Luis Santos

NewTek: Some of you may recognize this pretty face from our SIGGRAPH advertisement, our booth at the show, or from the website of it's creator, Luís Santos. Now, he can be yours to study, rig or just play with, for FREE. The mutant is the first in a series of FREE downloadable characters available to Lightwave users worldwide. Each creature is created by a different artist, using their talents to showcase the diversity of Lightwave.

We asked Mutant artist, Luís Santos, a few questions about his beautifully grotesque creation.

NewTek: Could you describe your inspiration behind making the mutant?

Luís Santos: I wanted to make a grotesque creature for my portfolio, something really disgusting to look at. I like classic horror movies like "The Thing", "Eraserhead", and "The Elephant Man", to name a few, as well Fangoria magazines. So this idea was a natural fit for my artistic sensibilities.

NewTek: How Long did it take to build and texture the model?

Luís Santos: A month, more or less, in between jobs.

NewTek: In order to get it to work in Lightwave without plug-ins, what did you do?

Luís Santos: I just made very simple node connections. I didn't even used a skin shader. It's that simple, really. The quality comes from the light, textures and the model. The native rendering engine in Lightwave achieved a great image, easily, without any plug-ins.

NewTek: Are there any special techniques that you would like to share with us?

Luís Santos: Sometimes when errors occur; instead of fighting them, I use them in my creative process. For example, using a stencil in the wrong part of a model, using the wrong pressure in a give area, or even software bugs! It's a chaotic element that has given me some interesting results.

NewTek: Do you have some advice for anyone who wants to build a creature of their own?

Luís Santos: I recommend visiting sculpting forums, watching movies of the genre that interests you, and building a strong workflow. Also, have a passion for creature design!

Related Links: NewTek Lightwave 10 @ Computer Graphics World / Lightwave @ NewTek