Interview with Jason Godbey
From where you like to take your references and textures for the scene?
I make a lot of my images without direct references. In my mind I have ideas of these different places and I do my best to recreate them on my computer. Every now and then I’ll be walking down the street or be out driving somewhere and I’ll see something cool that would look good in an image. It might be some architecture or some light that creates a certain mood. I’ll remember it, or if I have my camera with me I’ll take a picture of it, and try to bring it into one of my images in some way. Most of my textures are photos from different texture websites. I usually mix a few different textures together with dirt maps in Max. I do a lot of experimenting with my textures before I settle on something I like, so texturing is probably where I spend most of my time on any image unless it’s an image with clean textures. Websites like 3dTotal CD's , CGTextures, and Mayang’s Texture Library is where I get a lot of my textures from.
Tell us in detail about you’re work “Valencia”, how you achieve such realism?
That’s the second version of the image actually. When I finished it the first time I didn’t really like it so I scrapped it and started again. I played around with a new texturing technique on this one. The base textures for most of the buildings are just colors picked from photos of buildings in Spain. I added a bump map to it and then mixed it with a texture map that I got on the web and used a dirt map to mix the two in 3ds Max. Vray is one of the best render engines for achieving realism. That along with some good textures and a good light setup will help you get a realistic image.
What’s the most useful thing you have learnt in 3d?
I’ve learned a lot about art in general since starting 3d. Since I’ve never had any 3d classes and only a couple of art classes, a lot of what I’ve learned was from the advice and critique from friends and other artists. You have to be open to critique if you want to get better.
What have been your major influences over the years?
Some of my biggest influences are my first influences. Other 3d artists like Margit Eberl, Eran Dinur, Thomas Krahn, and Patrick Merminod really inspired me when I first got into CG and they still do. But the biggest inspiration without a doubt is the world we live in. Ever since I got into CG I’ve looked at the world differently. Before I never really cared about the details of some architecture or the little details of a tree, but now that’s where I get my inspiration. I study the world around me.
Are you working on any projects currently? If so, what are they?
I am working on an image that was inspired by a place I saw while walking to the coffee shop one morning. I hope to finish this one before I become employed since I won’t have much time for personal projects after that.
What are your hobbies and please describe your free time, if you have any?
I’m really into music. I always listen to music while working on my projects. I’m really into the rock n’ roll scene of the 60’s and 70’s so I listen to a lot of bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Pink Floyd. Artists like Green Day, The Verve, and Paul Weller are cool too, but my favorite band would definitely have to be Oasis. I play the guitar and piano too, and I just started learning the harmonica. I’m also into sociology and
psychology. I read and write essays every now and then on those topics.
Anything you like to add? It is your chance now to state your opinion about anything.
Don’t be afraid to take risks for something you want for your life. You can’t achieve your dreams by just playing it safe.
Thanks a lot Jason for taking out sometime for us from your busy schedule.
Thank you, it was my pleasure.
Related Links
Jason's Website: www.jg-art.com
Making of the Siena - Click Here
|
|
|
