17 Nov 2014
Interviews
John Hoagland also known as Vanishingpoint is a CG artist from the US, who started making models in the 80s. John was always into drawing and sketching, but he could never draw a human, hence chose to become a programmer. He is self-taught, but the first one to make X-Wing Fighter, B-Wing Fighter, AT-AT, and other Star Wars vehicles that were fully rigged for the use in Poser. Currently he is focusing on vehicles and buildings, but still finds Toy Story to be his favorite movie ever.
Tell us about yourself - what do you do, where are you based?
My name is John Hoagland and I live in Orlando, FL about a half an hour away in the north of the Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. I'm a model-maker, digital artist, website designer, and I own a company called Vanishing Point, which I use to sell and market my creations.
How did you get started in 3D modeling?
I started making digital artwork on Apple II back in the 1980's. The first images I created were using the "lo res graphics" which only had a resolution of 39x39 pixels and each pixel was about half-an-inch wide! Back then, there were no paint or 3d programs, so I actually had to write my own software to draw colored lines on the screen. Although I enjoyed this challenge, I quickly learned that home computers didn't have the graphics resolution to make images to match my ideas.
I always enjoyed drawing and sketching, but I could never draw people- they always came out looking like blobby stick people! In fact, I still remember getting marked down on some school assignments because my cityscapes didn't include people. I figured not being able to draw people would probably hurt an art career, so I went into programming. I started using modern graphics software around 1999, when I picked up Ray Dream Studio, Bryce, and Poser. These programs finally let me make artwork with human figures that looked human.
As I made the artwork, I realized that I needed more models. At that time, I didn't know where to buy or download models, so I bought some books on Ray Dream Studio and taught myself how to make models. In late 2003, I started using Lightwave, bought some books, and taught myself how to make models with that software. I started with the Police Box from Doctor Who (which is basically a bunch of boxes), and then moved on to more complex models such as Star Wars vehicles. In fact, I was the first person to make an X-Wing Fighter, B-Wing Fighter, AT-AT, and other Star Wars vehicles that were fully rigged for use in Poser.
Do you design for CG, 3D Printing or both? Why? What are your favorite design concepts to work on?
My designs are for CG artists who make images and animation. I've recently begun expanding into the game and app worlds, but I haven't tried making models for 3D printing yet.Some of my favorite models are ones that pushed the limits of what I could make. For example, I collaborated with another artist to make a half-human, half-spider sci-fi model. The model is fully rigged for use in Poser Pro and even includes facial morphs on the human head. I also enjoy making aircraft models since it gives me a chance to be creative with the texturing.
Why do you sell 3D models online?
To make money- why else? Seriously, though, I first offered my models for free (such as the Star Wars vehicles), and as I saw how popular they were becoming, I decided to try to sell my models. I then focused on making models that no one else had done before.When the economy was good in 2008, I was able to make enough money that I don't have to work at an office job. However, as home computers have become more powerful and software has gotten easier to use, I've definitely seen the competition increase. There are now more models than ever, which makes it tricky to stand apart from the rest of the crowd. Over the years, I've gone back and forth on ideas: for a while, I made sci-fi models, then I made cars and trucks, then I made real-world buildings. I now focus on vehicles and buildings since these seem to have a wider appeal than sci-fi models.
How did you discover CGTrader?
I saw another artist post a link to his product on CGTrader over at Facebook, and then one of my colleagues mentioned that he was going to upload his products. So I decided to give the site a try.
Did you have any interesting stories as a result of your presence on CGTrader? Maybe it let you earn a nice income stream, meet interesting people, or land new clients?
I've met a few model-makers by using the jobs forum: I hired a guy to make an aircraft model and met another guy who threatened to release his own, free, version because I told him I already hired someone else. So, yes, my experience was interesting.I've met a number of artists who make excellent models and artwork, and I've even featured a few of them in my site's monthly Artist Spotlight.
What are the most inspiring 3D designers in the world for you?
I get a lot of my inspiration from sci-fi designs, especially Star Trek and Star Wars. I still think it's amazing that entire scenes can now be completely computer-generated and look photo-realistic. The opening scene in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is a perfect example: although critics complained that the space battle looked like a video game, they missed the point that all those spaceships were CG models. All of these ships looks just as realistic as the physical models used in the original Star Wars movies in the 1970's and 1980's. And the artists at Pixar are amazing: they're able to give their CG characters as much life as the original Disney cartoons. When the first Toy Story was released, it was the first full-length CG movie. Yet it only took a few minutes for that novelty to wear off and for the characters and story to shine. And yes, the original Toy Story is still one of my favorite movies.
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