Interview with Radical 3D about Visual Effects for Dogfight
June 01, 2006

Radical 3D is the VFX house behind the History Channel special Dogfights: The Greatest Air Battles. Utilizing LightWave 3D, Radical 3D produced over 270 FX shots, nearly 45 minutes of original animation for the show, on only four workstations. The animation was of sufficient quality to make some History Channel representatives believe they were viewing actual historical camera footage. With the success of the special, Radical 3D is now working with the History Channel to produce an ongoing series, Dogfight, to begin airing this fall. We recently spoke to Jason McKinley, owner of Radical 3D about his experiences trying to get this new series off the ground.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your history with 3D?
My history with 3D started when I began dating my future wife Debra, who owned a VT2. One day I asked, "Hey, what does this 3D button do?" Within a few weeks I was doing animations for her clients and then started getting my own clients. Imax, Gramercy, National Geographic, Discovery channel and the History Channel are my favorites.

How were you first introduced to LightWave 3D?
See above. As I had no formal training, I was entirely self taught. It was LightWave’s intuitive interface and a few instructional videos that allowed me to grasp the concept of 3D and make a living with it.

What feature of LightWave do you like the most?
The Renderer. No other package can give you such a great image so easily. The speed is amazing. It's easy to use and the look is great.

Are there any plug-ins you use on a regular basis?
Not lately. The recent versions of LightWave have allowed me to stay within the package. In the past I have used Dynamic Realities' Particle Storm and NatureFX and Worley Laboratries' Film Grain.

What is your primary role in the production of Dogfight, and what does it entail?
My credits are Created By, Co-executive Producer, and Animated Sequences Created By. As a producer, I pick the battles we recreate and help with the writing and the editing. As far as the animation goes, I plan out the sequences, and supervise the modeling and animation. Since I am a producer I also have a great deal of creative control of the animation itself which is a great help in a tight budget production like this one.

Is this your first television series?
This is my first series as a creator and Exec Producer. I've worked on other series for Discovery, National Geographic, and the Learning Channel.

Where did the idea for Dogfight come from?
It just kind of formed in my head after I had read several stories about various dogfights. I thought, "Man, it would be great if I could go back in time and watch these." Hey!

How did Dogfight come to the History Channel?
I did a one minute pitch piece that was 100% LightWave-animated and didn't tell anyone it was CG. When they asked where we got the footage I dropped the bomb and it was sold in about 30 seconds.

How many people are working on Dogfight?
On the FX end we have 7 animators; myself, Mike Cliett, Mike Ash, Tom Bremer, Jon Gourley, Dan Dod, and Andy Lawler. In addition, there are 2 modeling-surfacing guys; James Dziadulewicz and Tim West.

How is Lightwave 3D being used in the production of Dogfight?
LightWave is being used the create the entire CG part of the show, which is over 50 percent!

What other tools are you using to produce the CG elements of Dogfight?
In addtion to LightWave we are using Photoshop and PhotoZoom.

What kind of reference material do you gather for aircraft modeling, and how?
We gather as much technical data as possible. Images are gathered from books and the web.

What is your turnaround time for an episode of Dogfight?
Our CG turnaround is anywhere from 3 weeks to six weeks depending on how many guys per show. 100 to 130 shots per episode!

Have there been any aspects of producing Dogfight that you have found especially challenging?
The Low level environments have been extremely difficult.

When is Dogfight scheduled to air?
The show is scheduled to air starting in November, 2006.

Do you have any advice for someone new to the 3D industry?
Learn LightWave. Find what you are good at and become as good as you can.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to pitch a show concept of their own?
Show them something they haven't seen before and make it kick-ass. With LightWave you have an edge on most people. Use it!

What's next for Radical 3D?
Next would be to do as good a job as we can on this show. Then try and create some other FX heavy series using our production model as a key point. We've got some good ideas and some interest in a couple of places. Who knows?

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

For more info about Radical 3D, visit the website: www.Radical3D.com. Dogfights: The Greatest Air Battles is available for purchase on DVD directly from the History Channel.