>> VideoToaster    
 
Ian Fullwood
Lisez-moi

Did they send you any of the computer models they used in the film itself?

No. None at all.

What was the most difficult piece of equipment you worked on??

There are many reasons why one piece may be more difficult to produce than others, lack of reference, too much reference, difficulty in getting the texture right, etc. I do not worry about modelling as I think any object given to me can be modelled, it's texturing that makes the difference in the end. I didn't have to think too hard about lighting on this job as all models were lit using HDR images.

Taking all the above in to consideration I guess the Gungan Shield Generator was probably the most difficult to get right, people have seen this in Episode 1 and I had great reference for it so there was not too much room for artistic licence.

Can you tell me which was your favourite to make?

I guess the most satisfying from my point of view was the E111 Blaster Rifle, this was one of the first illustrations completed and the main textures on the model turned out exactly as I had envisaged. The World Devastator was also pretty satisfying, purely on the basis I was glad to move on to the next one - all those pipes and fiddly little boxes - AAARRRGGGHHHH the memory!

Will we see any stuff from the third film, or is it just the first two?

The book contains many items that have not been seen in the films, unfortunately I am not privy to the specific content of the forthcoming movie, a closely guarded secret.

What resolution did you render at for this project?

Most renders were 3200x2500 pixels for print at 300dpi. Certainly render times with reflections on were a challenge, but with inventive use of texture maps nothing was a real problem. I certainly wish I knew about FPrime ten months ago!

What are you working on now?

Projects on the horizon are a series of aircraft animations and a multimedia project, which, unfortunately are subject to confidentiality at present, but I will keep you informed.

Thanks for giving us your time Ian. You can see more of his work at http://www.if3d.com.

STAR WARS: THE NEW ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WEAPONS & TECHNOLOGY
By W. Haden Blackman
Del Rey Books, October 2004 (ISBN: 0-345-44903-7)
Copyright © 2004 by Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or TM where indicated.  All rights reserved.

Ian Fullwood  
Story content Copyright © 2004 NewTek Europe