In this exclusive interview with Fox Renderfarm, the industry’s top cloud rendering services provider and render farm, we chatted with Bipul Timsina, a talented 3D artist from Nepal. From his early days as a generalist to specializing in lighting, Bipul shares insights into his creative journey, his award-winning project "Wings of Storm," which won 3rd place in pwnisher’s Chasm’s Call Challenge, and his detailed workflow using tools like Maya, Blender, and more. Join us as we explore the passion and precision behind his stunning visual artistry.Fox Renderfarm: Hi Bipul! We are honored to have you here! Please introduce yourself to our readers. Bipul: Hi there, thank you so much for having me! I'm Bipul Timsina, a 3D artist from Nepal. I began my journey in 3D back in 2017, so it's been nearly eight years now. I initially started as a generalist, exploring different areas of the pipeline, but over time, I naturally gravitated towards lighting. What I love most about lighting is its ability to tell visual stories. It plays such a crucial role in setting the mood and bringing scenes to life.Most of my learning has come from YouTube tutorials and online courses. I also enrolled in the Lighting for Animation program at the Academy of Animated Arts, which really helped me sharpen my skills and gain a deeper understanding of lighting.I've been working professionally for five years, mainly creating product animations and TV commercials for various brands. More recently, I've been aiming to transition into the feature animation industry. Apart from that, I also love working on personal and collaborative projects. For me, it's the best way to learn and explore creative ideas.Lighting and Compositing Showreel © Bipul TimsinaFox Renderfarm: Congratulations on winning 3rd place in the Chasm’s Call Challenge. What was the most rewarding part of the experience for you? Can you briefly introduce your project “Wings of Storm” to us? Bipul: Thank you! I never expected my render to place 3rd, so it was a pleasant surprise. The most rewarding part of the whole experience was seeing my idea come to life and having my work recognized among so many incredibly talented artists.As for the project itself, I've always wanted to create a large-scale environment featuring dragons. So as soon as I heard about the challenge, it felt like the perfect opportunity to finally bring that vision to life.My biggest inspirations for this project were The Lord of the Rings, House of the Dragon, and God of War. I wanted to take elements from each and blend them into a single scene that not only fit the challenge template but also emphasized storytelling.Inspirations for this projectFox Renderfarm: Can you share with us the creation process of your work? What software did you use, and how long did it take you? Bipul:Concept and PlanningAs soon as I saw the challenge template, I began brainstorming different ideas. I knew I wanted to include a dragon and a large-scale environment in the shot, so I started exploring concepts around that. The first thing I did was gather a bunch of references from Shot Deck. After gathering references, I wanted to test whether the idea would work visually, so I quickly set up some rough scenes with proxy geometry and basic animation. This helped me evaluate the composition and storytelling potential before moving forward with layout and animation.Reference and Moodboard © Bipul TimsinaLayout and AnimationAfter testing out the concept, I started blocking out the basic composition for the environment using primitive shapes. This helped to establish the overall scale of the scene. At this stage, I also started working on the animation. For animation, I focused first on refining the camera movement and the dragon's animation. The dragon I used was created by Truong CG Artist. It had multiple controllers for animating the fins and wings membrane, which made the animation process much smoother.The Tyrant Dragon- Maya Rig © Truong CG ArtistFor the hero character, I did the basic blocking pass inside Maya to get a clear sense of timing and spacing before doing the final animation inside Cascadeur. After polishing the animation for the hero character, I imported it back into Maya. The animation in some parts still felt a bit floaty, so I did some tweaking inside Maya to add snappier movement when the character throws and catches the axe. Since that was the key moment in the shot, I wanted it to have more impact and feel dynamic.Layout and Animation © Bipul TimsinaCloth Simulation and Axe LightningThe character's clothes and the lightning effect on the axe were crucial elements for the character and the story. I did all the cloth simulations for the character's cloth, the dragon's saddle cloth, and the flags using Marvelous Designer. For the lightning effect, I used the Lightning Bolts Generator addon in Blender. It had enough controls to create the effect I wanted.Cloth Simulation © Bipul TimsinaAxe Lightning using Lightning Bolts Generator addon © Bipul TimsinaEnvironment and Look DevelopmentOnce the animations and simulations were complete, it was time to bring everything together. Most of the environment assets were from Quixel Megascans, which helped to speed up the process. The castle assets were from the Production Crate.I replaced the proxy geometry with the final assets and began hand placing the large cliffs and the castle structure to frame the composition. Smaller elements like foliage, rocks, and the city inside the castle were scattered procedurally.Final Environment © Bipul TimsinaAfter everything was in place, I began working on the shading. I always start by setting up a neutral light rig. This helps to properly evaluate the shaders for each asset before adding the final lighting setup.Hero and Dragon Lookdev © Bipul TimsinaEnvironment Lookdev © Bipul TimsinaSince the scene was about a battle, I wanted to add a massive army to convey the scale. For that, I used multiple character animations from Mixamo and scattered them in the scene using MASH inside Maya.Crowd Animation © Bipul TimsinaLighting and CompositingSince I planned to add many of the effects during the compositing, my lighting setup was relatively simple and efficient. I like to organize my lights into three categories, natural, practical, and dramatic, which helps keep things organized.Final Light Rig © Bipul TimsinaI rendered out several AOVs, including the light groups, specular pass, world position, and cryptomatte. These gave me a lot of flexibility in compositing and allowed for fine-tuning without re-rendering the whole shot. For instance, the light group pass enabled me to adjust the intensity and hue of specific lights directly in comp. And the position pass enabled me to mask out certain areas in 3D space without having to track the mask, which allowed for creative freedom without having to worry about the render time.Render AOVs © Bipul TimsinaAll the volumetrics, fire, and explosion particle effects were added in compositing inside Nuke using Z depth pass and cards, which helped to keep the 3D scene lighter and more optimized.I used Redshift for rendering, and the final render took around 8-9 hours in total. To optimize render times and maintain flexibility, I separated the shot into five different render layers:EnvironmentForegroundCrowdsBackground dragonA matte layer that includes all the utility passesViewport | RAW Render | Final Comp © Bipul TimsinaThis layering approach made the compositing process much more efficient. The entire project took me 28 days to complete from start to finish. Also, Thanks to Simon IACONI for his version of the sound design.Final Submission “Wings of Storm” © Bipul TimsinaFox Renderfarm: Have you tried or heard about Fox Renderfarm’s services before? What is your impression of our cloud rendering services?Bipul: Yes, I’ve used Fox Render Farm for a past project, and I had a really good experience with it. It was super easy to set up and saved me a lot of time during that project.Unfortunately, I couldn’t use it for this challenge, but I’m definitely planning to use it for future projects. In fact, my friends and I are currently working on a really cool personal project, and we’re looking forward to using Fox Render Farm for that one. It’s a huge help when working with heavy scenes. Bipul’s Social MediaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bipul-timsina/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bipul_timsina/Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/bipultimsinaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMPiuaCTvfc

The way we watch cartoons and animated videos has changed a lot. Animators had to draw every movement frame by hand in the past, which took a long time. However, it has now become faster and smoother to create with digital tools and software. A big reason for this smooth movement in cartoons, games, and videos is tweening animation that fills in the steps between two main drawings or poses.This makes movements look natural, like a character walking or a ball rolling across the screen. It saves animators time and helps bring stories to life with less effort and more flow. Thus, this article will explain what tweening is and why it is important today. We will also share helpful tips for people working in 3D animation to improve their workflow.Part 1. What is Tweening in Animation?As discussed above, it is the process of creating smooth movement between two main drawings or images. These main drawings are called keyframes, and they show the start and end of a motion. In case a character jumps, one keyframe shows the beginning, and another shows the landing. Tweening adds all the frames in between, so the jump looks smooth and natural on the screen.This process helps save time and effort because animators don’t need to draw every single frame. It works in both 2D and 3D animation, making characters and scenes move realistically. Many creators today use animation tweening software to help with this in-between frame creation process. These tools can automatically generate smooth motion by filling the gap between two main keyframes.Part 2. Importance of Tweening in Modern Animation Today’s animation world moves fast, with quality visuals needed for games and online videos. Tweening plays a big role in helping animators create smooth and natural motion more quickly and easily. Below, we will explore some key importance of this modern technique:Saves Time: Tweening reduces the need to draw each frame by hand, which saves a lot of time. Animators can focus on key poses while letting the system handle the in-between steps automatically.Natural Movement: Without tweening, animations may look stiff or jumpy, which makes them hard to enjoy. Tweening fills in movements, making the action look smooth and more lifelike to viewers.Improves Visuals: This technique even allows artists to produce quality visuals without drawing every single part of a movement. Besides, it keeps motion consistent and clean, even when used by people with basic drawing skills.Speeds Up Process: Tweening helps animators complete their work more quickly without lowering the quality of the animation. Moreover, it lets creators finish more content in less time, which boosts productivity.Modern Tools Support: Most modern programs now include tweening features to help animators save time and effort. Using tweening animation software, creators can select keyframes, and the program fills in the rest.Part 3. Key Elements of TweeningAfter exploring its importance, it is time to go through several parts that work together to create a smooth animation. Hence, before using tweening animation programs, adhere to the following points and explore the key elements involved in this method:Key Frames: They are the main starting and ending points of a movement or action in animation. It shows the most important poses, and everything that happens between them is created using tweening.Timing: This step controls how fast or slow an action happens, making it feel natural or dramatic. Good timing can make a big difference in the speed or pace of the movement between one keyframe and another.Spacing: It refers to how the frames are placed between keyframes to show movement clearly. When the spacing is even, motion appears smooth, while uneven spacing can add style or emotion.Easing: The erasing means slowing down or speeding up the movement at the beginning or end. Apart from just moving at one speed, easing adds a more natural feel to the motion.Arcs of Motion: Most natural movements follow curved paths rather than straight lines, called arcs of motion. Using arcs helps make movements more believable, especially when animating arms or flying objects.Part 4. Types of Tweening in Animation Upon exploring the key parts of tweening, it's time to look at how it's used. Tweening animation can be done in different ways depending on the type of animation being created. So, let's dive below to know the main types that are used in modern animation:1. Traditional TweeningIt comes from the early days of hand-drawn animation in cartoons and films. Back then, senior animators would draw the keyframes, and junior artists filled in the in-between drawings. This process made motion flow smoothly between key poses, even though it was all done by hand. Although it was slow and needed many drawings, it laid the foundation for modern tweening animation.Plus, some artists today still enjoy this style for its personal touch and detailed control of movement. However, it takes a lot of time and skill, which makes it less common in fast production. Modern creators often recreate this style using tweening software that mimics hand-drawn looks more easily.2. 2D TweeningApart from the above, this is the most common method used in digital animation today. It involves moving 2D objects, shapes, or characters between two keyframes to show simple or detailed motion. Instead of redrawing each step, animators use digital tools to create in-between frames automatically. This is especially helpful in explainer videos or web animations seen on social media.With tweening animation in 2D, even simple drawings can be brought to life using smooth motion and effects. Moreover, it works best with easing, spacing, and good timing for natural animation. The speed and flexibility of tweening software also make it easier for small teams and solo creators to work.3. 3D TweeningThis animation type is used in movies or even games where objects move in 3D space. It allows creators to animate things like characters and vehicles in a more lifelike and complex way. In 3D tweening, the computer fills in movement from one keyframe to another with depth and direction. This tweening type needs more planning because 3D space has height, width, and depth to manage.Furthermore, movements like spinning or turning must look smooth from different angles and lighting positions. With animation tweening software, creators can save time by automating motions that would be hard to draw. Thus, 3D tweening brings a high level of detail and realism that fits modern films, apps, and games today.Pro Tip for 3D Animators: Improve 3D Animation Rendering EfficiencyAfter applying effects and tweening animation, rendering is the final step before seeing the completed work. However, rendering large projects on a personal computer can be slow and hard to manage. That’s where using an online render farm service can save time and reduce pressure on your computer. The best option available today is Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering service trusted by many global artists.This render farm platform offers thousands of powerful rendering nodes to speed up your project. Alongside that, it even offers 24/7 customer service with quick response times, which is very important for beginners. Before purchasing the plan, you get a $25 free trial upon first registration, letting you test their service right away. Hence, it’s a smart step for animators who want more time to create and less time to wait on rendering.Key FeaturesRendering Support: It supports both CPU and GPU rendering, which gives you more options based on your software. You can opt for what works best for your project, helping you save time and get better quality results without needing strong hardware.System Uptime: With 99.99% uptime, your rendering tasks won’t be interrupted, and the systems run almost all the time, no matter if you use Mac, Linux, or Windows. Thus, users can work without worrying about the service going offline when they need it the most for tight deadlines.API Support: Developers can also connect this cloud computing service directly to their production pipelines via APIs. This helps large teams work faster by automating tasks, as they can render multiple projects without having to upload and download manually.Secure File Handling: The best part is that your data is protected through ISO27001 certification. This means Fox Renderfarm follows strict rules, so you can trust that your animation files stay private and secure.Software Supports: Fox Renderfarm works well with tools like Blender, Maya and 3ds Max, so you don’t need to switch software to render. It supports most animation tools professionals use, which makes it easy to continue your work without issues.Part 5. Challenges and Limitations of Tweening Animation While tweening animation is a powerful method that saves time and effort, it also comes with a few limitations that creators need to be aware of. Below, we will discover some key challenges that help users work better with tweening software and avoid issues:Limited Control: A few of the tweening tools don’t provide full freedom in the way objects move. This means you are restricted in expressing creative ideas or building special animation styles.Complex Characters: It works well with simple shapes, but detailed characters can be hard to handle. When there are many moving parts, like arms or clothes, the software might not place them correctly, causing errors.Poor Results: In scenes where movement changes speed or direction suddenly, like jumps or falls, tweening can struggle. It assumes motion flows steadily, so quick shifts look weird and need extra time to fix.Dependence on Software: Many artists rely heavily on tweening software, but each program has its limits. Some may not support advanced features or styles, making it hard to achieve a professional look.Errors in Calculation: When the software calculates the movement path, it sometimes generates wrong results. This causes strange or incorrect motion that doesn’t match your scene.ConclusionIn summary, tweening animation is a time-saving way to create smooth movements in 2D and 3D projects. This technique is used to bring stories to life with less effort and better flow, as discussed in this article. While it simplifies motion, the final step is rendering, which can slow things down. That's why using Fox Renderfarm is a smart choice, as it handles large rendering tasks and frees your computer for creativity.

In an exclusive interview with Fox Renderfarm, the industry’s top cloud rendering services provider and render farm, Francesco Siddi, the COO of Blender and a visionary leader in open-source 3D innovation, shares his remarkable journey from discovering Blender as a teenager in a computer magazine to shaping its future as an industry-leading tool. He offers unique insights into Blender's community-driven evolution and its global impact on CG artists. He also reveals why maintaining community freedom remains fundamental to Blender's ongoing success. Fox Renderfarm: Hi Francesco! We are honored to have you here! Please briefly introduce yourself.Francesco: Hi, I'm Francesco! I work as a COO at Blender, and I've been involved in the project for many years, taking on various roles over time. I work with developers and artists, build relationships within the industry, and make sure Blender strives to remain the amazing community project it is. Fox Renderfarm: Can you share your educational background and previous work experiences?Francesco: My educational background is in industrial design. I've always been fascinated by how things are made and enjoy creating them. I've also loved entertainment and animation. Over the years, I've taken on various freelance jobs in that field, including a bit of web development. I've been contributing to Blender since I was a teenager, so even before I officially joined the team, I was already involved with the Blender community. My studies and early professional development have always been intertwined with Blender. I've consistently worked in computer graphics, focusing on animation, and I've always used Blender, so my background is very much integrated into Blender itself.I discovered Blender through those computer magazines that would give out free software to play around with. At that time, I was very passionate about free software and open-source projects. Blender was one of those programs that, if you cared about open-source, you should check out. So, I did! I think I must have been around 14 or 15. At first, I had no idea what was going on, but I kept trying, and eventually, I discovered how powerful it was. It’s interesting to think back on that, especially given how much Blender has evolved since then. I can only imagine how it feels for people downloading Blender today, considering it was once a small community and a relatively unknown open-source project.Francesco Siddi at Blender DayFox Renderfarm: What prompted you to enter the CG industry and join Blender? Francesco: I have always loved animation. For me, animation as a medium enables you to tell stories and brings together all sorts of different art forms. It’s a collaborative process that requires many different talents at various levels. Computer animation, in particular, demands a strong technical and technological component. The diversity of the team involved in creating animation is amazing, and I’ve always found that really fascinating. It combines all these different aspects and allows you, especially if you pursue technical excellence, to create new things. You can invent new techniques and discover new ways of making things, which has always been intriguing to me. That’s also why I initially wanted to work in a studio—like many others, I dreamed of working for a big film studio. However, I realized that securing a job in a studio is quite difficult and requires a lot of specialization. You need to be an exceptional specialist or an incredible generalist, and I didn't feel I fit either category. It's very specific, and you need to be in the right networks to be in the right place at the right time. People know how challenging it is to get a job in the film industry. While I was trying to pursue that path, I was also involved with Blender, helping out with the project. Eventually, an opportunity arose for me to be involved in one of the open movie projects—one of the short films that Blender produces to push technology forward. That’s how I got the job and started my journey. Fox Renderfarm: Blender is renowned for its vibrant and large community. What strategies do you implement to encourage active engagement and communication among users from around the globe? Have you had any memorable experiences along the way?Francesco: I think the main strategy for Blender in its relationship with the community is to really give space for the community to take the initiative and not to control it. We let it be because every community interest group acts differently and has different ideas about what’s important. For example, there are scientific communities, educational communities, animation communities, and many more. While all these groups share a love for Blender, they have different ways of collaborating. Sometimes it can be challenging because centralizing communication helps bring everyone together, allowing people to know where to discuss specific topics. However, it can also become a bottleneck, putting you in a position to influence communities in ways that may not align with their needs. While that can be interesting, allowing people the freedom to pursue their own vision for how things should be organized is very powerful, especially in the long run.As communities such as language-based groups grow larger, this dynamic becomes even more evident. For instance, when there is a language barrier, only speakers of a certain language can connect. I have no idea what the French or German-speaking communities are discussing, but it’s fascinating that they can share a cultural trait that brings them together. It’s not about having one enormous community where everyone is present; the idea is to have many different communities where everyone can find their place. This approach makes the environment much more welcoming and accessible. There is also a danger in communities where famous individuals or superstars emerge, leading to communities built around them. While this can happen, it often turns into a business model, which may not be beneficial for everyone else. Smaller, more distributed communities are a healthier way for people to engage with the project.Fox Renderfarm: What are your key responsibilities in managing the Blender studio? Have you encountered any challenges in the process?Francesco: At Blender Studio, I work as the Producer/Executive Producer. I help put together projects, and I sometimes receive creative direction or a creative brief for ideas about what the studio should work on next. This involves looking at trends, observing what is happening in the computer graphics space, understanding what people are interested in, and considering what the team is excited about. I aim to come up with ideas that fit this picture and generate enthusiasm among the team, while also bringing value to the Blender project itself.The decision-making process is centered around creating content because that’s our goal. We want to share that content and ensure that, in the process, we help Blender improve and support our community's growth. This is a significant part of my job, and it can be challenging because you have to keep many factors in mind, and you can't always make everyone happy—that's just part of the role.The most important thing is to ensure that people understand why we are doing something. When everyone knows the purpose behind our actions, it becomes easier to help them align and move in the same direction. Clear communication is essential, and that makes a big difference.Fox Renderfarm: What’s your most memorable project at Blender Studio? What strategies do you recommend for improving efficiency when working on projects with tight deadlines and heavy tasks?Francesco: I don't have a specific, memorable, or favorite project. It's easy to feel nostalgic about the early projects because those were the times when you could either do something or not, with fewer worries and more fun. I have many fond memories from that period when everything felt new and exciting. However, when I think about the later projects, I recognize their impact and the innovations we pursued during those times. Each project has its own significance, and I can’t really choose a favorite. Every film serves a unique purpose, and since we work on such a diverse range of projects with different artistic visions, that variety is what makes the studio so exciting for me.Caminandes 3: Llamigos (2016) © Blender FoundationWING IT! (2023) © Blender StudioRegarding working on projects, similar to what I mentioned earlier, it’s crucial to understand why you are doing something and to keep the big picture in mind. This perspective helps you overcome creative blocks. Often, when tackling specific technical challenges, it’s easy to lose sight of the overall vision. Remembering that many details may go unnoticed in the final product is important at every stage of the content creation process.Fox Renderfarm: In your view, how does Blender uniquely empower creatives?Francesco: Blender is very accessible. To me, accessibility means that it’s available for everyone to use to the best of their ability. Whether you want to create something simple or tackle a complex project, we strive to ensure that you can do both. This scalability is what makes Blender special and unique. It enables individuals to create comprehensive works while also allowing small teams to collaborate on larger projects.These qualities are fundamental to the design and philosophy of the software. We always consider who will use a feature, who it’s for, and why they would want to use it. This user-centric thinking is at the core of how Blender is developed and improved, which I believe is key to its appeal among users.Fox Renderfarm: Are there any interesting updates or features that we can expect in the upcoming versions of Blender? What are the current priorities for Blender’s development team?Francesco: Blender has a very bright future ahead. There is a lot of development we want to pursue, particularly focusing on storytelling tools and character animation tools, along with many other improvements. I want to highlight these two specific areas because storytelling and character animation combine to enable people to convey their stories effectively.When I refer to storytelling tools, I mean editorial workflow tools and interfaces that assist artists and story creators in assembling their vision for how a story should be told and presented. As for animation tools, I’m talking about resources that help artists create characters and deliver performances. These elements are essential for larger teams to undertake bigger projects and tell more expansive stories. While it can start and end there, it often serves as the foundation for something greater. Having good tools to facilitate this process is incredibly important, and we definitely plan to invest time in these areas. Additionally, there are various technologies in the Blender space, including generative geometry technologies, and many exciting developments are underway. There is also ongoing work to improve particle simulations and general physics simulations. This is being developed through node-based simulation zones, which are part of the broader geometry node system. The goal is to create procedural or semi-procedural systems that help manage simulations and the workflows associated with them. We aim to enhance how these systems are directed and improve their performance.Fox Renderfarm: How do you think AI and emerging technologies will impact Blender and the work of CG artists?Francesco: There is a lot of discussion around AI, with some people claiming it will end jobs for many. While it will certainly impact some individuals in the short term, I believe that technological innovation has always existed. It’s ultimately our choice of how we express ourselves and what tools we use. Many artists will continue to prefer tools like Blender over simply prompting AI to generate content.At the same time, we are seeing a convergence in technology, similar to the shift from real-time rendering to offline rendering. There is a growing tendency to achieve immediate results, and I think machine learning and AI can contribute to this, helping artists reach their goals more quickly.From Blender's perspective, we see it as a tool to empower artists. Any AI tool should enhance the artist's capabilities, not replace them. This empowerment is not for everyone; it’s for those who genuinely want to create. It’s not just about generating content randomly; it’s about having a specific vision. Blender is a small organization compared to larger companies investing heavily in AI. While we do our part and keep learning about these advancements, we are still exploring how Blender can benefit from them and how the Blender community can leverage these technologies.Fox Renderfarm: Now we've learned about your journey, we're curious to know what is the best part is about working in Blender.Francesco: The best aspect of working on projects is undoubtedly the people. Being part of a team and a community is incredibly rewarding. It’s exciting to collaborate with others to build something and then see how people use it, making a positive impact in the world. I am grateful to work alongside talented individuals who share the same values and drive to create.Fox Renderfarm: Have you heard about Fox Renderfarm’s cloud rendering services before? What is your impression of our services? Francesco: Yes, I am aware of Fox Renderfarm, and I know that in the past, Fox Renderfarm has supported the Blender project, for which we are very grateful. Your support means a lot because it enables us to continue improving Blender. I appreciate your approach to building a render farm by creating your own infrastructure and systems to deliver services. This strategy can lead to high efficiency and allows you to tailor your tools to meet specific goals, benefiting your customers.Rendering is a critical part of the creative process, often at the end when everything needs to come together. There’s a lot of pressure to deliver frames on time, and it’s essential that the system can handle this pressure. I believe Fox Renderfarm is doing a great job in this regard.Fox Renderfarm: Lastly, what tips would you offer to those new to the CG industry?Francesco: I believe it is more beneficial to focus on what you want to do and approach it practically. Instead of just asking how to get a job in a studio, think about what you want to create. I’ve often found myself driven to recreate visual effects I’ve seen in movies or to make fun videos. The key is to create—make things! We consume a lot of content but don’t produce nearly enough. By becoming a maker, you create opportunities for yourself that you may not even anticipate. If you don’t create anything, nothing will happen.