Q & A with David

Below are the same questions I asked before,  but this time to my friend David. He also studies at The University of Texas at Dallas in the ATEC program. Instead of animation itself, he is also studying modeling and texturing, like Nathan. I thought it would be helpful to get another perspective on realistic animation though models from another student.

What aspect makes computer animation realistic to you?
Having a realistic looking texture on a well developed model makes computer animation more realistic.

Is there such thing as an animation being too realistic?
No, the job of a modeler is to create a realistic model. The only thing that is stopping artists from creating realistic models that are perfectly human looking, is the limit that is created by current technology.

Do you prefer movies with more or less realistic character models, and why?
 I prefer to have more realistic models in movies. I like to be fooled into believing that the model could be real.  

Do you prefer modeling high or low poly objects/characters? And how does each impact the animation?
There is a difference in the uses of high poly and low poly models. High ploy objects are used to make thing pretty and realistic looking. Low poly is used to make less realistic, but more manageable objects. I prefer high poly models, but in game creation it is better to have low poly models with a high ploy map on the object to make the illusion that the model is more realistic than it actually is.

Is the texture on a character important on capturing realism?
Yes, without having a very realistic texture, the poly count does not matter. A realistic texture can make or break a model.