"I grew up with Wacom products, [and] many things would have been impossible without them" – Viraj Andrew Bunnag, Managing Director, B-Digital Productions

www.b-digital.com
www.b-digitalschool.com

Visitors find themselves impressed with the advanced equipment at studios and classrooms of B-Digital Productions. In Thailand, where Wacom tablets and interactive pen displays are considered a mark of the elite in the digital content creation industry, this small production studio and training school lures both clients and students with its dedication to providing only the best.

B-Digital Productions was established and managed by Viraj Andrew Bunnag. The veteran digital artist was raised and studied mainly in the U.S. and Europe in the field of architecture, and used his training there to re-launch his career in the CGI & computer gaming industry in 1999. He was hired by top Hollywood studios to work on the special effects of blockbuster movies such as The Day After Tomorrow, Stealth, and many other prominent projects before returning to his native Thailand.

In 2005, Andrew opened B-Digital Productions' doors to clients fulfilling a life-long dream with his wife Mutsuko, a former CG artist at a leading U.S. game studio. What Andrew discovered then was a lack of creative professionals in Thailand who had the skills and technological know-how needed to create world-class content. Andrew decided not only to train his staff himself, but also saw the perfect opportunity to open a vocation-oriented training school equipped with industry-standard hardware and software that would help the Thai digital content creation industry increase its talent pool.

Giving staff and students only the best tools and training

Andrew is generous in imparting his knowledge to his staff--a quality essential in any relationship between employers and employees. However, he also understands that, in this industry, knowledge of the latest equipment is also essential. At B-Digital, artists learn to produce high quality artwork using Wacom’s professional graphics tablet, the Intuos3.

Intuos3 is a standard in the creative industry for artists working digitally on powerful software applications such as the ones taught at B-Digital including Adobe Creative Suite, Maya, Corel Painter, ZBrush, Vue, Render Man, Alias Sketchbook Pro and others. Andrew guarantees that there is no lag time for his artists and students by using the latest Intel-based machines with 2GB of system memory.

In addition to B-Digital's 15 Intuos3 tablets, the facility is also equipped with the state-of-the-art Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display. Based on Intuos3 pen tablet technology, the display offers artists a true virtual canvas to work on by allowing direct, on-screen pen input.

The school uses the Wacom products in its advanced digital art, animation and concept design courses. The curriculum is oriented towards the needs of employers rather than the academic approach taken by art departments at universities. This has made the school extremely popular among art students as well as working professionals looking to pick up a new skill set.

Improving creative productivity

Before equipping B-Digital's computers with Wacom tablets, artists used mice & trackballs to work and found that precision could not be achieved and production time was slow and long. After Andrew equipped the production team with Intuos3, everyone felt the difference in performance and usability immediately.

The artists became more creative and production time was significantly reduced. Intuos3 is used in painting, concept drawing, texturing and 2D & 3D animation at the studio. For more critical work where attention to detail is required, Andrew uses the Cintiq 21UX in order to work directly on-screen.

Wacom products have greatly improved artwork produced by B-Digital by enabling a seamless transition from traditional to digital media. The natural feel of holding a Wacom grip pen is no different from working with real brushes. B-Digital finds the Wacom user interface simple which is an important consideration for many digital artists. The programmable ExpressKeys and touch strips are indispensable as they have greatly increased the productivity of and reduced development time for sophisticated works.

When working with Photoshop on photo retouching, painting and compositing, B-Digital could easily use the various tools with pinpoint accuracy. Wacom breathed new life to their ZBrush usage, particularly in 3D sculpting which was not possible with any other input devices. What impressed Andrew the most was that using Wacom tablets reduced the tediousness of working on complex texturing and painting for his team. B-Digital was able to control the detail and was able to be very creative with painting techniques.

Andrew cited an example where painting work was reduced by 40%, from 5 to 3 hours, compared to using a mouse or trackball for content creation. Another important contribution was customers were able to appreciate the quality of work, which has helped B-Digital promote their business to higher profile customers around the globe.

Industry standard

In their line of work, both Andrew and Mutsuko find Wacom products the minimum standard for anyone who aims to become a professional. That is why B-Digital students get trained with Wacom tablets in their digital art and related creative courses.

Overseas studios tend to look at the development time and quality when outsourcing to Asia. Andrew observed that existing resources in Thailand do not adequately address these concerns. If businesses want to succeed, they need to use the best tools in the trade, besides having a talented workforce.

Andrew values Wacom innovations as they push the boundaries of his creativity. The performance and reliability have enabled his team to take on bigger assignments without worries of downtime and quality issues. He highly recommends Wacom to students and those who want to go professional as it's a worthwhile investment.

Wacom marks an important chapter in Andrew's life. "I grew up with Wacom products, many things would have been impossible without it ... a product that grows in you." said Andrew in the conclusion of the interview. Looking at heaps of figurines, toys and gadgetries on Andrew's work desk, it's not difficult to see an exploratory child in him and an ever creative mind. Perhaps this is what is drives B-Digital and sets B-Digital apart from its competitors.