How does one describe the work of French Renderosity creator Christophe3D? Known as “Powerage” to some, Christophe3D’s art also tends to fall under a few names. Some items look like they’re ripped out of a movie set. Old West saloons and general stores, medieval towers and dungeons, and killer plant characters all give his portfolio an association of being fantastic.
But there are also some more realistic, down-to-earth items like boomboxes or different pieces of apparel. Regardless of his latest creation, Christophe3D is one creator you can’t afford to ignore. Learn more about Christophe3D in our interview below.
Tell us about yourself. Who are you outside of the world of digital animation?
I am almost 53 years old, my name is Christophe. I am French (originally Parisian) and live in Bordeaux (southwest of France) and I have a daughter. Before doing 3D, I worked in events.
What got you into digital animation?
As part of my former job in events (the 1990s), we had to present projects that represented client events (parties, weddings, conferences, etc.).
It was a real plus to be able to show tents and other materials in place in their environments printed on large formats in support of the estimate so that the customer can easily imagine his future reception. At the time, very few companies were doing this in France, so it was only natural that I became interested in modeling 3D models for this purpose.
What do you do in the world of digital animation? How many years have you been doing it?
I've been doing 3D for over 20 years now, sometimes I do freelance 3D work, but most of my time is developing products for the Renderosity marketplace.
What kind(s) of software do you use? And why? What do you like about them?
When I started, I worked with just 3 [programs]: 3ds Max, Photoshop, and finally Poser (version 5).
At the beginning of the 2000s, there were not as many tools as today, learning was complicated as an autodidact, and Youtube and video tutorials did not exist. So I learned with big books dedicated to 3ds Max and so I didn't want to stray into other software. Today, I still work with 3ds Max, but especially for everything related to architecture, mechanics for the organic, and clothing, I often work with Zbrush and sometimes go back to 3ds Max. For textures, I like 3d Coat which I find very intuitive in its painting tools. Photoshop for small texture corrections, but unlike before when I only worked my textures in Photoshop, it took up much less space in my workflow.
For some clothes or special works, I also use Marvelous Designer which is very useful for some very specific things and quick to do with, for example, rags in a basket, in classic 3d it's quite tedious, but with MD it's very quick to do. And finally Daz Studio.
Who or what has influenced your creativity?
For many years, I was influenced by many different sources: comics, cinema, a walk in the street, etc... I wanted to do everything in 3D! Today I have changed a little, I am of course still influenced by external things, but it is above all the desire to do something that I have never done or something that I may already have done but from a different point of view depending on my mood. It's my big difficulty at the moment (old age no doubt lol) I really have to want to, I absolutely can't force myself to work on a specific theme, if the desire isn't there, I don't force me.
How would you describe the fans/followers of your work? Why do you think your work resonates with them?
I am almost 53 years old, my name is Christophe. I am French (originally Parisian) and live in Bordeaux (southwest of France) and I have a daughter. Before doing 3D, I worked in events.
What got you into digital animation?
As part of my former job in events (the 1990s), we had to present projects that represented client events (parties, weddings, conferences, etc.).
It was a real plus to be able to show tents and other materials in place in their environments printed on large formats in support of the estimate so that the customer can easily imagine his future reception. At the time, very few companies were doing this in France, so it was only natural that I became interested in modeling 3D models for this purpose.
What do you do in the world of digital animation? How many years have you been doing it?
I've been doing 3D for over 20 years now, sometimes I do freelance 3D work, but most of my time is developing products for the Renderosity marketplace.
What kind(s) of software do you use? And why? What do you like about them?
When I started, I worked with just 3 [programs]: 3ds Max, Photoshop, and finally Poser (version 5).
At the beginning of the 2000s, there were not as many tools as today, learning was complicated as an autodidact, and Youtube and video tutorials did not exist. So I learned with big books dedicated to 3ds Max and so I didn't want to stray into other software. Today, I still work with 3ds Max, but especially for everything related to architecture, mechanics for the organic, and clothing, I often work with Zbrush and sometimes go back to 3ds Max. For textures, I like 3d Coat which I find very intuitive in its painting tools. Photoshop for small texture corrections, but unlike before when I only worked my textures in Photoshop, it took up much less space in my workflow.
For some clothes or special works, I also use Marvelous Designer which is very useful for some very specific things and quick to do with, for example, rags in a basket, in classic 3d it's quite tedious, but with MD it's very quick to do. And finally Daz Studio.
Who or what has influenced your creativity?
For many years, I was influenced by many different sources: comics, cinema, a walk in the street, etc... I wanted to do everything in 3D! Today I have changed a little, I am of course still influenced by external things, but it is above all the desire to do something that I have never done or something that I may already have done but from a different point of view depending on my mood. It's my big difficulty at the moment (old age no doubt lol) I really have to want to, I absolutely can't force myself to work on a specific theme, if the desire isn't there, I don't force me.
How would you describe the fans/followers of your work? Why do you think your work resonates with them?
Oh, do I have fans? Thanks to them, it is a great honor that they do me. Honestly, I don't know, maybe the diversity of my rather [unique] productions and this ability I have to go from a set of underwear to a hideous monster without transition :)
Let’s get a breakdown of some past projects.
There are so many, it will be hard to choose. Let's say that there is a small one, without much pretension from a technical point of view, but which at the time met with incredible success that I had absolutely not anticipated and today about fifteen years afterwards, I still do not understand why this product has met with such success. It's actually quite strange for a designer, not to understand why such a product is so successful and another that we appreciate may be more, in which we may have put more energy and desire does not please. It was really a concern for me a few years ago not to understand. Today, I no longer ask myself these types of questions, I do what I want to do, if I like it, so much the better, otherwise too bad, but I no longer have the same "affects" on my productions because otherwise, I'm going crazy :) I realize that I forgot to mention the product in question. It's "Rebel Forever" for Victoria 4. The only explanation I make is that it just arrived on the market at the right time, customers had to look for this type of thing at the time and maybe at that time, there was not this type of product a little offbeat.
If I choose a much newer product, I would like to tell you about my Paris product series. I had this idea in my head for a long time, but I couldn't organize myself and so I had to leave this idea in the back of my mind. A few months ago, a client sent me a private message asking me to make Haussmannian buildings, because he was fed up with American buildings :) and suddenly, (thanks to him!) it forced me to concretize this idea that I had in my head for a long time and I got to work: what was I going to start with? he was certain that several products were needed. So I started with some Haussmannian buildings, a system of reachable roads. While I was working on this first product, I was thinking about the next ones. The creation process of the 8 products was quite fluid but took a lot of time, several months, I specify because I don't know if people can imagine that the creation times of a product can be very long. I released the following products on the market during the Christmas period and the series met with great success. I'm happy about it because it was a lot of sweat on my forehead and I'm glad this is appreciated by customers, thank you!
What are you currently working on?
Today I'm working on a rather complicated project that I've never done before, it's a complete outfit for a fighter pilot. It will be compatible with generation 9 (male and female) and will be released within a few months (well I hope). Otherwise, I have about a dozen products that will be released in the coming months: A Solar system for Daz studio, a set of clothes for G9F, a set of Chesterfield furniture, a revolutionary camera for Daz Studio (I won't say more about it), and other completely different products. Be patient :)
What are you working on for the future? And what are your hopes and dreams for
2023?
What are you currently working on?
Today I'm working on a rather complicated project that I've never done before, it's a complete outfit for a fighter pilot. It will be compatible with generation 9 (male and female) and will be released within a few months (well I hope). Otherwise, I have about a dozen products that will be released in the coming months: A Solar system for Daz studio, a set of clothes for G9F, a set of Chesterfield furniture, a revolutionary camera for Daz Studio (I won't say more about it), and other completely different products. Be patient :)
What are you working on for the future? And what are your hopes and dreams for
2023?
I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to work on for the future, maybe a sequel to my series on Paris, there are still a lot of things to do if you feel like it :). For 2023, it would have to be better than 2022 for the world, that would already be quite extraordinary I think: let's all cross our fingers that this is the case!
What are some of your favorite products/tools to use inside the software? And why?
I have no favorite products, they are all the result of my desires at the time of their creation. They will all find a place in your graphic stories according to your inspirations to you my dear customers, in the background of your creations or in the foreground, it will be according to your choices. My job is not to produce images, I provide the raw material, which I hope will eventually help you in your creativity, it's up to you to exploit my productions according to your projects.
What advice would you have for young creators?
Do not look for success, it will come by itself when the time comes and in general, you will not expect it. Be patient, curious, and passionate about what you do, bring something new to the market, and don't stay in your comfort zone. We live in a wonderful time thanks to new technologies and at the same time very anxiety-provoking, it can be conducive to creativity.
What else can you share?
Thanks to all my clients, thanks to the Renderosity staff (Jenn, Rena, and Antje in particular).
For information on how to contact Christophe3D or find his products, be sure to visit his Renderosity store page.
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