Ahhh, Valandar the Red. You may know him as the ultimate Transformers mesher, but the truth is that he’s a man of many talents. From FXing to Mapping, this content creator has certainly provided the community with many unique gifts that one can use repeatedly. Today, FRP2 takes some time out to spotlight Valandar to see if we can lure him back into meshing… and if we can’t, we’re not above threatening. Don’t act like you wouldn’t do it too!

FREEDOM FORCE

You’ve been around the community for years in many forms ranging from mesher to skinner. What first attracted you to Freedom Force and its community, and what’s the story behind your avatar?

Well, FF attracted me because it was a superhero game AND it was a moddable. As for my avatar, I assume you mean “Valandar” and not the little pic beside my name. Well, the idea is he’s from a world that ceased to exist because of Timemaster’s meddling and gained his powers by unprotected exposure to the timestream (heightened speed and reflexes, though only barely superhuman), and by being the repository for the entire lifeforce of his universe, which he can manifest as energy constructs (in Marvel terms, he’s maybe half as powerful as Quasar but pretty much never runs out of energy).

People seem to know you best as a mesher that certainly likes to toy around with complex concepts. What made you want to become a mesher?

Actually, I started as a skinner, then a primitive mesher (just adding parts). I ended up going to meshing because I wasn’t satisfied with the human-scale Megatron and Optimus that were out at the time.

As a mesher, how would you say your skills have improved from your first mesh to now?

Looking at my oldest stuff really makes me cringe, though… and even my newest stuff, like the War Within meshes, are extremely primitive to me now. Wish I could still mesh – or at the VERY least send an FBX to someone and have them export it.

You’re one of the few meshers in the community that has designed a full set of keyframes, right? How difficult would you say that was to learn?

That’s difficult to say. I’d say it wasn’t so much a “learning curve” for me as much as it was a “learning curb” followed by a hill. It took me quite a while before I even had the nerve to try, then a bit longer before I got the hang of it. But once I did, I could make a full keyframe set. On the other hand, when I compare, say, the Nightcrawler KF’s I made with the more primitive ‘giant robot’ style (that I used for the TF’s for example), I can see a serious difference.

The majority of meshers in the Freedom Force community have decidedly focused on character meshes. You, on the other hand, have branched out to cover vehicles, objects, maps, and fx. Is there any reason why you chose to do so?

A combination of factors. One of them is that I had wanted to try and get a job with a game studio, and while I don’t think my FF meshes would really count as a portfolio, it did give me a feel for making the different types of meshes (environmental, object, character, and FX). The other is I just make what I think might be fun to make.

Outside of your giant meshes, you’re mostly known for your various Transformer meshes. Why did you think those characters were a viable project for this particular game?

Simple. Especially in G1, the various Transformers tended to have superpowers. Soundwave was a telepath, Skywarp could teleport, Trailbreaker had force fields, and so on. It was a natural fit, to me.

On the topic of Transformers, a few years ago, you and an older member known as Lude created a Transformers mod. How did that project come about, and do you ever plan to complete it?

Actually, in my opinion, it IS complete. It’s just a very short mod based on the idea that it’s like an episode of the old G1 cartoon. Act 1, the Decepticons attack and steal the McGuffin. Act Two, the Autobots find the Decepticons. Act 3, the Autobots take the McGuffin back.

However, if I had the time and resources to make a sequel, it’d probably be something different – say, set in the 20 years between the end of the second season of the cartoon and the 1986 movie. For example, the toy of Ultra Magnus is a white Optimus Prime in, effectively, power armor. Why does the cartoon character never take off that armor? And when did he, Kupp, Springer, Blurr, Hot Rod, and Arcee come to Earth in the first place? Things like that.

Although you are mostly known for your meshing ability, you are also a skinner of high caliber. What got you into skinning, and how did you develop your abilities?

I started simply recoloring Gryphin’s old 256×256 base skins, but I wasn’t satisfied with that. Now, I make higher poly models (fully textured) for a living, usually around 40,000 to 100,000 polygons and with 2048 x 2048 to 4096×4096 sized textures of various types (diffuse, specular, bump, displacement, etcetera). So I decided to combine the two a bit. Nowadays the most common way to begin texturing a game model for, say, UT 3 [Unreal Tournament 3], would be to make the low polygon model, make a HUGELY high polygon version with all the details modeled in, and bake those details into various maps that add those details into the low polygon version without actually being present in the mesh. I used those techniques, plus a few programs that let me paint directly on the mesh (to avoid seams), and tweaked them in Photoshop.

A little known gem about you is that you can also voice act. How did you discover this ability and have you made adequate use of it?

Heheh, I’ve been doing impersonations since I was a wee little tyke. I haven’t done much with it lately, but those who check out the Transformers mod will notice that I did nearly half the voices for it. Some of that is due to not finding enough VA’s, but some characters I just really liked to do (like Starscream).

Your main reason for not meshing for Freedom Force anymore was because 3ds max 5 didn’t work with Vista; however, many have pointed out you can use virtual PC to do so. Have you attempted to use Virtual PC at all?

Virtual PC? Buh? Huh?

Many have discovered that skills they discovered or developed in Freedom Force have come in handy in real life. Some actually know that you use your meshing ability to make money. How did that come about and have any other of your FF skills come in handy?

Well, I’ve been making content for the programs Poser and DAZ Studio since December of 2001, and I’m able to say I make more than enough to keep myself afloat and have since about 2005-2006. It started simply as a hobby, like FF, but as I got better and better, I realized I could be making money at it. For those interested in seeing what I do, here is the link to my “storefront” at DAZ 3D. Note that only the items on this page are my work, there’s thousands of other products by hundreds of other artists on the site as a whole.

And finally, if you ever return to Freedom Force in an active manner, are there any projects you’d like to complete?

Well, if I had the time and the resources, I’d like to make a sequel to the Transformers mod but with completely redesigned art from the ground up. As an example, below is a picture of Huffer as he is in the mod, and beside him is a much later creation called Armorhide from the Transformers: Cybertron line that I made towards the end of my career – and consider that I’m MUCH better, now! Oh, by the way – Armorhide actually transforms for one melee attack where he turns into a truck and rams his opponent!

MISC.

I, personally, see your avatar as a “red” version of a Green Lantern. Was that intended or just a coincidence?

Mostly a coincidence. I’ve always liked the idea of force constructs and loved the color red. On the other hand, a Green Lantern can do FAR much more than my avatar can. Heck, at the beginning, he only thought he could make weapons! My avatar has one further tweak – he can shift the color of the outer layer of the constructs to make them basically look like what they’re supposed to be, if he wants. Now, hm, what does this represent – makes solid objects, and then colors them… maybe meshing and skinning? :D

Speaking of DC heroes, comics and their characters are a great way to tell what someone may like. What heroes or comics do you find yourself fancying?

Nightcrawler has always been one of my favorite characters, though I prefer when they emphasize his swashbuckling side and not his religious side (that was originally just a very minor bit that got Flanderized far too much relatively recently). On the DC side, I like John Constantine. ‘Nuff said.

One thing I’ve definitely learned about you is that you love your Transformers. What’s your favorite version of Transformers and how do you feel about the Michael Bay movies?

Hrms. Currently my favorite version of Transformers is the “Classics” and “Universe 2.0 / Classics”. Basically they took the original G1 characters (and a tiny handful of other, later ones) and redesigned them with today’s tech and capabilities, while remaining as close to both the original alt mode and the cartoon robot mode as possible, though some, such as Optimus Prime, got a bit of a ‘makeover’ in the proccess. As for the ‘Bayverse’ TF’s, I used to hate them and considered them ‘Terminator endoskeletons covered in car vomit’, but now I can pretty much see why they went that way with the designs. I can accept them now, but the only reason to watch those movies, anyway, is to see giant robots blowing each other up – the story isn’t exactly Shakespeare, though it’s better than Twilight.

I also know you’re a huge Harry Potter fan. What are some other books or authors you enjoy?

Do you want a list?  Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, John Ringo, David Drake, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Niven, and a whole LOT more.

If given the chance, I’m sure you’d love to see one of your ideas on the big screen. What’s one project you’d love to see produced?

Well, actually, I have an idea I’m working with someone on. Whether it’ll end up on the big screen, small screen, or just as a webcomic, we can’t say yet. Odds are the last, but there’s an infinitesimal chance of the first….

Words are powerful things and a person’s usage of them can say a lot. What three words would people most likely use about you to describe your personality?

Loony, Loyal, Imaginative

Outside of playing around in 3ds Max, I’m sure you have other hobbies. Would you mind describing a few for us?

Well, there’s Amtgard ( a bunch of buddies and I put on medieval garb and whack each other with foam swords; it’s fun, and occasionally we go to bigger events where several hundred or even thousands of us whack each other with foam swords). I do some writing, and lately, we’ve been playing “No-Stakes” Poker (everyone starts with the same number of chips and we play Texas Hold ‘Em). Oh, and I also play tabletop RPGs, and the MMO Champions Online.

Music is a great way to soothe the soul. What artists or songs do you find yourself listening to?

Yeesh… umm… Wolfsheim, Blue Oyster Cult, Tori Amos, RUSH, George Clinton, Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine, VNV Nation, Santana, Mago de Oz (thanks to “Freedom Force Rocks”), and many more.

You find a genie and he guarantees you one wish. What would you wish for and why?

Assuming the usual rules are in place (no wishing for extra wishes, etc)… I’d actually wish for the controlled ability to travel through the known spacial and temporal dimensions.

Finally, given the decline in quality for TV and movies, what would you recommend to others as worth watching?

Well, I don’t watch much TV… but any movie by Pixar is a guaranteed win. Big Bang Theory is good. And anything by Joss Whedon.

Alright, gang, you know the deal. What did we learn today? Well, I learned that Valandar began as a skinner and became the mesher we know and love today. He still doesn’t know what Virtual PC is, though he doesn’t mind teasing us with his skill growth. Hrm, and finally,  one of his favorite characters is Nightcrawler, which makes me like him just a little bit more. If you want to grab some of Valandar’s awesome work, you can check NPI, FRPMods, or his yahoo groups (2, 3).