Daz 3D

User Stories

John Van Fleet

Comics, Illustrations, Cover Art and Production Designer

Using DAZ 3D's products John Van Fleet has done it all with an impressive resume

Who uses DAZ 3D products in their process? John Van Fleet is a world renowned illustrator and artist, who has one of the most impressive lists of clients that I've ever seen. Not only does John have a very unique style, but his vast portfolio is so incredibly creative. All you have to do is visit his web site to see how clever and creative he really is.

Overview

John's client list includes but is not limited to: D.C. Comics, The Walt Disney Company, Mammoth Records, Sony Pictures, MGM Studios, Marvel Entertainment, Warner Brothers and Electronic Arts just to name a few.

I asked John to share with me how he became acquainted with DAZ 3D and why he uses the products found on the DAZ 3D store.

"I don't ever remember having so much fun figuring out how to navigate a web site. But I continue finding myself going back to see if there was something I left undiscovered."

I remember the day I came across the DAZ 3D site. I was working on a BatMan graphic novel and I wanted a Bat-a-Rang I could rotate and render from different angles. I had just started to mess around with 3D models. This is to say my computer was finally up to the challenge. I did a search and DAZ 3D popped up. I was floored by the amount of content I found. I figured it was too good to be true but the purchase agreement clearly stated I could use the content in my commercial renders.

"The ability to light and move around the image was wonderful. It was almost too much fun to take in."

Like so many things, before I knew it, I was hip deep in models. At the same time I was contracted to create art for several trading cards, by Upper Deck. A card game they created with Marvel and DC comics characters called "VS." would pit each player's character deck against his or her opponent. This was a great opportunity to see what I could do with the DAZ 3D figures. They worked great! I did post work on the images but the forms created all the volume I needed to bring the images to life. The ability to light and move around the image was wonderful. It was almost too much fun to take in. You keep experimenting to see if you can one up yourself. But deadlines have a way of pulling the pin on a good time so I buckled down and got to work. I hope we can publish the results I thought, and it went real well.

Much later I had a call from an editor at DC who wanted a similar look for an upcoming BatMan story called "The Clown at Midnight" by Grant Morrison. Comics and 3D art have had a stormy past which is best left mentioned but not revisited. The book was published and those who liked it, liked it very much. Many of the models are the same ones you have in your runtime (or hard drive) from DAZ 3D. I put in my two cents with some paint and some pixel bending, and at the end of it all, we had the book.

"Without the variety and level of quality of models available to me thanks to DAZ 3D, this job could have easily turned into a nightmare."

Recently I got a call from an artist/ friend, Dave Devries. Dave needed someone to work with him on a property based game from a Taiwanese company, Seed Studio. This property, "BlueShift" story is now, an online comic free to the public. http://www.blueshiftworld.com/ Dave needed me to create backgrounds while he would create the figure art, much like an animator would. I knew I could do the job with the help of the models offered by DAZ 3D. I followed thumbnail sketches that Dave and I made after reading the script. We had to breakdown the scenes and plot out the story to flow from one page to another. I knew I would be acting as a cameraman capturing the environment from multiple angles as the action flowed from panel to panel. 3D models are uniquely suited for this task. I pulled from every source imaginable, combining and recombining meshes to create the world we needed. Without the variety and level of quality of models available to me thanks to DAZ 3D, this job could have easily turned into a nightmare. Thanks to all the P.A.s and DAZ 3D, I was able to create the images on paper that I saw in my head while reading the script.

"I knew I could do the job with the help of the models offered by DAZ 3D."

Now I have gone one step further by creating and publishing my own 3D models here at DAZ 3D. I'm known as "The AntFarm" by the community. I've created these products so that other artists can take these creations and hopefully tell their stories. I don't care who you are we all have stories to tell. Don't sit in silence when there's so much to be said.

A special thanks to John Van Fleet for sharing his story and creativity with DAZ 3D.
You can see more of his work at these links.
http://www.blueshiftworld.com/
http://johnvanfleet.com/