Remi Marchand is a Digital Designer from France, and he has worked for some of the top design firms in the country. He was nice enough to sit down and answer some questions we had;

How long have you been a designer and what is your schooling background?

I graduated in 2006 from the International School of Design based in Valenciennes (France). They have THE best program in Digital Design, BA, MA degree. So, after 4 years of school (2 years of Industrial Design and 2 years of 3D specialization) I did not really know at the time where I wanted to work. I had a few ideas like Ecco Design in NY, BMW or even Audi but it's in the Bay Area that I found the agency that would make me want to live in the United States. I got my first internship at One and Co (www.oneandco.com) and stayed there for a year after renewing my Visa several time. This opportunity was a big step for me, and I quickly fell in love with the city of San Francisco, with its rich artistic cultural background and its numerous Design Agencies (Lunar, IDEO, Smart, Frog, Ammunition, Fuse etc...)
I have been a Designer for 3 years now. A year after One and Co I landed a job for 2 years at Astro Studios (www.astrostudios.com) in SF as well. There, I met the most talented and friendly people you can ever meet. I also freelanced for several agencies in the Bay Area like Propane Studios, Angry Little Dog etc... I left California in June 2009 and recently I got the title of Head of Digital Design Studies at the international School of Design in PUNE (India). I always wanted to travel the world and transmit my knowledge. Check the school at http://www.dskisd.com/ I will focus on teaching students all the tools and how to become a professional Digital Designer willing to work around the globe. Also i have a side project, which is the creation of sci-fi models and vehicles, and a step by step series of online tutorials to explain the process. There is a serious lack of resources on the web concerning the process of surface modeling Design.

What are your favorite programs to build a model and/or render it in, and why?

I build all my models in Studio Tools, starting from Designer Sketches and/or Illustrator packages. People like Daniel Simon use a similar method It is to me the most reliable tool you can get on the market. I am able to work quickly during a concept phase and propose all sort of pre-models, but also in details during a phase of development. I even create class "A" models which is the rigorous automotive standard, a sort of super-accurate modeling and optimization method in order to get the lightest files and the most authentic reflections on the vehicle body. This is truly another level in surface modeling, something that Polygonal softs like Maya will never do. Polygons are what they are, a fast way to get to a form but without accuracy. Then, I really like the rendering engine Vray on 3DS max. You can get stunning results in a short amount of time. There's also plenty of available online tutorials and they are pretty well made. MentalRay on Maya is also a very good product, more customizable and a tad more complex. The good point is that now being made by Autodesk, the dialogue in between Studio Tools and Maya is fairly easy. Try Autodesk Showcase too. Our profession is rapidly changing and now renderings tend to be more and more automated. And very soon will be available real time solutions that will implement all the features like Global illumination, refraction and radiosity. My vision is that therewill always be a need for 3d modelers, as the need for rendering artists will dramatically decrease in the Industrial Design Industry.

Know any good online resources where students can go to get help with 3d modeling or rendering?

My main inspirationnal online resources are: www.cgtalk.com www.cardesignnews.com http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com http://www.highend3d.com/ http://www.3dm3.com/ http://www.cgcars.net/

An awesome free textures database: www.cgtextures.com

And an awesome car Blueprints database: http://www.smcars.net/

Wheres the best place to see more of your work?

Visit my website: www.remimarchand.squarespace.com

Any advice you could give industrial design students?

Good luck and have fun !

Thanks to Remi for allowing us to interview him, and don't forget to check out his online portfolio, here it is again; www.remimarchand.squarespace.com