Simon Crane

So tell us a little about yourself?
I started animating in flash for Monster Animation LTD in Dublin, Ireland in 2000. Since then I have moved to New Zealand where I started my own animation company Crayon Animation LTD. We have been going since 2005.

How did you get your start with Swift 3D?
An animator friend of mine told me about it when I moved to NZ. I think it was the first thing I installed on my computer! I have always been interested in 3D but have found it very time intensive. I love Flash because of it's quick turn around, and find Swift has the same benefits.

What elements of the site are made with Swift 3D?
The intro to the website (where the crayon box explodes open and the crayons pop out ) is done in swift!

What Swift 3D projects have you done in the past? Any other work you’d like to share?
The first thing I ever used Swift for was the crayon box at the start of our website. Since then I've tried to slip in a bit of Swift into everything I do.

If you go to the Music Video section of our website you will see a number of music videos that have used a combination of flash and Swift - the latest being NICE DAY. All the planes, buildings and boats were done in swift. I like the way Swift blends seamlessly with the Flash work so the vewer can't tell if theyre looking at 2D or 3D animation.

Give us a little insight to the modeling, texturing and lighting techniques you used for this project.
When modelling in Swift I always consider it as the biggest and best box of Lego I've ever had. You can even build your own bricks! I basically just draw shapes in Flash, import them into Swift and extrude them. I then use the advanced modeling tools in Swift to fine tune my models.

What features of Swift 3D did you use to create these design elements?
Mainly the basic and advanced modelers. A little bit of animation and a camera move.

What other software did you use for the site, and how did you integrate Swift 3D with these other tools?
The rest of the site is done in Macromedia Flash 8 - Swift3D is super easy to integrate into flash, you just import the swft, and then you can play around with it even more.

Where would you like to see Swift 3D go in the future?
I'd think it would be really cool if you could draw directly on to the surface of your models with the Wacom pen.

Do you have any Swift 3D project in the works?
I use Swift in just about everything I do! There's a title seq for a TV programme coming out next year in which I have used a mix of Swift, Flash and After Effects.
And I just compleeted an animated section for the 'mydotcard.com' web site where all the interior elements were done in swift.
And I'm working on a site for ' The Coffee Guy' here in NZ which will also have plenty of swift on it.

Any additional comments, inspiration, ideas, food for thought you’d like to share with the community?
II've found Swift 3D is great for achieving the "wow" factor in projects.
Clients are always impressed.