Andrew March
Fiat Lux!
LightWave Digital: Could you briefly introduce yourself and describe your current role in the industry?
Andrew March: My name is Andrew March, I am currently unemployed on health grounds but I am a freelance Lighting FX Artist.
LD: How did you get started in your field, and what inspired you to pursue this career?
AM: I started as a hobbyist in the late 1990's early 2000's and I was inspired by my peers who told me I could do this for a living.
LD: What initially attracted you to LightWave 3D, and when did you start using it?
AM: I started my 3D journey with a package made by a well-known competitor of LightWave 3D, I had a little money left after I bought that and purchased a cut-down version of LightWave called Inspire3D, soon I was creating more art using Insire3D than the expensive package, so in pretty short order I made the switch entirely to Lightwave3D.
LD: Who or what are your biggest influences and inspirations in your work?
The Haywain by John Constable
The Fighting Temeraire by JMW Turner
AM: I've been inspired by many artists over the years from classical painters and illustrators like J. M. W. Turner and John Constable to modern digital creators like Andrew Hodgson and Simon Stålenhag.
Corellia Environment Blocking by Andrew Hodgson
Labyrinth by Simon Stålenhag
LD: What Projects have you used LightWave 3D on?
AM: I have worked for the Disney Corporation, Sony Entertainment Europe and Future Publishing to name a few. I did some work on a Disney Star Wars special created for The Last Jedi, for example.
Millennium Falcon in dock
LD: What work did you do for Future? I used to work there as the editor for Amiga Format and 3D World.
AM: I was contacted a long time ago to do a double page spread for an Art of Star Wars book they made. I'm in their with Ryan Church, Ralph McQuarrie, etc. It's like being an imposter on stage with all your heroes.
LD: What are your favourite features of LightWave 3D, and how do they enhance your work?
AM: I have always liked how LightWave 3D separates modelling from layout, as someone who makes physical models for a hobby and also has a keen interest in photography it makes perfect sense for me to keep your modelling and layout studios separate, wouldn't want to get paint all over your camera lens 😉.
LD: How do you handle lighting in LightWave? Do you go for big technical lighting rigs with specific light types, or are you more a "painting with light" swathes of colour?
AM: I used to go for the more technical setups but these days I almost exclusively use Octane for LightWave, so it's more about applying real world techniques.
Tally rework
LD: What was the Spitfire image for?
AM: The Spitfire is iconic and I love to render it as much as I can. I've never used any of them in work but Lee Stringer (I'm sure most will know him) contacted me saying he wished he could use me for a WWII film he's wanted to make for a long time. So this was a technical exercise for me working with Wiek Luijken's fantastic Spitfire, there's a few of them on my Artstation page.
