Lee Griggs has worked in the field of visual communication for ten years.

Lee began his career in graphic design before completing his BA in Visual Communication Design from Middlesex University in North London, U.K. Since graduating, he has worked on projects ranging from the design and creation of multi-media designed for children's education and language learning, to computer games, television ads and promotional videos.

Currently, he is a product specialist focusing on hardware-accelerated ray trace rendering technology where he advises and trains visualisation companies in industries such as product design, architecture, automotive as well as TV, film and animation.

Lee currently lives and works in Cambridge, England.

www.griggsgraphics.com
www.artvps.com

Q. How did you get involved in the 3D computer graphics industry?
A: After I left university, in 1994, I sent a tape of my traditional animation to practically every CG and graphics company in London, England. The only person that responded was Sloan Hickman at CFX. (It takes time and patience to get in the door—but it pays off!) Anyway, he could not offer me a job but had a spare SGI machine that he said I could use to train myself. I then spent the next four months learning Side Effects Prisms 3D software and created some (pretty poor) animations for my show reel. I then had to leave and find a job that paid, but they were very good to me and even paid me for my transport to and from work.

I then went for an interview with Vektor Multimedia. They were impressed that I had worked with SGI machines and offered me the job. I then created 3D models, characters, backgrounds and animations for children's educational and entertainment products. They then bought a couple of SGI Indy machines with Alias PowerAnimator. At that time computers were very expensive—about the price of house. Unfortunately they could only afford two machines that the two lead artists used to train themselves, so I could only come in at the weekend and learn the software. It all escalated from there.

Q. How do you use Maya software?
A: I don't consider myself to be a very technical person and so I value the ease of use and easy customisation that Maya has to offer. I am a big fan of presets and am thankful that Maya has plenty of them.

I create visualisations based on the requirements of the client. Usually, they send me a model and I get them in all sorts of formats. I usually strip out the lights and materials and then re-render them using a combination of both lights and shaders in Maya and our own (ART VPS) proprietary lights and materials.

Recently, we've been working with various automotive companies, using a combination of HDRI and our own hardware accelerated ray-tracing technology, to get some pleasing results. I have become more specialised in the rendering with Maya.

I value the ability to cut and paste Maya commands into Maya software's hotkeys. I can replace ten things that I would do with the mouse using just one key. This speeds up my workflow immensely.

Q. What projects have you worked on?
A: My current job allows me to work all over the world with major companies These companies range from Adidas, BMW, Ericsson to Aaardman animations and Rushes.

My work over the years has ranged from obscure pop promos to children's multimedia titles, both entertainment and educational, to the product visualizations I now work with.

I created an animation of the Siggraph logo, Siggraph 2003, and it's currently on their website – http://www.siggraph.org/s2003/

Q. What makes this industry so exciting to you?
A: Being a product specialist for my company means that I visit and work with many companies using Maya all over the world. Meeting and working with these extremely talented and creative people is very inspiring. Seeing their workflows in Maya and how they work together as a team to finish a project is very interesting.

The chance to work with new cutting edge technology is exciting. To me, 3D computer still seems very fresh and new. I look forward to seeing new hardware and software improvements in the future.

I can also be an unashamed show off at times and this industry gives me the opportunity to do so.

I also like having lots of new toys to play with. I think Maya Paint Effects is pure genius and would love to spend all day playing with it. I love presets and Paint Effects has lots of them. Whenever I'm bored, out it comes and enjoy searching for a new brush that I haven't used before.

Q. Where do you see the industry going in the next five years?
A: I can see more and more people from different industries understanding the importance of 3D visualisation and how it can help areas such as design and marketing.

In my area of 3D rendering, we will be seeing huge jumps in rendering power.

I would like to see 3D software having to worry less about creating menus and shortcuts in order to achieve realistic rendering times. Faster, more powerful hardware should take care of this.

Q. What words of wisdom do you have for anyone interested in entering the world of 3d computer graphics?
A: Take it easy on yourself, be patient, and stick to pursuing your goal. Once you're there, a career in 3D computer graphics can often mean you will have to work long hours. Sitting at a computer all day—and in some cases all night—isn't good for your body. Make sure you take regular stretch breaks and drink lots of water. You could save yourself a lot of stress.

Oh, and try and learn those keyboard shortcuts!