Are there any plug-ins you wouldn't be without?

FPrime is the one we use the most, since it came out we have been able to work much more efficiently because of the feedback we are able to see quickly. Now if it would only work with voxels!

In your opinion, should LightWave stay separated or become integrated?

There are arguments for both, but since it would be easy to make it feel like it wasn't integrated if it was, I say make it integrated!

How many polygons did the Galactica model consist of?

If the whole base assembly was loaded up, it was about 3.5 million polygons. We never used all of it at one time though. It was built in groupings that were easy to strip off if not seen. Render times were too high if we tried to render the whole thing! We basically had different versions of the ships with differing polygon counts and texture maps for all the ships. Depending on how close the camera was we would load the appropriate ship. The Galactica herself was the monster and we had her in multiple sections we could drop off by deleting pre-arranged groupings of objects depending on the shot.

What was your role on the project?

I was the Digital Effects Supervisor on the mini-series. I worked with the production VFX supervisor and the shows director to create the hand-held look of the show, and to make sure all of the 3D and 2D pipelines worked smoothly (Patti Gannon was our 2D supervisor). I would work out any technical challenges that came up along the way, such as how to get the Galactica to render, and also did FX work as well as supervise the artists on the show.

Do you do any animating or modelling, etc. now that you are a supervisor?

Absolutely, in BSG specifically I designed all the camera work and laid the foundation for lighting, etc. Worked with the other artists on the FX etc. I love that I am able to do both supervising and actual animation!

Which do you prefer?

Camera work and lighting are the two areas I like the most. Probably because they relate to the real world the most.

How many people worked on it in total?

Initially it was about 10 people, but went up to about 20 during the last month or so.

Did Zoïc do all the 3D on the project?

For the four hour mini-series yes, we did all of the work. It lasted in total about eight months. We won the VES (Visual Effects Society) award for Best VFX in a Mini-Series as well as the award best TV VFX at 3D Festival. We were also nominated for an Emmy this past year for the show.