Timely interruptions - an interview with TBK... Well, like I said, we'd probably interrupt this tour along the way to talk with a few of the people we bump into. ;] This is one of my favorite people to bump into around the forums... TBKoen. If you haven't made his acqauintance, he currently moderates our Charactor Creator's forum. Drop in and browse around a bit... fun place, and you can see some fantastic works in progress on display there. He was one of the most talented contributors here, though, a long while before he became a mod. He's the creator of both versions of that absolutely fantastic Predator figure for poser 4. Something that's doubly impressive when you realise just how young the man is... wish I'd had half that talent at that age. Heh. Wish I had half that talent now. ;] It takes me a while to get around to everyone I'd like to talk to in here. This is an interview I've had my eye on ever since I started doing this though... Meeting people like Koen Koopman is one of the nicer perks of being a member here. So... let's wander over to the hotseat, and I'll give ya'll a chance to meet him also. ;] Ironbear: Hello, how the devil are you? TBK: Haha. Well, I'm fine. Trying wrap up my last period of school. That means that I have to finish all of my unfinished schoolwork, which is allot because of my 3D addiction;) But for some weird reason I can always find some time to mount the chair behind my computerdesk. Ironbear: How long have you been a Renderosity member? TBK: hmmm, I think....that must be... like....3 years. Yeah, I think something like 3 years. Way back in the days when nnuu was the bomb. (he still is, hehe) I have been away for several months during this period though. When i came back found myself in a widely expanded communitie. I don't have the numbers, but renderosity was becoming very populair. And I don't even have to wonder why:) Ironbear: How did you discover the site? TBK: When I first got poser I was very excited, but it became boring cause I didn't had any updates/new figures. (I didn't have internet at that time). So I visited my neighbor, looking for some poser downloads. I was surprized about the amount of downloads available. Through all the websites I visited I found renderosity..hehe, kinda hard to miss with all those banners on almost every site. Mainly because of you guys I got cable and became a happy surfer;) Ironbear: Take a moment please, and describe a little bit about yourself and what you do. Nothing too personal, just whatever you would like to share with your fellow members... TBK: Okay, I'm Koen Koopman A.K.A. TBK (stands for Tranga Boy Koen) I'm born and raised in Groningen. It's a City in the North of the Netherlands. I'm 17 years old, turning 18 on 25-09-'02, so bring presents:) I'm in college right now. I following a graphical school for advertising. Although I would rather expand my mind into 3d:) We don't have the schools here. I absolutely don't have any income:) besides this moderating thing and my allowens. I did do some small jobs, for example an advertisemant for the "razor boom slang" mouse and for the diamont viper video card. Also I have done some LEGAL:) graffiti art in kids rooms. Ironbear: Oooh... the "Boomslang". Man, you wouldn't believe how many of those I install on gaming machines. Nice hardware. You're one of the most phonemenal modelers, at least in my opinion... how long have you been working at it? And what got you started? TBK: well, thank you:) I have been drawing stuff since I was in the diapers and have always been into arty stuff. So poser was a dream come true at the time. A user friendly 3d program. But I wanted to create my own figures at some point......like every 3D artist;) So got 3DMAX (like 2 years ago). The best thing that could ever happen to me, besides meeting the girl of my dreams;) I started out with a "models for poser" mentality. But after a few weeks I realized that there is much more to it. Like converting it into poser. And setting up the joint parameters etc. But after many attempts I finished my first figure(it never got released). It still had very nasty joint problems. So I tried another figure, and another, and another...untill I got it right. Later on I kinda stuck with 3Dmax because the process is easier and the renders are better. At this point I'm doing both, because I want to share my files also. Ironbear: Was it difficult for you to decide to make your first image post, and if so... why? TBK: No, not really. I was more focussed on improving it and let other people tell me what they think. I haven't really givin it much thought. I have met several people who asked me if they should post, but I always say they should.(some did, some didn't) Usually negative comments can only turn positive because you'll keep an eye on it in the next creations you make. Some people are afriad to get bad comments and some even quit posting because of it.....for those....Don't let it get ya. Ironbear: I've had that experience. It's always a joy when you advise someone to post and they take off and become phenomenal... What software do you generally do your most work in, and why is that your preference? TBK: I'm working in Poser4 and 3DMAX3.1 Both are very good. Poser4 is very user-friendly but not when it comes to figure making. 3DMAX got it all. It may seem hard in the beginning but everything will make sense once you been at it for a while. Ironbear: Do you consider yourself a professional or an amateur in the CG field? TBK: Hehe. Well, I'm still an amateur. I still don't know everything and if you compare my work with some of the other artist out there....you'll see. I would like to be a professional once/if I finish my study on 3Dgraphics. Ironbear: I have absolutely no doubt that ILM and others will be lining up... which takes me to the next question: Where do you see yourself in CG oh, 10 years from now? [Or where would you like to see yourself?] TBK: In the CG field:) but I have no clue where to start, maybe I'm already on my way. If I would ever get the chance to move somewhere where they study 3Dgraphics, I would go there. Ironbear: Where did your inspiration for the "Predator" figure come from? Obviously, the movies... but with the range of characters available to model - why that one? And were you surprised at the success of it? TBK: I always dreamt of a predator model:) and tried to model it when I first got poser but couldn't do the job at that time. The predator has always been my number one alien. I always though that the design of the character and the whole concept behind it was cool. The earlier version was very basic and made in a few days. But I wanted more:) So I started collecting images (mainly images I got from swfreeman. "thx again;)") and tried to model the head for the second time. And it worked out. Ironbear: What characters are next on your list of "things to do"? Can you give us a brief preview of what you have in store for us? Perspiring minds wanna know. ;] TBK: Well, I'm working on some DBZ characters at the moment. (http://www.renderosity.com/photos/Message300984.jpg) , I still have E-503 (robot)to release, and I still have a gorrila lying here somewhere:) that's about it for now. Ironbear: Cool... been needing a poseable gorilla. [Hint, Hint] Also... your texturing work is fantastic. How long have you been working at texturing in poser? TBK: Thx, I really haven't been working much with textures in the beginning. Just when I got max I started to pay more attention to them. Really not much to tell about my texturing:) I use photoshop to create them, and keep on trying untill I get it the way I imagined. Ironbear: Cool. I loved the textures for the Predator figure - they made it come to life... Do you have any tips for someone wanting to get started in comics design and character modeling? TBK: Yes, I do. If you want to start making your own figures you need to take your time. Don't expect to get it right at once. If first you don't suceed, never give up and try again. First try it figure something out yourself. If it still doesn't work out, ask. That's what the forums are for. Ironbear: Do you own pets and if so, are they artists also? Or do they just walk acrost your keyboard while you're trying to type, like mine do? TBK: Yes. Well, my parents own a black persian cat. Very cute one. Always comes sit on my lap once i'm in the living room. And no, she doesn't walk on my keyboard. she's not allowed in the computerroom nor the upstairs.(waterbed + nails = a big mess:)) Ironbear: *snicker* I've resisted getting a waterbed just because of that - it'd be impossible to convince Smoke and Spynxx it was verbotten to sharpen their claws on it. ;] Have you made very many friends among the membership here? TBK: Yes, I believe I do. I have met a dozen of people on this community. Want to say hi to, Brandi, Nick2k, ClintH, Doug, Ironbear, Teyon, Drax and all the other people I forgot to mention. And thanks for your support. Ironbear: No problem... that's one of MY favorite parts of being a member: meeting the people behind some of the fantastic work I see. What has been your most memorable experiences here since you joined? TBK: Hmmm, That's when I got the compliments for my predator model from the makers of poser. An experience I will never forget;) hehe. Ironbear: Yeah, I remember that... what was it they said? "We just sat and put that through it's paces and shook our heads in wonder"? Or something like that? Pretty nice. ;] Your least pleasant? [And why?] TBK: I don't believe I had any, If I did, I forgot. Ironbear: That's always best... Kind of in the same vein... were you suprised at the controversy over your Alien model? [Seems I recall that's what got the two of us corresponding intitially] TBK: Yes, it was a very silly mistake. I never thought that it would be such a big deal. Because I see poser more as an entertainment program. And for learning. (Although you could use it for profressional purposes) The threads became to big and complicated for me:) So I just asked renderosity to removed the file. Ironbear: Too bad, in a lot of ways... that was a sharp model. How long have you been a moderator here? And what made you decide to moderate? TBK: I have been a moderator for about 3 months now i believe. I thought it would be fun to do, to get paid for something you like to do. lol Ironbear: What's your favorite part of the job? And least favorite? TBK: My favorite part is that I teach, and learn by finding answers. Also the reason why I started moderating. My least favorite is the question "How do you make characters":) The subject is just to big to answer over and over again. So I posted ClintH's toturial above the forum. It doesn't explain everything for every modeling program, but enough to find the out the rest yourself.(Thanx ClintH;)) Ironbear: What directions would you like to take the Character Creators forum, and what plans do you have for it? TBK: I think I will write a full tutorial on creating characters and everything that's got something to do with character creating. And try to put all the things I have learned in the past years in it. Make a nice index to get quick access to "all"..no, allot of questions. Ironbear: Now that will be cool. ;] What do you have in your pockets right now? TBK: Absolutely nothing;) Ironbear: Heh heh - I get the damndest answers to that one. ;] What would you reccomend to new members wanting to get the most from their experience here? TBK: Keep an open mind, don't judge people and there artwork too quickly and don't think negative once your artwork is criticised. If you like this whole 3D scene, keep on trying if something doesn't work out untill you get it right. Ironbear: Ko... and here's the biggie. Who are your favorites among the other artists, and what is it you like about them and their work? TBK: I really couldn't tell. There are so many good artists out there that are very good at their own field. And I would feel really bad if I give some people credit for it while the others are talented as well. Ironbear: Thanks... it's been a pleasure talking with you. ;] TBK: And thank you for giving me this opprotunity. Later. No problems... I enjoyed it. Til next time. Later... Sherman [Ironbear at Renderosity] Ironbear's Featured Column (click here)