Monday, September 17th, 2018 by Julian Karsunky
Guess who’s back? This month’s ArtWanted! feature reunites us with not one, but two “old” acquaintances: Reinier Reynhout, talented Dutch CG artist, and his trusty model of the Lamborghini Aventador. Longtime readers of our blog might recognize both from our February 2016 3D Artist of the Month article. Inspired by the visuals of Sci-Fi blockbuster ‘Bladerunner 2049’, Reinier created two distinct, futuristic settings for his luxurious car of choice.
Join us as we catch up with Reinier and get the fully story behind the image!
In addition to the urban cityscape pictured above, Reinier “drove” his Lamborghini LP-700 into this desert scene.
Hi Reinier, it’s been a while! For those who have missed our last feature, please introduce yourself.
Hi everybody, my name’s Reinier Reynhout, I’m 37 years old and live and work in the Eindhoven area in the Netherlands. Go PSV!
Do you recall when and how you first consciously encountered CGI?
I do! In fact, VFX has been a common thread throughout my whole life. I grew up with Star Wars, Masters of the Universe and Indiana Jones. Although the 3D software part came a bit later, some time between Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park…as you can tell, I’ve always been a bit of a movie buff!
When did you decide to pursue a professional career as a 3D artist?
After high school I studied advertising and multimedia design, but once I graduated, I felt I was too young to start working still. So I decided to do continue my studies, this time focusing on computer animation. That was the moment I decided on a career as a 3D artist. I got my master’s degree in computer animation and visual effects and began working in the industry soon thereafter.
‘2049 Fan Art’, ambient occlusion
You’ve been mostly working freelance for the last couple years, either on your own or under the umbrella of your own studio. What key services do you provide?
We have a strong focus on advertising and product visualization, in particular the post production/CG part of it.
Who are your clients?
Very diverse, which is the most fun part of the job. We work directly for brands as well as for advertising agencies worldwide. But we also work for artists, actors and singers amongst others.
What are some of your personal career highlights thus far or projects you particularly enjoyed working on in the past?
In the beginning of my career I pursued a mention on a movie crawl or an IMDb page. The first film I was involved in was fun, going to the premiere was definitely a highlight. So was the first time I saw a commercial I worked on on TV. The first time I received public recognition, whether it was a feature in a magazine or the first award I got. Later on it was my first job as freelance artist. I think I equally enjoy all of these small accomplishments.
What is your favorite subject in CGI? For what reasons?
I really love volume fog. Yeah, I know, not that interesting, but I just love atmospherics. I don’t know why, and most of the clients seem to hate it, though that doesn’t stop me from trying to incorporate it in all of my projects. I just like to play with it, it adds depth, vibe and it enhances lighting.
If it wasn’t obvious already, Reinier is a big fan of volume fog.
Let’s talk about your work in more detail, namely your latest submission to our ArtWanted! campaign. How did you come up with the initial idea?
The Lamborghini I worked on a while ago and that image was very well received online. When I watched ‘Bladerunner 2049’, I got highly inspired to experiment with that Lambo again. I wanted to see if I could create images with a similar aesthetic in a short amount of time. I just loved the vision and cinematography of Ridley Scott and Roger Deakins for that movie, I had to try some things myself.
Once you had a rough concept in mind, how did you then go about realizing the idea? Can you walk us through the development process?
Well, I began by creating a fitting color scheme. I had two setups in mind that I wanted to try out. I loved the desert and casino setting as well as the more traditional blue/grey/neon urban dystopian look. I started with the lighting with the desert setting since it had a lot of volume fog in it! The way that first image evolved encouraged me to work on another setting. Since this was a personal project of mine and capacities were limited at the time, I had to make sure not to overload myself. Thankfully, I managed to complete the project within just four days.
What were some of the challenges you had to overcome?
Personal satisfaction. I find it difficult to finish something and be happy with the results in general. I can work for ages on a single picture, if I like it enough. This one I had to finish quickly though, because I had paid jobs to do.
This Fiat 500 Reinier did for a TV commercial is not quite as luxurious as the LP-700, but every bit as skillfully crafted.
What is your main motivation when doing these personal projects? Is it more about artistic expression to you or mostly technical exercises?
Technical, not so much. I just wanted to see if I could make something like that, replicate what I love. You can learn a lot by studying other artists in every field. I try to research classic painters, photographers, musicians, all kind of artists, really. There is so much talent around us to draw knowledge and inspiration from.
What software did you use to create this piece?
In this case it was just my main tools, 3ds Max and V-Ray.
The Lamborghini Aventador prominently featured in the scene keeps appearing in your personal work and is no stranger to us here at RebusFarm as well. Can you tell us more about the history of this model of yours and why you keep coming back to it?
Tell me about it! In fact, this is somewhat strange to me as well. I do like the car, sure, but the way it keeps popping up in my work is more of a coincidence. Perhaps the shape appeals to me. When I approached these Bladerunner inspired images, I thought the LP700 would be a nice test subject so to speak. Perhaps it would’ve been better to build something new? Then again, it was more a speed test on lighting and scene setup than on poly modelling.
This striking image from 2016 marks the first of many appearances of the LP-700 in Reinier’s portfolio. Amongst others, it also won him the title of RebusFarm 3D Artist of the Month.
So much for the CG model, but what about the actual car? Are you a bit of a car-nut in real life as well?
Not at all. I currently drive a Toyota Yaris and I owned a Prius before that…that’s right, a Prius. I do like the automotive industry though, and for me a car is a design piece. However, while I enjoy watching cars a lot, my own cars first and foremost have to be practical as well as eco-friendly. So a Tesla or Lightyear One might be nice for me.
What has your history with RebusFarm been like? Please tell us more about your overall experience. Is there anything you especially like about our service?
I’m not sure when I initially started using RebusFarm, but I do remember the last time: That was 15 minutes ago. Really, I’m looking at my renders I just got back while typing this! For me, RebusFarm has become an integral part of my 3D pipeline. Not to suck up too much but it just works like a charm and you guys have never failed me.
In closing, is there anything else you want to say? Any present or upcoming projects you’d like to mention?
My upcoming projects are kind of secret. But I can tell you there will be a lot of cars coming soon. No Lambos this time though, unless Lamborghini contacts me after this interview (hint, hint). I’m very excited about the near future. I will share them for sure at ArtWanted!
Please do! Until then, thank you for taking the time and all the best!
Keep up with Reinier Reynhout and his work through these channels:
How to join ArtWanted!
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