Piyush Patel is the CEO of Digital—Tutors, and aids millions of artists daily with online training and maintains a client list that includes top companies.
Piyush Patel has been teaching new artists the principles of computer graphics, animation, and visual effects for over a decade. Piyush was a tenured professor of Computer Animation and Multimedia at NOC, where he started the program, developed the curriculum and conducted research in alternative methods of learning. He has also authored and assisted in nine college textbooks and has authored over 30 interactive training titles covering several facets of computer graphics.
Over the years, he has received a wide array of recognition for his work in educating artists and advancing digital art in Oklahoma, including: the Oklahoma State University Rising Star Award, Oklahoma TRIO Achiever of the Year, NISOD Distinguished Faculty Award, Oklahoma State Leadership Legacy, Journal Record's Achievers Under 40, Telly Award Winner, Aegis Award Winner, Omni Award Winner, Horizon Interactive Award, 2-time recipient of Journal Record's Innovator of the Year.
Currently, Patel is the CEO of Digital-Tutors, and aids millions of artists daily with online training and maintains a client list that includes top companies, government agencies, academic institutions, and studios from across the globe. During the past decade, Patel has had the opportunity to teach artists next-generation techniques at Electronic Arts, assist in product visualization at Motorola, and develop educational curriculum for the University of Michigan.
In addition to participating in several industry associations, Piyush has been a guest lecturer for Pixar at Siggraph®, has worked with Electronic Arts and Nerjyzed on pipeline development, and developed the curriculum being used for University of Michigan, Francis Tuttle, Northern Oklahoma College. He has collaborated with artists from top studios such as ILM, Weta Digital, Radical Games, Ubisoft, Digital Domain, Animal Logic, Psyop, and Nickelodeon on teaching production techniques and workflow. Piyush has also assisted top academic institutions such as the Art Institutes, Savannah College of Art and Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Parsons on educational methods and curriculum support.
He has helped create a new generation of digital artists through the hundreds of free online tutorials he has developed, as well as events, class lectures, training products, and site training.
In such a fast-paced industry with new tools and techniques being used daily, Piyush has spent his professional career educating tomorrow’s artists, today. The work being created by the next generation of artists around the world embodies Piyush’s passion to teach.
Piyush, whose pen name is “Papa Georgio” on the Internet, holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education and a Masters of Science in Adult Education with an emphasis on e-Learning.
A conversation with Piyush Patel
How did you get involved with 3D computer graphics?
Piyush: I started out at Educational Television Services on the campus of Oklahoma State University where they were using a number of different tools to create broadcast pieces. I was fascinated by the systems and the workflow but they wouldn't let me gain access to the 'Animation Room" the dark one with the large monitors. Once I got them to let me work with the software, which was Saturday evenings, I opened the books to get started and realized I didn't speak 3D. So frustration got me to experiment and learn from others around me. At the time, I was working on an education degree and found myself spending every moment in the office creating things. Soon I was moonlighting as a 3D artist / trainer every evening and weekend while teaching 6th grade during the day.
What are some of the projects have you worked on?
Piyush: I've had the opportunity to work on lots of different projects all focused on teaching Maya or pipeline development. One key highlight was getting to teach sculpting techniques and the use of digital sculpting to artists and trainers at Electronic Arts. I've also had the opportunity to teach mental ray to Motorola's top industrial designers, help develop academic curriculum for the University of Michigan, and Pixar RenderMan to a group of broadcast artists are a few projects that stand out in my mind. I've got over 180,000 people who have used Digital-Tutors commercially and millionswho use Digital-Tutors personally to learn Maya so really the projects never seem to end.
As an Autodesk Master, for what do you use the 3D software? (For example, character rigging, modeling, texturing, lighting etc.)
Piyush: My focus has been on sculpting, dynamics, modeling, animation, MEL scripting, rigging and pipeline integration, but, I enjoy all aspects of the software and really look at it as a creative tool. I can't say I totally focus on one part because my day pulls me into all different areas of the tool. We have incredible artists who focus on modeling, some on rigging / animation and others on rendering or scripting. I find that to be productive with all of them I need to be up to speed on the tools they are teaching and explaining.
What makes this industry so exciting to you?
Piyush: The constant change is really what drives me. I focus on training and helping new artists learn new techniques or build a strong foundation so for me no two days are the same and that is what I love. The challenge of taking someone who has never seen Maya and, after a few days, see the lights fire off is an awesome feeling. I am always impressed with the level of art and technical achievement of the artists who use Maya. For me personally, the best pieces of art I have created are the successful people out there working full time as 3D artists who didn't know Maya prior to our interaction.
Where do you see the industry going in the next five years?
Piyush: I see a strong convergence happening already with different device playback and media consumption. As producers of content, consumers want it faster than we can produce it. A movie is over in 2 hours and the consumer is waiting on the next one. So I think a lot of effort will be put into that area of the pipeline.
What words of wisdom do you have for anyone interested in entering the professional world of 3D computer graphics?
Piyush: Get a foundation in art and never stop learning. The medium is changing so fast and the techniques are always evolving so the key is to stay on the wave and constantly evaluate your own workflow for better solutions.
More information about Piyush Patel:
http://newsok.com/article/3154363/
http://newsok.com/article/1879198/
http://newsok.com/article/3159459/1193708191
https://renderman.pixar.com/products/news/DT_RFM2.html
https://renderman.pixar.com/products/news/siggraph_2007_booth.html
http://www.journalrecord.com/searchResults.cfm?searchString=piyush+patel&x=0&y=0
http://okcbusiness.com/industry_article.asp
Topic Source: Area Autodesk