READERSVOICE.COM: The lighting on the robot featured in the ZBrush 4R5 manual really added to the mood of the picture, as well as in the alien and other creature pictures you created. Is the lighting a difficult part of the picture making process?

DANIEL BYSTEDT: Setting up lighting is not as time consuming as modeling and sculpting, but it is absolutely a challenge to get appealing and believable light and shading.

RV: What was the hard surface modelling you were doing before you went back to making the Lovecraft style monsters?

DB: I was testing out some new hard surface modeling techniques by creating a mechanical walker. It was partially inspired by the robots from Boston Dynamics.

RV: The portrait of Carol Peletier from The Walking Dead was rendered in Blender. Can you explain exactly what rendering is, and what you have to decide in the rendering process that you can’t do in the modelling or sculpting stage, and how long it took to render this picture?

DB: Rendering is the part of the process when the lighting, shadows and shading are rendered or “painted” into an image by the cg application. Before you render you don’t have correct shadows, skin etc. The rendering of that specific image took around 20-30 minutes.

RV: What are some of your plans?

DB: I am very happy to be a part of Bläck Studios and the Goodbye Kansas entertainment group. My plan is to continue to work there and see the company grow. It’s really nice to work with such a great group of people. I also plan on working on my personal art in my spare time.

-copyright Simon Sandall
-see dbstedt.wordpress.com.