About us
Who is Alpha3D and what do we do for you?
An interview with the owner
“Great, you understand me” – An interview with the company owner Thomas Deuschl about modelling objects and the art of making technical products understandable.
What exactly does Alpha3D do?
We produce 3D animation films, explanatory videos, commercials, product presentations and make visualizations of complex things. In addition, 3D design and prototyping are among our core competencies. We present complicated things in such a way that they can be easily understood. This makes selling easier for our customers. They save valuable time, as a lot of explanation effort is eliminated.
How did you come into contact with 3D animation?
I was employed by a large electrical engineering company. There I worked in the areas of product management, marketing and sales and I noticed that large companies rely on visual instructions. For example, there is a QR code on products, which provides technicians with installation instructions. That fascinated me and I was concerned with how best to implement this technically and in terms of content.
Are your roots in engineering or in graphics?
I am originally a technician, trained as an electrician. I have worked in several positions at a market-leading telecommunication company – line construction, sales, branch management and field service. Then at the electrical engineering company I went “back to the roots” in terms of electrical engineering. Afterwards I graduated from the Academy for Media Design and Media Informatics at the WIFI, where you learn everything from web design and web programming to animation and video. The specialization in 3D animation was very important to me. That was what interested me the most.
Where does the sense for graphics come from, which is necessary for this job?
I have always had the gift of spatial imagination. Geometric drawing at school was an easy thing for me. I already wanted to do something to do with graphics and geometry at that time. That’s how I came to live both my passions as a technician and 3D graphic artist.
You are also good at drawing, right? Now that’s no technique you learn but talent.
Yes, and there is another difference between drawing by hand and drawing on the computer. Of course I can do that. I do it right away directly in the digital 3D world. That’s what you refer to as modelling. It’s about building objects at the computer. So, technically speaking i don’t draw, I model.
Some of your films are absolutely realistic. How does that work?
There are two factors that need to be understood. One is the whole subject of light and lighting. This includes shadows, mirroring and reflections. You have to observe the conditions in rooms and spaces really thoroughly. There are often several shadows created through lighting and backlighting and it is also a matter of the colour of light. The second factor is surfaces. To achieve the real surface of objects, you photograph them and place them over the object surfaces as a texture . This is all very special and highly complex. But of course I’m happy to do it. With this method you can show scenes in extremely realistic appearance that you could never just film in this way.
The combination of engineering, sales and graphics is what obviously distinguishes you?
My past life in marketing & sales is a great advantage. I have talked to directors and managers and sold them products. That’s how I learned what you really need in your daily sales activities. With my technical experience I know above all how to sell technical products. Everything that helps, I include in the animation and leave out everything that is not useful. I have a customer in the engineering sector who is always happy when I deliver something to him. He always says: “That’s great with you, you understand what I mean.”
Would you like to learn more about alpha3D? Do you still have questions about visualisation and animation? Then ask us!
