Postcards From Outer Space

Daniel Lovas on his series of illustrations of very far-flung places.

It's not your typical seaside postcard: A space shuttle is taking off from a planet with two suns; an array of huge, satellite dish-like structures stretch to the horizon, and a tide is on the rise. Exactly what 'The Rising Tide' depicts is something that concept architect Daniel Lovas prefers to leave to your imagination. MAXON caught up with Daniel to find out more about 'Postcards From Beyond.'

Tell us about your background and how you got into computer graphics and science fiction.
I've enjoyed drawing since childhood, and that's also when I fell in love with science fiction. When I was a teenager I got very interested in photography. Since then I've always been torn between the creative and the technical side, so the next logical step for me was computers.

I remember the day that I saw an article in a magazine about a new computer on the market, the Amiga. I saw what I thought was a photograph of a simple tea cup in the article and wondered what it was all about, what did it have to do with the Amiga computer? When I read through the article I found out that it was not a photograph but a computer-generated drawing. That's when the possibilities of the technology dawned on me. That day I was [destined] for the rest of my life!

How did you get into architecture?
Architecture seemed like a logical choice as a way of making a living out of my love for creativity and technology. But I'm not your typical architect - I like concept architecture and technology. I'm less bound by traditions and history and I'm not as conservative in my designs.

Tell us about 'Postcards From Beyond' What gave you the idea?
At the time I was mostly inspired by the works of Gary Tonge (www.visionafar.com), a talented artist with a great feel for atmosphere and drama. I wanted to do something along those lines but using a different technique - 3D - to get different results.

How did you get the idea for your latest image in the series 'The Rising Tide'?
You may laugh, but this one actually started out as a hardware test. It was my first serious work using 64-bit and I wanted to push the 64-bit version of CINEMA 4D, the OS, the processor and loads of RAM to the limit. So instead of using lots of compositing tricks as I would normally do on a 32-bit machine for this type of illustration, I packed the scene with over 200 instances of complex antennae and other buildings. After I did a couple of test renders, they turned out fine - and all of a sudden I "saw" the scene in my mind. The compositional similarity with my other illustration 'The Alien Derelict on Sha'raen' is intentional.

Which 'Postcard From Beyond' is your favorite so far?
Definitely 'The Alien Derelict on Sha'raen'. It is the first one in the series. The inspiration was an old illustration that I did during my student days using the classical paint technique tempera on paper, and I had dreamed of doing a remake using a more photo-realistic technique ever since.

Have the postcards been published in print?
It is a strictly personal project. But 'Camp Ellenia' was featured on the cover of the Klik, a leading Slovenian CG magazine. 'The Rising Tide' will be featured soon in a British CG magazine. As for the 'Thegg Mining Outpost,' a well-known author of 3ds Max books asked me for permission to use it in his latest book. Of course, I refused by telling him it was created in a different 3D software tool. But I must admit, I was tempted, if only for a few seconds...

What part of creating the postcards did you find most interesting? And which the most tedious?
However strange it may sound, the answer to both questions is the same: rendering test strips. Having to wait for the computer to do its job is tedious. But that is also when I finally get to see the results of my work in all their glory… or shame! I feel it's a bit like going back to the days when photography was all about chemistry, and waiting for the moment in the darkroom when the image starts to appear.

Were there any funny moments while you were working on the postcards?
I was working on the 'Thegg Mining Outpost' for a couple of nights without taking more than a short nap when a storm caused a power cut. I knew the electricity wouldn't be back for a couple of hours and in spite of that, my first thought was: "OK, I can't work anymore - so I can finally find some time to watch TV or read a book. Perhaps even treat myself to a decent, cooked meal." It didn't occur to me that none of this would be possible without electricity! In the end, I was so tired I fell asleep on the sofa in front of the dead TV screen before I made it as far as the remote control.

How many postcards are there in the series so far? Are you planning to do more?
Five are completed with about as many again already in progress, plus some basic sketches for another two. I started working on the project a while ago but was forced to give it up temporarily as I had a lot of commercial work at the time. Now I'm finally managing to find some time to return to it.

Do you use BodyPaint 3D for texturing?
I use it a lot. It's a great texturing tool - the best one currently on the market, if you ask me. Its advantages when compared with 2D bitmap software are numerous and well-known, from excellent integration in CINEMA 4D, to UV manipulation tools, to interactive texture painting just to name a few.

Which tools or software did you use to create the skies?
Most of them (planets, etc.) are pure CINEMA 4D, and clouds and steam are either PyroCluster (Advanced Render module) or volumetric clouds from the Sky tool (Advanced Render module). Fog and haze are mostly volumetric lights and/or the fog from the Sky tool. I also did some 2D clouds using multiple alpha planes with noise shaders applied to them for the 'Thegg Mining Outpost,' but later decided to discard them as they made the background too visually complex. In the 'Villa Madeira,' I used the Vue xStream plugin.

Which other software did you use for 'Postcards From Beyond'?
I mostly use CINEMA 4D. I'm currently experimenting with the Vue xStream plugin, as it proves to be a great time savior in my line of work. Besides that I use Photoshop, and for some postcards in progress I've started using the ZBrush to CINEMA 4D pipeline.

Were there any features in CINEMA 4D that were particularly useful for 'Postcards From Beyond?'
All of them, I guess. Especially PyroCluster (Advanced Render module), the compositing features (including the Background and Foreground objects, which can be used for basic compositing directly in the program), the adjustable user interface, ... I could go on and on.

Did any of the new features in CINEMA 4D R11 make a big difference?
The new GI render engine in R11 (Advanced Render module) is a dream to work with.

Did any other CINEMA 4D modules come in handy on the project?
Even though I rarely do animations, I find MoGraph useful for many things, mostly for multiplying or cloning [elements], etc. Have I mentioned Thinking Particles yet?

Did you use multi-pass rendering?
Yes, mostly for correcting the lighting. 'The Rising Tide' is a good example. I had the dilemma that is probably as old as the sci-fi genre itself: to create a realistic simulation of an unrealistic scene, or to fake a bit. I decided on the latter, and rendered each sun and skylight as a separate pass in order to be able to balance the lighting later.

What's the best thing about CINEMA 4D?
It is much simpler to use than the competition. I especially like the Object Manager philosophy and the system of tags - it saves lots of time. It is also very flexible - even a complete 3D noob can get usable results quickly, yet the program lets an advanced user "get under the hood" when necessary.

What do you like about personal projects such as 'Postcards From Beyond' compared with commercial ones?
Commercial work involves making changes that the client wants, whether or not you agree with the changes. Sometimes money or time, mostly both, limits what is possible in commercial work and the final result is not always as good as it could have been. That's why I do sci-fi illustrations in my free time. I can take all the time I want, without making any compromises. I simply enjoy it.

Do you tend to work from a sketch before starting work in 3D?
Yes, but sometimes the final illustration bears no resemblance to the initial sketch whatsoever, apart from the basic composition.

What's the most important thing to get right in a sci-fi illustration?
As in any other genre of illustration, it is the composition. I find it useful to consider the composition as early as possible while preparing the initial sketches. If you don't take the control of the illustration at that early stage there's a big chance you won't be able to do it later. Your illustration then runs wild and you end up with a complete mess.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in sci-fi illustration?
One of the properties that defines the genre is its scientific component. Either when working on the basic idea or when adding final details, try not to break the laws of physics unless there's a good explanation for that in the story. Another important thing is to pay attention to detail, even to small details. In my opinion, that's one of the most frequent mistakes that a 3D beginner makes - lack of patience and assuming that small details are less important.

What makes CINEMA 4D a good tool for creating sci-fi illustrations?
In my case it's the program's ease of use and extreme flexibility while offering professional quality and speed.

What are you currently working on?
I'm participating in a very interesting commercial project for the European Space Agency, but I can't tell you much more about that for the time being. As soon as it is over I'll go back to the 'Postcards From Beyond' project and try to complete another one of the works in progress.

More Information
Daniel Lovas
Online gallery: http://lovas.cgsociety.org
Email: daniel.lovasgmx.couk