Christopher Stewart, Stargate SG1/Atlantis
February 22, 2007

Quite possibly best known for the largest independent LightWave-focused site on the internet, Flay.com, Christopher Stewart is far from being skilled merely at putting together databases and news bites. He also serves as the Digital Effects Supervisor for Stargate SG1/Atlantis's in-house VFX department in Vancouver. During their season hiatus, Christopher gave us some insight into his history and duties on the longest consecutive running sci-fi show on television.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your history with 3D?
Like many others it seems, I initially started tinkering with 3D on an Amiga. There was an Amiga 1000 running The Juggler in a mall window in Montreal that had my jaw dropping, considering my home PC at the time was new and only capable of running monochrome graphics! I believe the first 3D application I used was something called Optiks, but quickly moved to Turbo Silver and some other early packages.

Definitely a time I look back on fondly, just puttering about in my spare time with really primitive meshes. Four day single-frame render times without even trying hard. I played with the 2D side a bit back then as well, but the 3D is what stuck. It took many years and a couple of different careers before I took my hobby seriously and started doing it full-time.

How were you first introduced to LightWave 3D?
Introduced? Well, that would be the launch of the Video Toaster I'd guess. Something I couldn't afford/justify at the time so I stuck with what I had. It wasn't until the "great unbundling" (LightWave 3.5) that I bought in, though I nearly took out loans a couple of times to get my hands on it.

What features of LightWave do you like the most?
Easy, the text-based interface. Might seem like a small thing really, but it's one of the main features that makes LightWave so accessible. I use other packages on occasion and swimming through banks of teeny-weeny icons is just slow and annoying, especially when you're learning the ropes or supervising other artists doing the same.

Are there any plug-ins you use on a regular basis?
It's all about productivity in production so something like FPrime is indispensable. In fact, though I run XP64 as an OS, I've stuck to the 32-bit version of LightWave for most of my work, just to keep FPrime handy. Otherwise it's mostly a smattering of Modeler "helper" plug-ins, automation scripts and specific purpose plug-ins like Dynamite, Point Oven or Next Limit's Realflow/Maxwell integration software. Though e-on's new Vue-xTream looks terrific, and I'm looking at HD Instance and a few others over the season break. Really, for what I do, the core of LightWave is pretty solid, only requiring a helping hand for special assignments like hair or sub-surface scattering. Everybody who models should pay attention to the various Japanese-authored modeling plug-ins though, amazingly useful stuff there.

What does being a Digital Effects Supervisor for Stargate SG1/Atlantis entail?
I helped form and continue to lead the Stargate SG1/Atlantis in-house visual effects department on the studio lot in Vancouver. We worked out "Digital Effects Supervisor" as a credit, but the job description is pretty far ranging. From reading scripts and booking in sequences, maintaining and expanding our all our machinery and software, supervising the artists, wandering over to the producer's offices with the VFX supervisors to show shots and even a bit of on-set work from time to time. Supervising the artists is the best part of the day, as they're an amazing bunch and make that side of things much, much easier than it could be. I do try to do as much artwork as fits into the rest of the day, a few digital mattes, some animation and most of our 3D tracking tasks. The position is a bit of a juggle at the best of times, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

After 10-years on-air, how was the SG1 cancellation taken?
I think it was expected, and had been for years. The show had a great run as a series and everybody is proud of it. It all went by so fast. I was at the 200th episode party thinking, "Wow, I swear I was just at the 100th". Time flies...

Personally, I grieved a bit as jumping between the two shows gave us a lot of diversity in the type of work we did in-house. One day you're enhancing a witch burning, the next you're blowing spaceships up, then it's on to fire-breathing dragons and magical effects. SG1's Arthurian storyline really gave us some out-of-the-ordinary work for a Sci-Fi series. That'll be missed on a regular basis, not that Atlantis doesn't have its share of cool sequences, and we'll get to do more of those now.

How is LightWave used in the Stargate pipeline?
It's simply our main 3D package. Ships, planets, set extensions, digital mattes, explosions, characters, effects; you name it, from animatics to final renders. I utilize a bit of Messiah for character work and we have one copy of Maya, mostly for fluids. Otherwise it's all LightWave. Though not mentioning the amazing work of our compositors treating that CG wouldn't be doing justice to their extraordinary contribution.

Are there any episodes that stand out as particular favorites?
Recently, SG1's Crusade springs to mind. We did a large number of shots for a big battle sequence between the Ori and, well, everybody else. LightWave was everywhere; we even translated ships from other vendors into LightWave to use them in our "home environment".

On the Atlantis side, I'd have to pick one that hasn't broadcast in the USA yet, The Ark. The in-house department built an unusual space station, shuttlecraft and, well, I won't go further. There's a lot of work in that episode. It's great when you do a big build and use it for years like the Ori ships. Then there are the big builds that don't last...

Are there any episodes that stand out as particularly challenging?
I don't think it would be fair to spill too much about the season-ender "First Strike" yet, as it also hasn't broadcast in the USA as of this writing. But we've got a huge shot in there. Well over a minute long, all CG. One of those shots you read in the script and immediately think, "Uh, Oh". LightWave simply cranked through massive renders on our small(ish) render farm. It surprises me how much work is going into that part of the package, it's constantly evolving and the speed improvement has seen us take on a larger volumes of shots on the same equipment. When you're running a small department, squeezing every CPU cycle is important.

A lot of VFX work is done in Vancouver. Do you see it as the new Hollywood?
I see it as competitive, most certainly, but I haven't really considered being part of a "new Hollywood." Film and television are being produced around the world and while we're heavily influenced by the US industry at present, it's great to see more and more productions from countries like Britain, New Zealand, India and many others. If anything, I'd like to see Vancouver grow and mature with it's own individual style. Not that there's anything wrong with Hollywood, it's just that I think one is probably enough for the world.

What other projects have you worked on?
Really not that many, unless you name off every episode of the Stargate franchise I've participated in. I worked for a couple of years in video games before going into visual effects. The Outer Limits was my first freelance VFX gig. Then a bit of a short-lived series called Birds of Prey, a couple of shots on Smallville and Dark Angel before starting into features. After Good Boy, Garfield and Elektra I was part-way into another film when the opportunity to start the department at Stargate came along and it was just too good to pass up.

How did Flay.com come about?
I was starting to use LightWave and kept a simple page full of resources and links on my homepage, Primordial Soup. I was working as the in-house designer at an ISP at the time and they wanted me to learn how to program database backend-driven websites too. It was as simple as having that data around while I was learning the programming language. When I was playing with Whois commands one day (I used both NT and Linux at the time), I typed in my favorite character from Mervyn Peake's Ghormanghast novels. Flay, the lord's manservant. What do you know; it hadn't been registered yet...

How does Flay.com fit into your busy production schedule?
Honestly, it's a juggle. I bought a small 3 pound laptop that's a "Flaystation Portable" of sorts (sorry, couldn't resist). I simply bring it with me everywhere I go and work on Flay when I have the time. In front of the TV when my wife's favorite shows are on, weekend trips, in coffee shops and wherever else I get a chance.

Have the recent changes in LightWave impacted the way you work?
The render improvements have been great but, to be honest, we've yet to jump on every new feature in v9 mid-season. I'm looking forward to being able to leverage the new node-based texturing system more than we are now. A new version of FPrime will hopefully open that up for us. As most of our assets were built pre-"v9", we're a bit in the Stone Age as far as the latest-greatest is concerned. Edges in Modeler are certainly a terrific feature and I'm looking forward to putting them to good use shortly. You can't make big changes mid-season on a production. Treading carefully is the best practice as shows often overlap each other, not leaving a lot of time for adoption or experimentation. Every season you can start fresh however and we're all looking forward to leveraging "v9" heavily in Atlantis season 4, especially having seen what v9.2 is offering through your open beta program. Nice stuff!

Do you have a "LightWave tip or trick" others might find helpful?
I have what’s perhaps a general one. If you're finding yourself doing a task over and over, try to find a shortcut. They're not always possible but it's the reason I built Flay.com's plug-in database and probably the main reason to start learning LightWave's LScript. In fact, even learning to parse LightWave's scene files with a text editor can not only save you a ton of time but make some really tough effects possible (like a simple crowd simulator, methods to organize various asset sets automatically or even break down entire shots into several passes with the press of a button.

What's next for Christopher Stewart?
On this break between seasons I'd intended to do nothing but slack. It's been a dream of mine for awhile. No, really! But the fates have spoken otherwise and I'm presently working on another sci-fi franchise freelance, just helping out a bit along with my wife (also a heavy LightWave user and MGM's in-house matte painter). Hopefully I'll also have time for some long overdue "behind the scenes" work on Flay.com and even a bit of skiing on our local mountains. Then it's onto organizing the start of next season at MGM, though we're already having the occasional meeting...

Do you have any advice for someone new to the 3D industry?
Keep working at it. No matter how good you are at your specific vocation, keep investigating the world about you. You might be the best modeler in the world, but if no models need to be built you're out on your rump unless you're adaptable. If your goal is to work in some huge outfit, then perhaps it's not as important to be well-rounded as in a smaller shop, but any other experience makes you better at what you do, especially in a team situation. Years ago, a supervisor threw me into the compositing department (on a major feature of all things!) so I'd better understand the needs of those artists. To be honest, it was brutal as I had very little experience, but the trick worked and I spent the rest of that show interfacing between the departments, even popping back into comp for awhile near the end to finish off the show, a great experience that made me a better 3D artist.

There are lots of examples like this. Character modelers could learn to rig and animate a bit, so they know what the riggers and animators need to best complete their tasks, which are based on your work. Even compositors could benefit from a bit of 3D experience so they can communicate with their workmates more fluently regarding passes and possible solutions to problems that crop up.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Christopher!

To learn more about the Stargate SG1/Atlantis in-house group, visit their website: BrickHouseVFX.com