Md. Anuz, a self taught modeling artist!

Involved in the Gaming, VFX and CG Animation for the past 5 years, Mohammed Anuz is currently working as a modeling TD at the Hyderabad facility of Rhythm and Hues. As a self taught artist, Mohammed Anuz has certainly came a long way in the industry through sheer hard work and love for 3D, whether it is mechanical or organic, spending hours observing real world objects of various shapes and conjuring ways to model them.

CG Today : Mr. Anuz, Please accept our warm welcome. We are very pleased to get this opportunity to hear your thoughts on 3D modeling and other aspects of your work.

Anuz : Thank you for your warm welcome.

CG Today : Rhythm and Hues has done incredibly well in the world of digital visual effects, including an Academy Award for Golden Compass. How does it feel, working in a place like that? Tell us more about the exuberance and vibes in such an active workplace.

Anuz : Rhythm & Hues is one of a kind studio. Thanks to our MDs, Prashant and Vani, the work culture here is one of the best. The environment here is just like our L.A studio. I don't really get the feeling that I am working. It is more like a an extension of my home. There is so much positive energy around and I get my inspiration and motivation from the people I work with. I get to learn so much here. I am really lucky to be a part of a world class studio like this and you get to work on something you are always passionate about. I really can’t wish for more.

CG Today : Rhythm and Hues has come up with a very funny commercial of the mischievous crow in Big Babol. As far as modeling is concerned, what is the primary difference between modeling for commercials and modeling for big budget movies like Night at the Museum?

Anuz : There isn’t much of a difference, except for the deadlines. We usually get a very tight deadline for an Indian commercial whereas for a movie we don’t have anything like that since it is properly scheduled. But the work quality remains the same for both commercial and movie as far as modeling is concerned.

CG Today : Alvin and the Chipmunks was one of the strongest performing films for Twentieth century Fox with massive revenues. Currently Indian audience is very receptive to these genres compared to mythology. What would you like to change about the Indian industry if you had a chance to?

Anuz : I think we should spend more time on research before starting a movie. The same way even post production is really important and good amount of time should be given to polish the quality.

The Industry should step out and make animation for a wider young audience than just for kids and move away from mythology. It should also concentrate more on quality local content rather than outsourcing work.

CG Today : A-Team featuring Liam Neeson was one of the most action packed movies of the year and a popular one at that. Does your work progress differently while working for a VFX movie like A-Team and full length 3D animated movies like Happy Feet?

Anuz : For a modeler, being in the first stage of the production pipeline, it doesn't make much difference in making a model. We use Maya as our modeling software and polygon based work flow; so the techniques are same. The only difference is how we get our reference to model. Usually for a full 3d animated movie we have more 2d concept art to follow but in a VFX movie we get references like photographs and 3d scans which we have to match exactly. In a 3d animated movie the concepts adjust even after a 3d model is made. The initial stage of modeling acts as a 3d concept.Then, we polish the model to make it better.

CG Today : You have credits as a 3D modeler for the feature film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, tell us about your work in the movie and how it helped your learning curve.

Anuz : I worked on some of the Digital double and some of the aircrafts in the Museum. It was a fun movie and my first movie after I joined back R & H. I learnt some new techniques on pipeline procedures and for Hard surface modeling (took some time for me to catch up with the other modelers).

CG Today : Starting your career as a 3D modeler, you have traveled a long way to achieve your current designation of a Technical Director. What is involved in the job of a Technical Director?

Anuz : Technical Director is a status given to all the artists who are working in our studio, Rhythm & Hues. In simple terms I am working as a senior modeler. My job involves modeling/Uv in Maya or sculpting concepts in Zbrush.

Continued on Page - 2