A day in the life of…’3D Steve’ – 3D Designer at Torpedo.

We caught up with our talented 3D designer, affectionately known as 3D Steve, to get his perspective on life at Torpedo. In his own words, here’s an insight into his creative world and how his career path brought him into our award-winning B2B marketing agency.

What’s your role at Torpedo, and how long have you been here?

They call me 3DSteve and I am a 3D Designer at Torpedo – I have worked here since 2016.

What exactly does your role entail? Can you run us through what you might get up to today, for example?

My role is varied and covers many disciplines within the design field. Tasks include the production of assets for motion graphics using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects. But most of my time is spent using Autodesk Maya for high-quality artwork production and animation. Project content covers many of the 3D disciplines, like fluid and cloth dynamics, hard poly modelling, character animation and rigging.

With the introduction of Adobe Substance Painter, all texturing and material creation is now produced with this outstanding new software. Understandably, it has taken the industry by storm.

What tools/resources/people do you depend on to get your job done?

My tools of the trade include many of the products within Adobe Creative Cloud, like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects and Substance Painter. For 3D software, I mostly use Autodesk Maya, Chaos groups VRay rendering engine and about 200 different plugins!

What do you love most about your job at Torpedo? What’s the highlight of your day?

My passion is 3D production, problem solving is a challenging aspect with most productions and resolving issues fills me with great joy. My highlight of the day is working all day with such great tools and people.

And what do you find most challenging?

I’m pretty fast in producing work as time can be restrictive but some of the technical issues can stop you in your tracks and you can’t move forwards until they’re resolved – having an excellent knowledge of your working tools is crucial.

Is there a particular piece of work/project that you’re really proud of?

To be honest, I’m never really proud of my work, I can always see room for improvement!

What did you see yourself doing when you were a kid?

At a young age, an astronaut or jet fighter pilot! But from the age of 8, I knew the trade I was to going follow and I’m still in it.

If you weren’t a 3D designer, what do you think you’d be?

If I were not in my current role I reckon I’d be working in an animal reserve or doing something related to the preservation of our natural world.

What made you choose this career path? How did you get to where you are today?

Comics, fantasy art, the world of imagination and sci-fi were a major influence in my early development. I wanted to be able to learn how it was done, so I studied other artists. Entering art college was my first kickstart.

When your OOO is on, what are you likely to be doing?

When I’m out of the office, I’m usually working on my own projects – so more 3D work. For my latest personal project, I’m rebuilding a street in Portsmouth, as it would have looked back in 1900. When I’m not doing this, I’m out in the countryside riding about in Lycra!

What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever been given?

Great question, and there are two important points for working as a 3D designer. The first is to ‘Observe’, and the second is ‘References’. You need to observe and try to understand at an intrinsic level what it is your looking at. When you’re developing a new idea, it’s all about your references – reference, reference, reference!

What’s your favourite memory of working at Torpedo to date?

Strangely my favourite memory was the summer party when I played guitar in the Torpedo band for the first time in public – that was a buzz.