Always Pursuing the New
Always Pursuing the New
Always Pursuing the New
Works Starts with Experimenting For Fun
Kosho Yamasaki
CG Director / Visual Creative Division
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1975. Works primarily on projects involving still and moving 3D CG images. In addition to serving as CG director for the Japan National Stadium facility introduction video and Toyota’s CAMRY Emotional Guidance, Yamazaki has recently been developing and operating the Toyota Image Creator (TIC) car configurator using the Unreal Engine.
Hello, my name is KoshoYamasaki and I am a CG director. I joined NDC before there was a department for CG production. Although I have moved between several departments, I have consistently been involved in the production of still and moving 3D CG images.
Recently, I was primarily involved in the production of an application called TIC. TIC, short for Toyota Image Creator, is a tool used by dealers at Toyota dealerships to explain their vehicles to customers. This tool allows the user to select the grade, color, options, and so on for the vehicle shown on the computer screen and move it freely while changing the background and angles in various ways. With a night scene, for example, the point is how light reflects and moves over the surface of the vehicle body as the user’s perspective shifts. This is a tool that allows customers to see and experience the vehicle in a more realistic and impressive way.
Lately, the line between my work and my hobbies has blurred. As I researched tools and so on that might be relevant to my work, they piqued my own personal interests; recently, I have been experimenting with 3D scanners, 3D printers, AR, VR, and so on. I’ve been scanning my own face with a 3D scanner, outputting data for a teapot with my 3D printer at home, and more. There are many technical aspects to these technologies that I have to play with on my own to understand. Not very often do these experiments connect back to my work—maybe one out of five things I try—but when something succeeds, the joy of knowing that it worked is very satisfying.
Ten years from now… what will I be doing. I hope I can retire soon [laughs]. Like now, I am sure I will still be chasing after the newest technologies. Ten years from now, the age of the smartphone will probably be over, so I will likely be grappling with creating whatever new thing appears in its place.
