Steve Holmes is the creative director of the award-winning Energi Design. Originally founded in London, the company now resides in San Francisco. Steve’s work is highly regarded in the design industry both in Europe and the US. Energi Design’s clients include Virgin Atlantic, Nike, Adobe, Apple, Cadbury’s, Artbeats and Sotheby’s Real Estate among others.
Back in 2000 Steve had the chance to meet Zax at the National Association of Broadcasters conference. “I had been using Zaxwerks for several years by then so it was fun to meet the man behind the software.”
“Zaxwerks products give us perfect results, while not having to leave AE or learn a serious 3D program. We own Modo and Cinema 4D but never use them for motion graphics. 3D Invigorator has helped us achieve visual effects and motion work in After Effects, which would have been impossible due to the limitations of After Effects itself. The 3D Invigorator being tied into the AE camera is one of the best things in the world!”
Just last year Steve took on a new challenge, an HD challenge. “We jumped at the chance to do an HD commercial,” says Homes. “The client, USA Cycling, was in need of 3D animation for their end title. Both speed and quality were of the utmost importance. The logo includes a flag which we needed to animate in a realistic fashion. There’s also a 3D build-on of their wheel logo.”
USA Cycling has a program which places elite cyclists in Europe to develop them for a career in professional cycling. The organization also funds amateur racing in the US. “The commercials were a call for donations and support to the organization,” said Holmes. “Cycling is not government-funded like it is in many European countries where it’s the national sport. I’m from Europe and can appreciate this wonderful thing!”
The commercials were aired daily on Versus HD during the live broadcast of the Tour de France.
Steve has become a huge fan of some of the features in Zaxwerks Products.
“The beveling on the 3D Invigorator, as well as the reflection mapping for the metallic effects, those features alone are worth every penny! In terms of speed the construction and animation of the 3D elements is straight forward, and the live previews of the flag animation within the software helped tremendously. 3D Flag was incredibly handy.”
Holmes sums up his experiences this way. “The products just work. They are fast, fluid, and easy to use and not cluttered or complicated like other programs. The fact they slot right into our After Effects workflow is a huge deciding factor. We get complicated projects completed on time, on budget, and to the highest HD quality. What more of an effect could we wish for? We rely on Zaxwerks!”
To see more of Steve’s work go to www.clickenergi.com
