Nick Nakadate / page 2 of 2
Nick’s diverse background includes lighting and rendering, particle effects, paint and compositing, 3D modeling and technical animation. Key experiences include feature film projects such as Superman Returns, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Sin City, Shark Boy and Lava Girl 3-D, Ironman, and The Day after Tomorrow. Nick has also worked on numerous TV commercials. He also has seven years experience as an architectural designer. When not working, Nick likes spending time with his family, cycling, and BBQ.
Nick’s latest Journal entries…
-
March 28 2011
Stylus Seeks Pen for Good Time
One of the films I created VFX for came out recently. Every time that happens, it’s like a special treat–a day for me and several hundred other comrades to enjoy a little time in the limelight. It’s something we share, and hopefully, be proud of. In this case, I have to say I am not proud of the movie, but I am proud of the VFX work we did. I worked closely with a good friend and great artist over several months. We crafted artistic solutions for shots each day, and…
Continue reading this story -
January 26 2011
Shakespeare Knew 3D
As we all know, there has been a large amount of discussion, argument, and questioning of 3D film lately. I’ll try to avoid those often traveled conversations (whew!), and talk about a factor that I believe is missed by the movie studio and theater industry to push 3D to the masses. Movies made their start on flat, 2D screens. We have watched films this way for decades, and they have served, and continue to serve us well. 3D is re-introduced on the same 2D screens in most cases, and in some…
Continue reading this story -
December 2 2010
Pixels or Plasticine
Digital modeling has advanced quickly the past few years. First with Zbrush, then Mudbox shortly after. I recall having a conversation with a fellow artist about the inability to easily make a sculpted emblem; sure, there were displacement maps, but nothing to easily create a sculpted form from image reference or scratch. Now there is. Upon explaining to a friend the ability to sculpt objects using a computer, they scoffed and said, “You can’t do real sculpting in a computer.” I paused a few moments and thought about it. As an…
Continue reading this story -
October 15 2010
Do Androids Dream of Driving Electric Cars?
Recently Google announced that it has been testing driverless, automated cars for months, and with much success. The only accident being when a human driver rear-ended one of the the Google test vehicles. Cars that navigate with no human driver have been in Sci-fi stories for a long time, and now that we are a decade or less away (Google claims eight years), will we humans actually let the cars drive for us? The obvious benefits to having cars hooked up to smart computers is efficiency in driving, and gas or…
Continue reading this story -
August 31 2010
Family Science
The first time I went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), I was about six years old and was with my grandmother. I recall exhibits with taxidermied animals, old machinery and vehicles, and a giant great white shark hanging from the ceiling that I would stare at endlessly (out of fear and awe–could I fit inside its mouth?!). She would quietly take me around to exhibits (no running!) in an atmosphere that seemed like a library with some audio tours. That was over…
Continue reading this story
ADi Reel