Hello and thank you for takingthe time to talk to us. Tell us a bit about your company…你们好，感谢你们接受我们的采访，来谈谈你们的工作室吧。。。
Mir is a small studio locatedalmost off the map on the west coast of Norway. We produce what we callportraits of unbuilt architecture. We have been working on perfecting communicationthrough images since 2000.
Mir是一家很小的工作室，我们位于挪威西海岸，地图上基本看不到的地方。我们称我们所做的事业为未被建成的建筑肖像。我们从2000年开始从事这项工作。
You collaborate with a lot ofarchitects on a large number of built or “in progress” projects. Do you find itdifficult to work on “somebody else’s vision”?
你们所参与的很多项目都已经被建成或者是在建设当中，你们觉得为了他人的想象去工作会很困难吗？
Do photographers find itdifficult to photograph a BMW because someone else has designed it?
有没有一个画图的人会认为一辆宝马比较难做是因为这玩意是别的人设计出来的？
Howdo you transition from CAD files to perfect 3D architectural models?你们是如何把cad文件很好的做成3d模型的？
The architects export a formatthat we can read.
设计师会帮我们导出一个我们可以使用的模型。
What programs/ plugins /scriptsdo you use?
你们一般用什么软件或者插件？
We use Lightwave and 3d StudioMax for the 3d stuff. For painting and post processing we use photoshop andAftereffects 我们用lightwave和3dmax。后期我们会用photoshop和Ae。
How do you keep up with all thechanges in technology?
你们如何应对硬件技术上的更新问题？
Haha, we don't. We always end upstuck with old versions of our software. In the end, companies like Autodeskforce us to keep updated as their software is not back- compatible and clientsoften use newer versions than us… As for Lightwave3D (which is a more sensibletool), we can choose to upgrade when we want to. 哈哈，我们的软件版本不会太新。像autodesk他们经常会更新他们的软件版本，客户往往使用的版本也会比我们的高。比如 lightwave3d（比较明智的一款软件），我们觉得有必要更新的时候才会去更新。
How involved is the interviewprocess at MIR? What do you look for in a new employee?
关于你们的面试要求？你们在招聘新人的时候会注重哪些问题？
We use portfolios for screening.After that we try to meet with the most qualified people and have them talkabout general things to get a sense of their personality and character. We arealways looking for talented artists, but we also need “good people” in ouroffice to create a fun and pulsating environment to be in. We would love tohire more girls, but unfortunately there is only one girl who applies for every100 guys... Right now there are people from Norway, Poland, Egypt, New Zealand,Hungary and the Netherlands in our team.
我们用档案筛选的方式。之后我们会与这些合格的人员从面谈中了解他们的性格个性。我们往往都会寻找一个有才华的艺术家，但是我们也会挑选其他一些（不错的人）让我们的工作室充满活力和乐趣。我们想多招几个姑娘进来，但是很不幸，100个面试的人中也就有那么1个是女性。现在我们的员工大多来自不同国家，比如挪威，波兰，埃及，新西兰，匈牙利和荷兰等。
With the market becoming moreand more competitive, what do you believe is a must that an artist has in hisportfolio or skills?
随着市场竞争的愈演愈烈，为什么你们会认为作为一名艺术家他必须有自己的技能和作品集？
He or she has to have a voice.There is too much generic, perfect, 3d “shit” out there. We have been throughmaybe 100 portfolios in the last few weeks, and half of them have some versionof " the perfect concrete texture with a purple sunset”. It too oftenfeels like the inspiration has come from another 3d work and not from acreative mind. We wish people would start with a pen and a piece of paper anddecide on what they want to create, not with a standard scene from Evermotionor the mindset to copy something they have seen on Cgtalk.
每个人都需要有自己的表达。现在有太多的现成儿的，通用的3d场景。我们上周看了100多份个人的作品集，有一半都是那种在紫色黄昏的映衬下表现得非常完美的混凝土材质场景。这种东西太常见了，从这些作品当中我们看不到任何带有个人思想的东西。当一个人想要创作的时候，我们更希望他可以拿出一张纸和一支笔，而不是找一个现成的场景再copy一些Cgtalk上的东西去完善。
The Future Library and MediaCenter in Ghent design has a great feedback. What were the challenges on thisproject? Can you give us an insight on the process, the goals of the projectand the difficult parts?
Future和Ghent设计的Media Center都有产生了很大的反响，这些项目对你们来说有哪些挑战？可否透露一下制作过程？这些项目的表现重点和一些比较难做的地方？
We did these images for UNStudiowhich we have worked quite a lot with. The goal was the usual. Trying to buildan atmosphere and identity in the images that would make the project be morevisually intriguing and memorable than the other proposals in the competition.UNStudio produce really-really great 3d models -way better than anyone in ourstudio could do.
我们给UNstudio做的这些图，我们已经跟他们合作过很多的项目。表现的重点和平时一样。通过氛围让他们的投标方案比其他方案看上去更加生动有趣且让人难忘。Unstudio的模型做得非常非常优秀-比我们其他客户的模型做的都要到位。
The difficult part is to getthese soft shapes out of rhino and into a polygon format that is smooth enough.In the end we had to fix quite a lot of bugs in Photoshop. As with any othercompetition project, the design changed quite a lot all the way towards theend. Incredibly annoying for us, but hey, that's life! 
最难的地方是如何把模型从犀牛导到polygon后让一些曲面保持他们的平滑度。最后我们不得不在ps里再做完善。同时这种竞标项目的模型通常都会一直改到接近交图的时间，这很让我们头疼，不过嘿嘿，这就是生活！：）
What were some of the challengeson the Greenland’s national museum of art?
Greenland’s national museum ofart这个项目对你们来说有哪些挑战？
This one went down quite easy.The main challenge was the technical part, drawing the nature because we didn'thave good photos.
这项目很好做，挑战就是在技术环节上，背景是我们画出来的因为实在没有好的图片素材。
BIG shares some of our passion for“scandinavian melancholy”, so we knew from start that we didn't have topopulate the images with happy kids playing with ballons and perfectly castedfamilies out to “experience culture”.
BIG想要一种偏向忧郁的调子，所以项目一开始我们就清楚没有必要把整体效果表现得很活跃。
How about the Ocean SpaceCentre?
关于Ocean Space Centre这个项目呢？
We did these images for UNStudiowhich we have worked quite a lot with. The goal was the usual. Trying to buildan atmosphere and identity in the images that would make the project be morevisually intriguing and memorable than the other proposals in the compeition.UNStudio produce really-really great 3d models -way better than anyone in ourstudio could do.
这张图是给UNstudio做的。表现的重点和他们以往的要求一样。通过氛围让他们的投标方案比其他方案看上去更加生动有趣且让人难忘。
What is the typical startingpoint in an architectural 3D project? How long does it usually take?
一个项目开始之前要做哪些准备？这会花费很长的时间吗？
The project starts with usgetting as much info as possible from the architect. Why does the building lookthe way it does? What is the function of the building? Are there any politicalthings to take into account? If the images are produced for a competition, whois in the competition jury? What is the architects strategy? After the initialbrief we sit down with the 3d model, try to understand the building and theclients ideas. Maybe do a couple of simple renders.
项目开始之前我们会要求甲方提供尽可能多的关于项目的资料。建筑整体的感觉是什么？建筑的功能是什么？建筑的背景是什么？如果这是一个投标项目，那么评审团的成员是谁？设计师的策略是什么？之后我们会坐下来讨论建筑的模型，了解这个建筑和甲方的设计理念。也许先简单的渲两个不同的调子出来。
Then we sit down with our teamand try to talk about our understanding of the project, strengths andweaknesses, can we do the things that the architect issued in the first place?We do some simple sketches on paper and discuss what sort of aesthetics wouldsuit the project the best. We then go back to the architect asking themquestions: Is it meant to be a bit like Disneyland or are you looking for amore poetic experience? Stuff like that.
然后我们会讨论每一个人对这个建筑的理解，讨论它的长处及弱点，能否在甲方给的时间内达到某种效果。我们会在纸上简单的做一些手绘来猜想设计师想要表现的东西。然后我们再去跟他们交流，也许会问他们一些问题，比如是不是气氛类似迪士尼乐园或者属于富有诗意的那种感觉？大概过程就是这些。
What other supportingdepartments do you typically involve on an average project? How large does thislist grow when you’re working on a 3D presentation/movie?
你们在运作一些大型项目的时候会不会和一些同行进行合作？你们是怎么操作的？
Wesometimes hire photographers for site photography, and for larger modelingtasks we will use specialist external 3d modelers.
我们有时候会雇佣一些后期选手参与一些大型场景的后期制作，还有一些模型工作量较大的场景，我们会雇一些模型师帮忙。
How do you start working on a 3Dproject like The Center for Dialogue in Mecca? What are the usual steps?
The Center for Dialogue in Mecca这个项目你们是如何入手的？通常分多少步骤呢？
We first receive the info and the3d model. Then we think. Then we talk. Then we sketch. Then we talk some more,sketch some more and try to get the sketch approved through strongargumentation for the concepts we propose. After that we refine the 3d modeland the textures etc. Finally, we show a high resolution sketch to our clientsfor approval of the textures, colors, etc. Then we finish the image. In the endwe sit down as a team to see how we can improve the image further. And send itbefore Friday evening just in time for a beer.
首先我们收到3d模型，然后我们思考。然后我们讨论。然后手绘。然后我们讨论更多的东西，手绘更多的重点，通过手绘达到我们初步设想的场景氛围。之后我们会整理3d模型和贴图等。最后我们把高质量的小样发给客户去看。其中包涵了材质，颜色等。最后把成图做出来。接着，我们会坐下来讨论这张图还可以如何提升改善。然后赶在周五晚上之前把图发出去，不能耽误我们喝啤酒的时间。
Do you use the same techniquesfrom one project to another? What is your company’s strongest point (design,modeling, sketching, rendering, environment, maps, animating)?
每个项目你们会不会使用相同的技术手法？你们公司的强项在？(设计，建模，手绘，渲染，环境创建，贴图，动画）？
Our main strength is that we tryto work with our clients and not for them. This means that we can add energyand ideas to our clients projects instead of just doing a technical job. Aftermore than 10 years working on architectural projects, the architects don't haveto tell us how things work. But other than that, we have a huge variety oftechnical skills in the office, and we can use whoever fits the project athand. Like myself for instance, I can hardly model anything more complicatedthan a box, but I am fluent in Wacom, so to speak We always try to tone downthe 3d technical aspects when we develop concepts, or communicate with clients.It’s a tool that should be mastered like any other tools. Owning a hammer andknowing how to knock a nail perfectly into a nice piece of wood doesn't meanyou can build a nice house. Our work is mainly about the storytelling andideas, the technical execution goes without saying. 我们的优势在于与客户之间相互合作而不是完全为了客户在做事。这就意味着我们可以给我们的客户提供一些想法和观念而不是做单纯的技术活。经过了10年的磨练，我们现在的客户已经不会告诉我们他们的东西应该怎么去做。比这些更加重要宝贵的是我们内部有很多擅长各个方面表现能力的人才，我们会针对每个项目特点选择合适的人去参与。比如我建模特别烂，所以肯定不会去做模型啦。在我们推敲方案或者跟甲方讨论项目的时候往往不会把技术放到最主要的位置。技术就像是你必须精通的工具一样。如果你可以用一把锤子很完美的把钉子钉在一块精致的木板上，并不能代表你就可以建造一所很漂亮的房子。我们主要的工作是关于讲述一个故事和关于这个故事的创作，技术上没什么可谈的。
Which design do you believe wasthe most difficult to achieve?
哪一种类型的设计是你们觉得比较难表现的？
Some of our clients have a reallytop down heavy beurocracy. There is almost no point in trying to add ideas tothe process, because the guy that you are stuck with will never be able to sellyour ideas to the to boss. (Who you never get to talk to anyway). These clientsknow exactly what they want before we go into the project. They send us apre-selected camera angle and an image from a competing company that they wantyou to copy. (I notice that I get agitated writing this). Then they want you tomake an amazing image out of this...... With both hands tied behind your back!Even if sometimes the images that start out like this turn out good, projectslike this are really hard. But you must handle it professionally, just pull outyour makeup and do your best to make the slut look pretty. It goes withoutsaying that other clients get priority over these clients.
一些我们客户的客户对他们的项目要求相当严格。这种项目基本不可能植入我们个人的创作观点，因为你永远不能把你自己的观点卖给他们的老板。这种类型客户在把项目交给我们之前就很清楚他们想要什么类型的东西。他们会把他们自己打的相机和自己选择的参考图发给我们让我们照着来。然后他们要求你必须做的比这些东西更好。。。这种项目对于我们来说很痛苦。但是我们必须更加专业的来对待这种类型的甲方，只要拉出你的化妆盒把这个荡妇打扮得漂漂亮亮的就行了。对比起这种客户我们都会优先选择其他客户的项目做。
Which render engine would yourecommend?
关于渲染器你们推荐哪种？
Lightwavenative render or Fprime. Not V-ray, I think it sucks. But still, we have 5 guysin the office using it, and it's not like everything they do turns out bad (Photoshop is a marvelous tool) Our long term aim is to bringLightwave into everybodies toolset as it would simplify in-house efficiency alot.
Lightwave或者fprime。不是v-ray，我认为v-ray很操蛋。但是我们工作室仍然有5位同事使用v-ray。而且渲出来的东西也都不错。（ps确实是个了不起的工具）
How important is it to have aproper education in this field?
在这个行业里的教育背景有多重要？
It doesn't matter. The only thingeducation proves is that you can set goals and achieve them. The professionrequires a hell of a lot of discipline and hard work though.
无所谓，最重要的实践经验就是你可以达到你设定的目标。
For the majority, the best schoolcan do is to get you into a working environment, such as Mir, at a young age.Being in a studio where everyone around you works to become the best they canbe is super-inspirational and it is impressive how fast people develop skillsafter they join us.
关于专业，最好的学校就是可以让你有一个相关的工作观景。就像mir。作为一个工作室我身边的这些年轻人的进步速度令人印象深刻。一些人在加入我们之后才会发现他们自身的巨大潜力。
What do you have up your sleevefor future projects?
你们会为今后的项目作何准备？
An open mind and curious spirit.
开放的思想和求知精神。
If you had the opportunity tospend a day with anyone from this industry, who would it be?如果给你一个机会去和一个同行讨论相关的话题，你会选择谁？
We would rather hang out withfriends and talk about something completely different than talk about 3d over abeer.
我宁愿和我的朋友喝着啤酒讨论一些工作之外的事情。
发表于 2013-5-19 13:57:32
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