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3DTotal : Hello Andy. What first got you hooked on 3D? Andy : I have always been the kind of little boy who fills every blank space in their textbooks with character designs and sketches. But it wasn't until my high school years that I started integrating the techniques that I had absorbed from traditional fine art with the digital medium. This was mainly self-taught through explorations and observing the best in the field closely. 3DTotal : What was it about EA that drew you to working for them?

Andy : I'm a huge basketball fan and fortunately for me, EA was producing quality basketball games in 'NBA Live' for the past decade. Taking a major part on creating the game did not stop me from enjoying the game though; it actually enables me to study the game from different perspectives. 3DTotal : So with you having this 'gamers perspective', how did this help you in the development? Andy : It keeps reminding me what 'creating games' is really all about – which to me, is providing a fun experience that makes the gamers keep coming back for more. My personal favorite games are still these stunningly addictive, old-school classics that can be picked up and enjoyed anytime. 3DTotal : Being a Lighting Artist at EA must be very demanding, what's an average day like? Andy : Depending on project cycles, sometimes week days do get slightly longer. Since everyone in the studio is fighting against the most cutting-edge technology on a daily basis. Keeping a young heart and continuing to have fun when creating art is extremely important to me.

		3DTotal : Being a good all round 3D artist, why did the position of Lighting Artist grab your attention? Andy : With the arrival of the new next-gen consoles, people are becoming more aware of the visual capabilities that can be reached. Lighting serves as a crucial role and can directly impact the final composition. We go through countless iteration for each unique scenario that is present across different projects, given the opportunity to put visual 'final touches' to scenes has been quite exciting for me. 3DTotal : Have you learnt any new tricks that you can tell us about that you have used in lighting the next-gen games? Andy : There's definitely many new tricks and trends in lighting, that people seem to be catching on, but to us it is more about studying from the best out there and working towards surpassing the bar that’s been set. To be surrounded by many self-driven artists, really helped. I grew in terms of pushing my own work quality, I've seen the rapid exchange of knowledge as one of the best learning opportunities presented.

3DTotal : Is it predominantly sports games that you are working on or are there other projects what you are lending your skills to? Andy : Within the variety of sports oriented projects, we tend to exercise our imagination by adding extra ingredients to the mix. One example was, having the opportunity to work on 'NBA Live Next Gens’ unique Temple of Basketball from scratch to completion. This was a very special and exciting experience for me. Putting all the challenging tasks involved aside, the fact that these Temples appear to be one of the most loved features in the series’ rebirth makes it especially rewarding.