Harnessing 3D Studio MAX Release 3 - by Michele
Bousquet
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Jim Lammers
Animator at Trinity Animation, Inc.
Location: Missouri
Prominent Projects
Special effects for the film Starship
Troopers
Authored the book 3D Studio for Beginners
for 3D Studio DOS |
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Jim Lammers came to the field of 3D with a
diverse background, specializing in two
widely disparate fields. On one hand, a
degree in Engineering from the University of
Missouri gave him a technical edge. Years of
practice with watercolor, acrylic and
airbrush art provided the artistic side.
"Part of my engineering scholarship was for
some art I had done,." Jim notes. "As soon
as I realized that 3D on a computer would
not only let me to construct pretty images,
but edit them painlessly and actually
animate the parts of it, I was hooked."
Working at an engineering job by day, Jim
spent his nights perfecting his 3D skills.
He soon gained a few freelance jobs, and
some of his images even became magazine
covers. When he was offered a large
freelance project by an advertising agency
in 1994, Jim quit his day job, bought some
software and hardware, and went into
business for himself.
Scenes from a cartoon pilot
in development at Trinity Animation |
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A real roach motel, from a
cartoon pilot in development at
Trinity Animation
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Jim begins a project by asking the client
for any and all reference materials such as
blueprints, illustrations, sketches, or
whatever they have. Then work begins on the
project in earnest.
Jim likes to schedule two or three points in
the project where he shows the work in
progress to the client and makes sure he's
on the right track. "Most of the time is
usually taken up by modeling," he says, "but
since materials and lighting are my
strengths, I try to make time to do them
right." Jim adds that working for subtle,
complex and realistic lighting and materials
is what separates him from much of the
market, and account for his steady stream of
work.
Jim credits his early engineering training
with helping him gain an edge in the
industry. "Engineering is all about problem
solving and adapting to change," he says.
"These are the skills that I put to use in
all my work."
Still image of swimming pool area from an
architectural walk-through |
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Test of furniture, wall coverings, paints
and floors for "Village Shalom" in Kansas
City
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Scenes and composited elements from
the film "Starship Troopers" |
Jim has worked on a variety of projects,
such as animation for local TV, industrial
and architectural videos, feature films,
forensic evidence, and everything from large
posters to little AVI animations. "It's fun
to keep work varied," he says, noting that
you have to be a "multi-faceted animator" to
be successful in the relatively small market
of Missouri. "We do a lot of architectural
jobs because there are a lot of clients for
that kind around here," he says, "but that's
just part of the picture."
In addition to doing freelance work, Jim
also owns Trinity Animation, a company that
sells 3D Studio MAX plug-ins, books and
videotapes. Jim brings in freelancers as
needed to round out his small animation
staff, and takes on interns during the
summer. Trinity Animation is currently using
3D Studio MAX to develop an animated
television pilot.
Trinity Animation
www.trinityanimation.com |
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