to Orlando, Florida to work for Disney. After a few years of being there, I came across The DAVE School (Digital Animation and Special Effects), which presented me with the opportunity of taking a night course, and I liked the way they mapped out their classes, especially the graduation project which was made in such a way to simulate a real production environment opposed to individual projects. So, after a few concussions, torn ligaments and dislocated shoulders, I decided it was time to change careers, perhaps something a bit healthier. :) So I went to The DAVE School for a year while still working for Disney and got an Associates Degree in Computer Animation and Special Effects.
How were you first introduced to LightWave 3D?
While attending The DAVE School, I was introduced to LightWave. Up to this point I had just doodled with 3D and some very basic 3D apps, so I was immersed in the program right way and the stuff you could do with it.
What feature of LightWave do you like most?
I would have to say that texturing, lighting and rendering are some of my favorite features of LightWave. It happens with such ease, without having to learn a whole new interface or scripting, everything is right there under your nose and the images that are being produced by the render engine are great.
Are there any plug-ins you use on a regular basis?
I just started using EXR Trader for final renders, or I should say it's being used by the companies I've been working for. I just got a grip of it, so I think it's a very handy utility.
What are your duties at The Syndicate?
I got hired as an animator so that's mainly what I do, but I do a good deal of modeling and anything that needs to get done, so I guess I fall a bit more under the generalist heading.
What are some projects you've worked on recently?
I just finished working on a couple of spots for NASCAR that were really cool to work on. They were a bit of a hyper-real stylized look, so it was a lot of fun. I’m currently working in a couple of Capri Sun spots that are also lots of fun.
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Are there any projects that have been particular favorites?
I've got to say that working with Rhythm & Hues on the Fable 2 teaser trailer was a lot of fun and one of my favorites. There was a lot of character work involved in it, and I had to do a lot of different tasks for it. The whole project was done using LightWave from beginning to end, and I was in charge of doing some character modeling, texturing, rigging, mocap clean up and animation, which was really exiting 'cause I didn't have a chance to do much character work on my previous job. Another aspect I really liked about the project was the nature and concept of it, it was very much dream-like or Fable-like if you will, so it left a lot of room for creativity, which is always welcome.
Are there any projects that have been particularly challenging?
I wouldn't say that there's one project in particular that's been challenging. I think all the projects I've worked on have been challenging in one way or another, all the way from a school project to the projects I just finished doing. It's just the nature of this profession, especially doing commercials, 'cause every project is different and the deadlines are usually pretty tight.
How does LightWave fit into The Syndicate's production pipeline?
The Syndicate uses an organic pipeline, meaning that, based on the job or task in hand, a program or programs will be put in to use. At the moment, I'm working on a Capri Sun commercial, which is mostly a LightWave job in the 3D department. Other 3D apps are being used to compliment our workflow, including Real Flow for fluid dynamics, Modo for modeling and Fusion for post. LightWave is being used for the lighting, texturing, effects, animation and rendering on this job.
Can you give us some background on the images at left? (top to bottom)
Knight: I worked on the animation for this guy. I also modeled the axe next to him and the sconce(where fire sits). This was a project that was made as a test for The Henson Studios, I believe they wanted to see how far they could push CG to try an incorporate their new puppetering mocap work flow with 3D.
Bionic guy: This was a model made for a DAVE School project called Spoonman. The model consisted of two sections, hardware and organic. I was in charge of making the organic section and Mason Mastrioanni did the Hardware part. This was a fun project to work on, I liked the Anime style, and the storyline was pretty cool, not something you see everyday.
Devil: This was a very fun project, especially because I fell back into doing organics, which I didn't get to do for a while. I got to do a bunch of stuff, we actually don't get to appreciate all the modeling done for this character because of the color scheme and mood, but regardless of that I still had a great time with this one. I had to do the modeling, texturing, rigging, mocap clean up/animation and lighting, and my previous stunt career came in handy also, being that I got to help out with the mocap choreography for this guy and the others characters in that sequence for the Fable 2 trailer.
Column: This was another School project, at the time when I modeled this it felt extremely hard being that I didn't know the proper way to work subpatches, so I Iooked it up and the column was the outcome, I've fallen in love with organic since. The swirly loop on top of it was extra challenging, and if I tried doing it again I'm sure it would give me a hard time all over.
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Call of Duty: The whole idea behind the package shot was to show the game in its context, so I had to model, texture and set up a scene, where it showed all the chaos and destruction caused by war. Playing with the lighting on this to create the mood was a lot of fun. In the second image, the truck textures and model modifications on the right of the frame and the warped fence on the ground were done by me. There's some interactive lighting that happens too, but you'll only get that by watching the spot. This was a project done by a pretty big team, so everybody got to focus on their individual tasks.
Engines: The client for these was NASCAR. They're doing this whole thing where they show clips during the races to educate the viewer on the terminologies and techniques the drivers use during the race. This NASCAR regulation engine was one of the assets they required.
NASCAR: These are from one of three intros made for a NASCAR segment called Race. I did the all the car animation for this spot. The second image shows you have the typical movie ending with the stars riding away into the sunset. I did the animation and the little rubber bits on the road for this shot
Banjo Kazooie: One thing I like about working on commercials is that the projects are constantly changing. This one in particular was very animation intensive. For these images in particular I worked on the animation. The second image is one I consider to be one of the coolest, because it has the reveal of the hero environment. A lot of hands were involved in this one. Matt Zeyn did the fallen wall and dust, Andrew Harlow and I worked on the greenery, where I got to do a lot of Sasquatch to make the grass and model some hills and foreground elements. I also worked on the animation for the characters at the bottom of the frame.
Building: Another school project, this is actually the building that contains the column seen before, this was block two project at DAVE School, where after leaning the basics and average tools of use in lightwave, we exercised with task that involves everything we've learned up to this point.
Are there any new features of LightWave v9 you've found particularly useful?
I think it comes from a bit farther back than v9, but something I find very useful is the Dope Track. It made my animation happen a lot quicker.
Have you tried LightWave v9.2 yet?
I haven't tried it to the fullest myself, but I know that the real motion blur came in really handy in one the last projects finished here at The Syndicate.
Do you have a "LightWave tip or trick" others might find helpful?
This is a small, very old trick, but I love it, and I don't think a lot of people use it. It's exporting an EPS (Encapsulated Post Scrips), instead os doing a screen grab to get a massively sized UV template. This way, you can zoom in really close to paint detail without having the visual of the wireframe get all messed up.
Quick tut:
- Select the UV you would like to export
- Go to File>Export>Encapsulated Postscript or EPS. If not there, you can added under Edit>Edit Menu Layout>File>EPS
- View: tell it to export the Texture UV
- Export file: tell it where you want it
- Give it a size, and your good to go. When opening the EPS in photoshop or package of preference make sure you open it as an RGB
Have fun painting!!
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What's next for Freddy Oropeza?
I feel I'm still relatively new to this industry, so I feel like I'm still in diapers and there’s so much more to learn. That's one of my priorities, keep learning. When it comes to career goals, I'd like to give it a go in features, but most importantly I’d like to stay employed and enjoy my work. It makes it easier to go to work in the morning if you like what you do.
Do you have any advice for someone new to the 3D industry?
I'd say that right now is a great time to get into this industry. Everything in media has a bit of CG these days. Ask lots of questions and learn from everybody around you. It will make your art get better quicker and also be willing to put some long hours in.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Freddy!
The Syndicate
