DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME

3D World discovers the secrets of successful remote working across a range of different pipelines and disciplines

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It’s fair to say that 2020 has been a rollercoaster year thus far. In the wake of a global pandemic the world has been forced to adapt quickly. In the realm of 3D art that means studios closing their doors, projects being finished remotely, and teams embracing new tools or workflows. 3D World spoke to several studios and creators to get their advice on working remotely, and to find out how they have weathered the storm whilst continuing to break boundaries. Virtual studio Agora shares tips for running a remote studio in the animation industry, while BRON discusses completing work on Netflix’s animated film The Willoughbys remotely. Kite & Lightning reveals how its team has worked from home with a pioneering pipeline, and Eric Jacobus of SuperAlloy lifts the lid on remote motion capture.

RUNNING A REMOTE STUDIO

With social distancing measures in place around the world, remote working has become a viable alternative to offices. This new approach has allowed some creators to continue working on their projects without the use of a studio and some modern tools may even offer teams benefits that exceed the lockdown’s end. That is certainly the case for Agora Studio, a VFX and animation hub that was well ahead of the curve, with the studio built entirely from a remote workforce. Despite doing things a little differently, Agora has expanded to be capable of managing hundreds of employees remotely at any given time. “We have a pool of a little over 650 freelancers in our pool of resources and work on 10 or 12 projects simultaneously,” adds co-founder David Hubert.