Lauren Brady, Author at REALTIME

Meet Dionys

What’s your role at REALTIME?

At REALTIME I’m an Automotive CGI Generalist and my job is to create photorealistic materials/models and renders for some very respected car brands. As a hard surface modeller, I sculpt extremely detailed parts, then tweak and adjust all manner of things to get them to look photo-real using 3ds Max, V-Ray, Substance Painter, After Effects to name but a few.

Tell me a little bit about yourself?

I first dabbled in CG when I was 14 and haven’t stopped. For the last 8 years, I’ve had various roles including the Design Director of Zedro Motors. Having no limits in how I could express my love for cars was what first got my interest and from there every day has been an opportunity to push the limits of what I can achieve.

What first sparked your interest in cars?

The Pagani Zonda. This car came out in 2000 when I was just 5. It made an incredible impact on me as it was so different and unique. In general, the thrill and adrenaline speed can offer while being able to admire a perfectly designed car is just the perfect combination for me!

So, what does an average day consist of for you?

My day starts with making a coffee then catching up with the team. I get quickly back on track and lose myself to graphics while listening to some nice music. Communication with my manager is very important in order to work on the right path. The day also includes many laughs and jokes which keep everyone smiling, it’s a really nice working atmosphere. There are new things to learn every day because this is a high-end graphics company which stands out in this competitive industry.

What’s been your favourite project to work on and that you’re most proud of?

Well, I’ve worked on quite a lot of projects but my proudest is that I designed a concept supercar from scratch for a company and had the chance to see it and drive it in Miami. Words can’t describe that feeling. It was one of my biggest goals and I’m glad to have achieved it at this age.

What’s the best thing about working here?

For me, every single thing is fascinating because it’s all I ever dreamed of. I spent thousands of hours in my house doing graphics and now I have the opportunity to work on that in an amazing office with a high-end spec pc and most importantly, some really talented artists and now friends!

Are there any upcoming things in the industry that you think people need to keep an eye out for?

There are always exciting things coming in this industry, that’s why I never get bored. There are no limits in 3D graphics and that’s why I can’t predict what the future holds.

Do you have any tips for new artists wanting to do what you do?

It’s all about how bad you really want something. There will be a lot of sacrifices, but everything pays off eventually so stick to the plan and don’t even think of giving up.

Tell me a fun fact about yourself?

I’m the youngest road legal supercar designer in the world and I never went to a car design school.

200K Dream Garage

Queen said it best with the song ‘I’m in Love With My Car’. Roger Taylor’s love song to automobiles says what every car enthusiast is thinking, and what non-enthusiasts can’t ever comprehend. The beauty of each and every vehicle. The bond people create with their cars that are inimitable.

Roger might have been a bit too enthusiastic, but the point still stands – there’s a lot to love about cars. I asked the REALTIME automotive team what their dream garage would be. But, they only had a budget of £200,000.

It’s just a bit of fun so you could get to know them better but it quickly turned into serious business; cars are no laughing matter. Without further ado, our dream garages!

Tony Prosser – Managing Director

Tony founded REALTIME back in 1996 and has been responsible for driving the company’s growth over the last 22 years. Speaking of driving (excuse the tenuous link) Tony’s dream garage is a mix of the popular and the unique. It includes the classic choice of a right-hand drive Ford Mustang and a blast from the past in the form of a Ford Fiesta XR2. The full list, including prefered colour choices, includes:

2000 Lotus Exige S1 (Norfolk mustard)
2001 Lotus 340R (silver and grey)
2018 Ford Mustang 5.0 Convertible (black, RHD)
1986 Ford Fiesta XR2 (white)
2018 Range Rover Velar D300

Paul McSweeney – Client Services Director

Paul has gone for the classic dream garage configuration – a perfect blend of new and old with his 2018 Alpine A110 and a ‘70s era Rover P5 Coupe. The crown jewel might well be the Land Rover Discovery, with all the bells and whistles. The full garage list includes:

2018 ‘Christmas Tree’ Land Rover Discovery 3.0d
2018 Launch Edition Alpine A110
Mint condition 1993 Series III Jaguar XJ12 Sovereign
1973 Rover P5 Coupe

Damian Bilinski – Senior Automotive Artist

Damian’s loves in life can be boiled down to the 4 C’s – cinema, concerts, craft beer, and cars. And when it comes to cars it looks like the bigger the better, with a 4×4 jeep and a Volkswagen California camper van. The full list includes:

2015 Jeep Wrangler 2.8 CRD Sahara Hard Top
2014 Range Rover Evoque
Volkswagen California Camper Van
1993 Honda NSX
2016 Mercedes-Benz A-Class A180

Graham James – Senior Producer (Automotive)

Graham is the only one to choose six vehicles and the first one to choose a bike! This gamer at heart has gone for some old-school choices, and has the oldest pick with his 1958 Plymouth Fury. There’s also a 1961 Ford Galaxie and a 1994 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo 2 which looks exactly like you would expect a car from the early 90s to look. His list includes:

1958 Plymouth Fury
1961 Ford Galaxie Coupe
1994 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo 2
1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R
2001 Mini Cooper S
2017 Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R

Will Wilson – Senior 3D Artist (Automotive)

If there’s a running theme with Will’s choices, it’s that they’re all simple, slick, and easy on the eyes. Favouring the classic over the contemporary – with three picks from the 70s or earlier – he had to force himself to pick something actually from this century in the form of a Lexus LS 460. The full list includes:

1972 BMW 2002
1969 Jaguar E Type
1966 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Lexus LS 460

Mihai Tarus – CG Automotive Generalist

If you were wondering how Mihai spends his free time, we’ll save you the effort – it’ll have something to do with cars. Whether he’s out for a drive in the countryside or staying in watching Top Gear reruns on Dave for the 100th time, his love of cars eclipses all. Especially the 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport sitting in his driveway. Given the chance, Mihai’s dream garage would include:

2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV
2018 Volvo V90 CrossCountry T6
2019 Mazda MX-5
1985 Mercedes-Benz C123 V8 Resto-mod
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX GSR

Dionys Saka – Junior CG Generalist (Automotive)

Dionys is one of the newest members of the REALTIME team. He’s made his mark with his selection of fast cars, sleek bikes, and a Honda scooter. He also spent exactly £200,000 with his picks – see what we mean about serious business? His choices are:

Audi R8 V10 Spyder
Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe
Lamborghini Gallardo LP550
KTM 690 Supermoto
Honda PCX125

The sheer variety on display just goes to show how much love there is for cars here at REALTIME. Everyone has their own unique taste and they’re all fantastic picks in their own right. Are the BBC still looking for Top Gear presenters, because we know a few people who they might be interested in.

At REALTIME we love cars, and we know how much you love your cars. If you want a company that knows how to bring your creation to life with care and attention to detail, our CGI expertise and automotive adoration make us the perfect partner. Get in touch with me at [email protected]

Meet Nathan

Tell me a little bit about yourself?

I’m an IT Geek who loves all things Tech! I’m also mad on gaming so getting a job at REALTIME was pretty exciting. Oh and I also enjoy the occasional gym session.

What’s your role at REALTIME?

I keep the businesses’ tech-stuff up and running and make sure all the artists are happy!

What first sparked your interest in IT?

I’ve always had a fascination with Computers and hardware.

Even from an early age I was building PC’s, although at that age I was mostly breaking them…

So, what does an average day consist of for you?

Normally running around making sure nothing is causing our artists any issues!

Every day is always a different puzzle to solve!

What’s been your favourite project to work on and that you’re most proud of?

Every project is always different I could never pick from one as they all have their own challenges.

But the feeling when they are completed is always the same!

What’s the best thing about working here?

The huge amount of experience that the business exposes you to, to allow you to develop your skills.

And the table tennis of course.

Are there any upcoming things in the industry that you think people need to keep an eye out for?

Augmented reality!

Tell me a fun fact about yourself?

I’m surprisingly quite the baker!

Blurring the lines

Augmented Reality (AR) is one of those pieces of technology that looks like it came straight out of a film. We’re not at Minority Report levels yet, but we’re getting close. Similar to VR, AR is something that has been around for since the 90s but is currently going through a renaissance thanks to the advent of smartphones and tablets.

One of the biggest mobile games on the market is Pokémon Go, which prominently features AR. On the enterprise tech side of things, it has evolved, with Microsoft’s HoloLens or the Magic Leap One advancing towards ‘mixed reality’. Many companies see the value of it as a marketing tool. It even featured on the latest series of BBC’s The Apprentice, with candidates having to design a comic book that came to life on your phone. It’s technology of the future right here in 2018. But is it here to stay or will it become a gimmick?

It’s in the game

Considering how long AR has existed as a concept, it isn’t going to be some flash in the pan fad. If projections are to be believed, The AR and VR device market is worth approximately $1.8 billion. The user base of AR is also expected to explode in the next four years.

Currently, gaming is the most popular use of the technology – and will probably continue to be. We already mentioned Pokémon Go from Niantic, which had its highest player count since 2016 this summer. That game came off the back of Niantic’s Ingress, which was also centred around AR.

Despite this, AR hasn’t taken hold of the gaming scene quite like how VR has. When Microsoft demoed their HoloLens at E3 in 2015, Minecraft took centre stage, but the technology has proven more popular with the likes of NASA, medical schools, and the military. Not surprising since it costs up to £4,500. Not exactly a consumer product. That’s not to say AR doesn’t have its place with consumers.

ARdvertising

Snapchat, one of the most successful mobile apps on the market flaunts its AR as a key feature. Other companies are using the tech to enhance the user experience. IKEA Place is an app that lets you ‘place’ their furniture in your home to see how it looks. Specsavers allow you to try before you buy too, so you can see if those tortoiseshell specs actually suit you.

For those last two, they are marketing tools disguised as an app. The aim is for the user to buy IKEA furniture or Specsavers glasses. But it doesn’t feel that way when you’re using it. And that is the key to good AR.

AR is fast becoming the most desirable way to advertise, as it adds an element of interactivity you don’t usually find. Consumers want experiences, not adverts. They are pervasive, and it’s hard not to tune them out unless they do something especially unique (see John Lewis’s Christmas ads and the resulting hype). AR adverts are more engaging; whether it takes the form of a game or overlays an element into the world, it involves the user. Even though AR and games make the perfect match, their use as a marketing tool for games is woefully underutilised given that assets will exist from the game which can potentially be used to create such experiences.

The one downside? It’s not always effortless. Bringing AR into the world usually requires an extra app, which makes using it as an advertising tool that much more complicated. But it’s a ‘chicken or egg’ kind of problem – consumers don’t use the apps because there’s not enough there, but it doesn’t exist because there are no consumers.

The solution is to create more experiences. If you build it, they will come, as the saying goes. There’s clearly a taste for AR, and it’s never been more accessible to the general public. If the market truly is set to take off in the coming years, don’t you want to be involved?

With experience creating AR apps that engage and enrapture audiences, RealtimeUK knows all about the importance of AR having worked with the automotive sector to create unique, bespoke AR experiences. If you have an upcoming project that would benefit from an AR experience, get in touch with me on +44 (0)161 711 0260 or [email protected]

Mobile gaming – the Goliath of the industry

Remember Snake? A staple of Nokia phones in the 90s, it might be the earliest example of mobile gaming; certainly the most popular. The mobile gaming scene today couldn’t be more different. It’s a behemoth that exploded thanks to the iPhone and other smart devices. It eclipses traditional console and PC gaming in both player base and revenue.

It’s a market that refuses to slow down, and given some people’s predictions it isn’t going to any time soon. But where else can it go? Is there a ceiling it will eventually hit? And has it changed the games industry for good?

Titans of the industry

By the end of 2018, the mobile games industry is expected to make $70.3 billion, more than double what consoles will ($34.6 billion). It accounts for 51% of sales within the gaming industry. By 2021, it could reach a revenue of over $100 billion.

Its fatal flaw though is its high levels of saturation. There are well over 800,000 games available on Apple’s App Store as of now. The majority of the revenue goes towards the prestige titles; everybody knows them, even your mum, your dad, and your dog.

The biggest earner at the moment is tween favourite Fortnite, which makes over $2 million a day for Epic Games. This is followed by the king of the market, King’s Candy Crush Saga, a six-year-old game that still manages to pull in over $1 million a day. It would be impossible for mobile games to not influence the wider gaming market, although it’s debatable who has the bigger impact on the other.

The name of the game

The top 50 highest grossing mobile games are all free-to-play (F2P). The majority of them make their money through in-app purchases that manifest in various ways. It’s a divisive tactic, with some lamenting it as the death of gaming or refusing to even touch such a game.

Others though prefer the low level of entry and are more than happy with playing their allotted time. Most people will only play for an average of 23 minutes a day. With no upfront cost commitment, more people are encouraged to download, which is why they remain the most popular games on the market.

Eyes on me

So how does one game separate itself from the pack? With something like Fortnite, it already has an established fandom, but other games, like Candy Crush Saga or Clash of Clans, built theirs up from seemingly nothing. As we mentioned, with 800,000 games on the market, and with an audience with limited time, breaking your way into even the top 1% is a challenge.

It’s no surprise then that those that dominate the charts are the same ones who release trailers to build up interest. And it rarely stops at just one; an ongoing series of trailers keeps audiences engaged over a longer period of time, keeping them in the game’s ‘ecosystem’ if you will. Despite being one of the most popular games in the world, Fortnite still sees the value in using trailers.

Since their gameplay isn’t the most scintillating, many mobile games have taken to creating pre-rendered trailers. Candy Crush Saga’s TV advert has 1.5 million views on YouTube. Clash of Clans? Their most popular trailer has 99 million views.

It begs the question of whether it works or not, but given the ongoing success of the games (Clash of Clans is currently the sixth highest-grossing mobile game) and the sheer number of viewers their trailers pull in, you’d struggle to argue that they don’t. They sometimes even star celebrities like Liam Neeson, Kate Upton and Ryan Reynolds.

It could be said that trailers are a ‘reward’ for being a long-term, loyal fan, with Clash of Clans in particular having a sense of internal continuity across its trailers that turns the concept of a simple mobile game into one with character and lore.

In-app advertisements for other games are becoming more prevalent, as many developers turn to trailers to differentiate themselves amongst their competitors. Though their grasp of what makes a truly engaging trailer might not always hit the mark.

It’s hard to imagine a future where mobile games don’t exist. Their continuation is probably tied to smartphones, so as long as they’re around, so are the games. 47% of smartphone owners in the UK use them to play games, and that number will no doubt continue to rise.

It can be challenging to stand out amongst the crowd in the mobile gaming market, but an effective trailer goes a long way in increasing your chances of hitting the mark. Here at RealtimeUK, we create cinematics that enchant an audience. If you would like to talk about your upcoming game with us, get in touch with me on [email protected] or call +44 (0)161 711 0260