GREGOR
RUF
3D ARTIST
ABOUT ME
I got a lot of inspiration and motivation for what I am doing from movies or tv shows I’ve watched, e.g. Jurassic Park, Avatar, Starwars, Forrest Gump and so on.
My fascination for animation, in general, started in elementary school, back then I always tried to figure out how cartoon series on TV were made. I also tried out different ways to make my own. Back then I've used simple 2D animation software, stop motion with Lego and drawings which I scanned into my computer. I also did some video recordings with my Video 8 camera, and then I edited them to VHS (this technology was already old back then, but I somehow liked the style, and I couldn't afford something else).
I was (and still I am) interested in (professional) AV equipment and production workflows. So I tried to get some kind of this equipment over time. Therefore I have also some knowledge about video and audio gear to offer if needed.
I started doing 3d just some years ago, I always wanted to, but I never got enough time. As my first attempt, I tried to reproduce a music video animation which was made for the band “Kraftwerk” in the mid 80ies (Musique Non-Stop - I have watched this video on YoutTube back in my elementary school time). I got so fascinated by doing this, that I decided I have to dig further into this topic. So I started to do 3d stuff frequently, to learn new software, workflows and artistic principals. While my 3d journey I more and more realized that besides knowing the software well, also my artistic skills like colors, compositon, anatomy are super important, if not the most important. So I looked into many tutorials and books about that stuff. I am always willing to learn new things.
So if you want to participate my 3d journey look up my projects on my page, or follow me on ArtStation.
Software
Maya
ZBrush
Mudbox
Mari
RenderMan
Photoshop
Nuke
Blackmagic Design Fusion
3ds Max
Premiere
Marvelous Designer
Knald
Arnold
Substance Painter
SketchUp
mental ray
Skills
3D Modelling
I can do classic 3D Polygon/Box modeling in software’s like Maya or 3dsMax, both hard surface and organic. Since it is more important to know the workflows than knowing the tools it would be not to difficult for me to learn new Software.
Texturing
For texturing my favorite tool is Mari for Organic and high res stuff. I also like Substance Painter for hard surface. If needed I could paint textures in Photoshop as well as in Mudbox.
Rendering
For Rendering I currently use Arnold most of the time to create my renders. I have also experience with RenderMan and if needed I am also able to use MentaRay.
3D Animation
I started with Animation using 3dsMax and then I switched to Maya. I should also be able to adopt my animation knowledge to other Software.
Compositing
For coping most of my nc projects which evolves motion picture I’ve used Nuke, and a little bit Fusion as well.
Photo-manupulation
Since I use Photoshop for comping all my still images I have also some advanced knowledge about this software and how it can be used for Photo-manipulation. I also know how to push my renders with Photoshop to the next level.
Video Editing
I also know the basics how to cut Videos with Programs like Adobe Premier, it doesn’t matter if the footage is real or cg.
Digital Sculpting
For Digital Sculpting, I mostly use ZBrush because it feels very natural to me. I always try to improve by doing at least one sculpt a week. To constantly improve my work, I do anatomy studies as well.
Lightning
Lightning is super important, because without light you wouldn’t see anything. To display my characters, models, animations ect. it’s of course important to have a decent lighting setup. Even it’s one of the last steps in my projects it’s one really important step.
Rigging
Since I often animate my characters and models, I need to rig them. Rigging is maybe the most technical aspect in producing a 3d Animation and for me it’s always interesting to solve new challenges which a new project could bring.
Cloth Simulation
For Cloth sim I have often used Maya nCloth, for more recent projects I’ve also discovered the amazing software Marvelous Designer. With Marvelous I can create cloth from scratch and manipulate the clothing interactively while the sim is running.
Photography
I like to take photos on trips or whatever in this case I always have a camera with me. This really helps you to improve in terms of composition in 3D or digital painting.
Hair/Fur Simulation
To create Hair and Fur for my characters I mostly use XGen with the interactive grooming tools in Maya. If needed a can also not sim but sculpt the hair in Zbrush.