TurboSquid 3D Blog

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Meet Kevin Alimia, Assistant Technical Artist

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 by

Kevin Alimia

It’s time to meet another Squid from TurboSquid HQ, and this week, we’re talking to Kevin Alimia, who was recently promoted to Assistant Technical Artist. Having previously worked in Member Services, Kevin utilizes his 3D modeling knowledge to help the artists meet a very high set of standards. Read more about Kevin below:

To start off, tell us a little about yourself! When you’re not at TS, what do you like to do?

Outside of work I do various things. I go out with friends, drinking. I like to go to the movies, I read, I draw/paint, I stay home and have movie days. In warmer days I like to just be outside walking around or go to the park. I also love to cook and bake, especially during the holidays!

What about when you’re at work? What does your day look like?

Typically, I come in early and work on personal projects.  Once the official work day starts, I spend my time working on Custom 3D projects for various clients.  That typically entails technical checks to be sure models meet certain standards and required points.  When I have a little “free” time I work on improving my skills and speed. (more…)

British Indie Music Video Makes the Most of TurboSquid Models

Thursday, May 16th, 2013 by

When British indie rock group, The Shallows, wanted a video for their song, “Honestly,” they turned to Jamie Fraser of Super Mega Action Plus.  Jamie and his partner, Debs, are the creative forces behind Super Mega Action Plus, incorporating live action film with both 2D and 3D animation.

The Shallows loved SMAP’s style in another artist’s music video, so when it came to “Honestly,” Jamie expanded on some of that video’s themes with a dystopian twist: “[We] tickled ourselves with the idea that picking something up in the street could cause an apocalyptic flood. Just wanted to seed that idea, so that when folks see odd things on the street they might wonder about it.”

What came out of it was this, their first fully-animated video, smoothly combining 2D characters in a 3D world:

Jamie: This idea was made possible by Video Copilot’s Element 3D plugin being released recently, which has meant it’s possible to bring OBJ files into After Effects and work with them in 3D space.

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Meet Chris Tiberio, Member Services Agent

Friday, April 19th, 2013 by

Do not cross Chris Tiberio

This week in Meet the Squids, we’re saying hello to Chris Tiberio (more often known as “Tibs”). Tibs started with TurboSquid as a Member Services Agent, but will soon be starting a new venture in the office as our 3D Library Assistant. Find out more about Tibs’ eclectic interests outside of the office, and be sure to send him your congratulations in the comments!

So, tell us what a typical day at TurboSquid HQ consists of for you.

Well, I wake up and feed my pups (Carla and Reggie). Once that’s done, I make my 30 minute walk from my humble abode to TurboSquid HQ. I listen to some “informative” podcasts (The Nerdist, Who Charted?, and Get Up On This are my faves) to help pass the time. I get to the building and sling my trendy man-purse on my desk while greeting my fellow Squids. I then make my usual breakfast of assorted cereal (Corn Pops are my jam right now) and a cup of water because I recently quit soda, cold turkey.

Then I settle into my desk and start working. I work hard on various projects to help improve the site and the customer experience. I attend a meeting or two a day and do my best to service the needs of the artist, customer, and the TurboSquid Team.

We hear you’re involved with a lot of things outside the office. What else do you do?

I am a part of an improvised comedy troupe known as “Hug Life.” We do shows all over New Orleans. I am currently planning a wedding with my fiancee, Cheryl, in which I am trying make sure that our two dogs are ring bearers and that my wedding cake topper is wearing a luchador mask (I love professional wrestling).

I also am going to start volunteering at a local animal shelter. I am really into the rescue and care of Pit Bulls, as they are the world’s most misunderstood and mistreated breed of dogs. But I am a lover of all animals.

I also have been writing a hip-hop demo and hope to have it out soon. BOOM!

Tibs auditioned for the most recent run of America’s Got Talent. He didn’t make it this time around, but we’re proud of him anyway. Check out his story about the auditions, and his amazing improv beat-boxing below:

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Artist Spotlight: thePROmax

Friday, April 5th, 2013 by

Tiger model by thePROmax
The San Francisco Zoo’s new tiger cub has been making headlines this month– and not just for being adorable. The honor of naming the baby cub will go to the highest bidder in a fundraiser for the SF Zoo. So, in honor of the new tiger family, we’re naming thePROmax‘s amazing tiger model as our featured model of the month! Check out our interview with the artist, and find out what inspired him to create his very own virtual zoo.

Get to know 3D artist thePROmax

When did you start 3D modeling?

I started 3D modeling in 1998. We have a family-owned computer training academy, and we were looking for a professional company to create an effective advertising campaign. As there were no reputable advertising companies in our city, I decided to give it a shot. I had knowledge of Adobe After Effects, and I began to learn 3DS MAX. I loved rendering 3D models in 3DS MAX. I was lucky that we had a server computer and the fast workstations in our office to render complex models quickly.
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Metal Hammer Golden Gods Returns with More Metal, More Models

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013 by

It’s that time of the year again!  The Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards for 2013 are ready to roll, and this year, their amazing 3D promo video is featuring even more models from TurboSquid.

 

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Creative Solutions to Attract Top Tech Talent to TurboSquid

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013 by

TurboSquid CEO Matt Wisdom recently discussed the difficulty that so many New Orleans firms are facing when trying to hire tech talent with FOX 8 WVUE New Orleans.

“Generally the growth (New Orleans) is having is not a surprise.  We’ve been trying to have this problem for a long time. I’m glad we have it.  Now we have to fix it, and now we have to fill all those jobs we helped create.”

New Orleans’ tech industry is growing rapidly. We’ve done our part as we continue to add to our staff every month, and we’re still trying to hire more (especially developers). With so much competition, we’ve been trying to highlight what it’s like to work for one of the city’s Best Places to Work. Our creative solution was this snazzy infographic depicting a day in the life of TS programmer. Click the image below to see the full force of its awesomeness.

TS_Day_in_Dev_NOLA