3D Total: Firstly, tell us a little about yourself.

Brian Taylor: I live in Dundee, Scotland where I work from home. My background is in traditional illustration for the design and advertising industry, although the computer has taken over more and more in recent years. Although illustration has always remained my core business, I've also been involved in interactive design, concept work, motion graphics, and computer game design for the past few years. My interest in animation/film-making goes way back before I got into computers, to my teenage years when I would fool around with animation on an old super-8 movie camera. After deciding it was too much like hard work, my animation pursuits have pretty much lay dormant until now.

Rustboy on the slab

3DT: What first got you into CG?

BT: My interest in CG started out purely through reading about it in books and magazines, but at the time I never dreamt that it would be possible to do this kind of stuff on a home computer (or that home computers would even exist for that matter). The first thing I remember seeing was Blinn's 'Evolution of a Goblet'. Five images of a goblet rendered in stages from wireframe through to a bump mapped version. It seems crazy now, but at the time I thought this was unbelievable. After that I was amazed by the CG stuff in Tron, followed by the early Pixar shorts like Luxo Jr. and Tin Toy. Roll on several more years and I was given the opportunity of buying a 'cheap' Mac through the design company I worked for at the time. As soon as I got my computer, the first thing I checked out was whether it was possible to do 3D on these things, and to my amazement it was. I bought a copy of Infini-D, and from that point on I was hooked.

3DT: Do you remember your first model or scene in 3d?

BT: One of the first things I remember doing was a mouse driving a red convertible (for some reason). We're not exactly talking Stuart Little here though, it was made up of very simple objects.

The detail in the sets is amazing

3DT: What's your favourite piece of CG & why?

BT: I don't know if I could pick out one favourite, but I tend to like opposite extremes when it comes to CG. On the one hand I like simple graphic type stuff which is deliberately 'computery' looking. The 3D sequences in Tron are as good an example as any, and I still think they look good to this day. At the other end of the spectrum, I'm very impressed with some of the seamless CG work being done in live-action features these days. Examples would include 'Black Hawk Down', 'Lord of the Rings', and 'Pearl Harbour' (not the greatest movie in the world but the CG work was impressive). I also take my hat off to fellow 'home-grown' filmmaker Andy Murdock for his 'Lots of Robots' project.

Rustboy takes to the sky

3DT: Other than budget, what prompted the use of Infini-D on Rustboy?

BT: Simply because I've used it for years, and I haven't used anything else to the same extent. It is important that I stick with what I know with a project of this size. It is a daunting enough task without having to learn a new software package along the way.

The castle in which rustboy comes to life

3DT: Did you consider changing when you got funding?

BT: No, the funding didn't affect my decision at all. I do have several options now though, with or without funding. One of the perks of getting a bit of limelight is that developers keep sending me free software, so I may end up using a combination of 3D software at the end of the day. The bulk of the film will still be done using Infini-D for the reasons I mentioned earlier, but I may end up compositing other elements in certain shots. I'll not mention names until I see how things work out.

Flat shaded & textured views of our hero

3DT: How important was getting that funding to the Rustboy project?

BT: It is important from a timescale point of view mainly. With the funding it is going to take at least another year to complete. If I was to do the work in my spare time like I first planned, I dread to think how long it would have taken... probably the rest of my life!

Swimming in salt water isn't going to help that rust problem much...

BT: It's very difficult to give you the time spent on the project because there are so many aspects involved, and it varies from day to day. It's easier to say that Rustboy is taking over my life these days. Working on the film is a massive job in itself, but there are also lots of Rustboy related things to do at any given time. Planning out and writing the Rustboy book, updating the website, replying to emails, participating in the Rustboy forum, doing things like this interview (I have another 2 interviews on the go right now for example), and the list goes on. A minimum day on Rustboy would be 9-5, and an extreme case would be working through the day, all through the night, and through the next day. An average day could be anything in-between. The same thing applies to creating a set. It could take anything from a day to several weeks, depending on the complexity of the set, how it will be used in the context of the film, whether objects in the set need to stand up to close scrutiny by the camera, or will only be seen in the background. Another factor is how much work is involved in creating a particular texture. Can an existing texture be reused or modified?, do I have to create a new texture from scratch?, I may need to do some research into creating a texture. Each job is different, so it's difficult to even give you an average time for creating a set.

However long it takes, it seems the results are worth it

3DT: What's your favourite part of the process? Modelling, texturing, lighting?

BT: Lighting, without a doubt. For me, modelling is just something which has to be done, texturing I enjoy, but it is the lighting which really brings a scene to life. The final look of a scene is obviously a combination of each process, but it's at the lighting stage that I really start 'painting' a scene using pools of light and shadows. I probably spend more time on the lighting than everything else put together.

In this shot Brian has managed to convey a dark, murky feel whilst still having enough light to pick out details

3DT: What are your preferred methods of working? (e.g. sub-d's, nurbs etc. for modelling, any preferred UV style, texturing style etc., etc.)

BT: I wouldn't say that I have a preferred method when it comes to modelling and texturing. I'll use a variety of methods depending on the object. Whatever gets the job done really.

A wireframe shot shows just how complex the models are

3DT: There are many 3d artists out there wanting to create their own short - what advice would you give them?

BT: Come up with a strong idea and stick with it. Make sure it is something you feel passionate about. You are going to have to put a lot of work into it, so you want to be sure that you are going to enjoy the experience. Use the internet to your advantage. There has never been a better way of showcasing your work to a maximum number of people so easily and cheaply. Finally, don't bug me about how to go about getting private funding. ;) (You wouldn't believe the number of emails I get about this)

The device that brings Rustboy to life

3DT: Finally, tell us something about Rustboy that you haven't told anyone else.

BT: Hmm, good question. I'll tell you what, I will half-tell you two things... At one stage a lead-animator from a major 3D studio was going to get involved in the character animation of Rustboy, but things didn't work out for one reason or another. A Hollywood producer who has a very successful feature film doing the rounds right now, approached me with the possibility of developing Rustboy into a feature film. ... and that's all I'm saying.

3DT: Thanks.

Rustboy stares at the moon