Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Cui.
Hi Daniel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always liked video games and movies since I was a kid. Once I got towards the end of high school I started to think what is it that I want to do after I graduate? and over time it became pretty clear that I’m much more interested in being creative and making cool stuff than pursue something my family would consider to be more “stable.’ so after high school I attended the School of Visual Arts, and fell in love with the CG side of art. I focused mainly on 3D modeling, texturing and lighting, and out of University I was fortunate enough to be offered a position at Frame Machine as a Lighting Artist, and here I am!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
landing the first gig definitely was not easy, and Covid really threw a wrench in my uni days. as the industry is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, jobs were scarce and competition was high. So I an extremely grateful to be given the opportunity at Frame Machine and work on some pretty cool IP’s since I joined.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Lighting Artist at Frame Machine, working mostly on Fortnite content with their marketing side. I am given all these cool models from all sorts of IP’s from Mortal Kombat to Godzilla vs Kong and my job is to do the lighting for them, make them look good, and give them that final pop. I think what sets me apart is a willingness to dive in the deep end whenever problems occur and figure stuff out. I’m really proud of the renders I put out especially some IP crossovers that I have been a fan of since I was a kid.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I think the most important thing is to find happiness in the pursuit of knowledge. it’s great to be proud of your accomplishments but improvement really only comes by staying hungry. this is something that I had to learn over the years as I’ve had periods of stagnation which is never fun
Contact Info:
- Website: https://danielcxd.com
- Instagram: @danielcui12138
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielcxd
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