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French Designer and Artist, Rudolph Lagarrigue: nPower 3d digital artist interview.

1. Rudolph, it is obvious by the quality of your work that you have been working in CG for some time. Can you let our readers know a little about your history and how you got to the point where you are today?


	Well, I started right at the bottom with no computing or graphic design experience whatsoever but with a very strong will to express myself through imagery. My passion is a pure product of my generation that witnessed a huge revolution through the birth of digital era with the creation of the first video games and 3D design.

	I studied civil engineering for a while before radically changing direction and begun a degree in cinema, focussing on the history of cinema, how it was invented and by whom (the “magicians” Etienne-Jules Marey, Emile Reynaud, Eadweard James Muybridge…). At the same time I began to teach myself computing, image synthesis and finally video editing.

	Time, passion, hard work, meeting the right people and working on projects taught me to perfect these three specialities.

	Today, after more than ten years of freelance work, I have created a small production company so that I can work directly with my clients. I have become a kind of “small director / motion designer” of corporate films (mood videos, making ofs, a few cheesy TV ads…)

2. In your recent work what kind of major technical challenges have you faced?


	Recent challenges would include reorganise my production studio to incorporate the arrival of HD (Camera HD, HD editing system). I had to entirely rethink the efficiency of my 3D work (3dsmax + vray + powernurbs) around 32 bits linear compositing (After effects + Fnord ProEXR plugin that is included now in AfterFXCS4).

3. What are some of the projects that you are currently working on?


	At the moment I am essentially working on mood videos and making ofs (shooting, editing, compositing) into which I insert 3D objects (perfume bottles, flowers, Polaroids, etc...).

4. Living and working in CG in Paris sounds exciting. Can you tell us a little about the French CG scene?

I am a self-educated designer so I have had very little experience of working in large 3D production companies. I began my career working in the Duboi studios but quickly turned to small-scale, “non-industrial”, freelance work that I could master from start to finish. In my mind, the best French studios are BUF Compagnie and Micros, but don’t ask me where they hang out, I’m stuck behind my computer most of the time and have a more down to earth social scene!

5. What illustrators, designers, studios, social ideas, writers or artists inspire your work?


	I am often inspired on CGTALK, EVERMOTION or forums such as Chaosgroup.

6. What are some of the publications web or print that you would recommend to our readers?


	evermotion.org, cgtalk.com, vray.info, chaousgroup, 3dvf.com for French people.

7. What are some advantages to using 3ds max nPower Products in your design process?


	Precision and ease of use for modelling. In certain cases, it can also be useful for animating (Booleen operations). I often map (split) objects through projecting curve. Powernubs is an indispenible tool for all of my rendering and surfacic design work on 3dsmax.

8. You are one of nPower’s earliest Power NURBS users and I want to thank you for all your patience, feedback, and help you have given us over the years. Can you tell us in general how you feel about your relationship with the nPower team?


	Without your 3dsmax plugins I would be seriously lacking in essential tools! Not everything is perfect but corresponds to my needs. I feel extremely positive about our relationship, especially with David who is often available and the npower forum is a good source of information and exchange.

9. What innovations do you think will drive the design and CG field into the next decade?


	We will see progress in rendering, increasingly precise and easy to use modelling tools for design, good plugins and possibly stereoscopy.

Rudolph Lagarrigue

Paris, France

Power Solids, Power Cutter, Power NURBS

www.rudproductions.com

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