Fox’s Got Talent June Winner Revealed: a Surreal and Atmospheric Short Film Created in 3ds Max and V-Ray

Fox’s Got Talent (FGT) is the platform for all Fox Renderfarm users to share their artwork rendered with Fox Renderfarm and get awarded free render credits.

We are excited to announce our Fox’s Got Talent June Winner CG artist Ren Wang from Canada, a filmmaker based in Toronto. This artwork INTERSTATE is a surreal and atmospheric short film created in 3ds Max and V-Ray. Its smooth transitions and emotional scenes stand out, reminding us of the real feelings along the long trip.

What’s the story behind while creating this artwork? Let’s figure it out together!

INTERSTATE © Ren Wang

Fox Renderfarm: Hi, Ren! Thank you so much for accepting our interview! Could you give us a brief introduction about yourself?

Ren: Hi there! I'm a filmmaker based in Toronto. I used to work in architecture but recently decided to start making films in CG.

Fox Renderfarm: Congratulations on winning the Fox’s Got Talent June winner, how do you feel about it?

Ren: I'm very excited as Fox Renderfarm is my go-to render farm.

Fox Renderfarm: What’s the idea behind your artwork “INTERSTATE”?

Ren: It was from a long trip I took at the end of 2019. Last December I drove from San Francisco to Toronto across the US in seven days. I had the idea of sharing this experience through making a surreal, atmospheric film. The images you see in this film are based on what I saw and felt during the trip.

Fox Renderfarm: How long did you take to finish the work?

Ren: It took about four months to finish.

Fox Renderfarm: Can you tell us about your CG pipeline?

Ren: I mainly use 3DS Max for scene setup and V-Ray for rendering. For models and textures I utilized online resources such as Quixel Megascans.

Fox Renderfarm: How about the challenges you faced while creating this work? How did you overcome them?

Ren: The challenge is the design. I try to make the design reflecting my feelings during the trip as much as possible. Also each scene is designed to be played in a loop so there's more challenge in setting up the 3D scene. I managed to pull it off through rounds and rounds of iterations.

Fox Renderfarm: Technically and visually, which is your favorite part of this short? And why?

Ren: I love them all but my favorite would be the top down canyon shot - the third shot. It closely matched what I felt when I travelled through the desert in the midwest.

Fox Renderfarm: Which features in V-Ray do you find the most useful?

Ren: V-Ray is by far the renderer I've used the most. So I would say I find it very reliable.

Fox Renderfarm: Have there been any big changes you’ve noticed through using different versions of V-Ray?

Ren: Later in the production I tried V-Ray RT, although I only used it for rendering two shots - the second and the fourth - but I found it to be useful and fast.

Fox Renderfarm: Your work "Waterdrop" on Vimeo is really great, which gains over 100K impressions. Can you tell us something behind the scene about this project?

Ren: Thank you. Yes "Waterdrop" is my early attempt in films when I was still in architecture school. Although it was mostly done in 2D, I really like how it turned out. I figured out how to make infinite zoom in 2D which is the core technique and storytelling method of this film.

INTERSTATE © Ren Wang

Fox Renderfarm: Could you briefly tell us your educational and work experience along your CG journey?

Ren: I was trained in architecture. After school I worked in architecture briefly but joined a creative agency as a 3D artist to work in archviz three years ago. I moved to Canada early this year and have since worked as a freelancer.

Fox Renderfarm: How do you enhance your professional skills?

Ren: I learned from my colleagues through work and also from the process of making my own stuff.

Fox Renderfarm: What do you think about Fox Renderfarm?

Ren: Fox Renderfarm has a very user-friendly interface both on desktop and online. It also supports a variety of software. I want to try a different CG pipeline for my next film.

Fox Renderfarm: Anything else you would like to share with CG enthusiasts? Ren: Try out Fox Renderfarm!

Who is our next WINNER?

Click here Fox's Got Talent and submit your artwork rendered with Fox Renderfarm. Shine your talent now!