Ryan Jackson – In your eyes what does it bring to the table that other software out there does not?

Ryan Clark – I guess the main thing it brings is speed. CrazyBump saves an artist’s time by giving a simple interface to powerful tools. With CrazyBump, an artist can make materials in minutes rather than hours. Every control has immediate visual feedback, so you can see what you’re working on. That’s very important, I think. Without immediate feedback, an artist is working blind.

Ryan Jackson – You’ve updated CrazyBump to not only be a normal map generator & editor, but to be a fully fledged material creator – utilizing or generating all major texture passes. On top of that, CrazyBump was updated to allow the users to import their own meshes to see their textures on. These features were something the videogame artist communities asked for and you promptly delivered. What is the community asking for now and will they get to see these new addition ideas come to fruition?

Crazybump creator, Ryan Clark

Ryan Clark – By coincidence, a new CrazyBump release should appear soon after this interview! It’ll be a free update to add some features that artists have been asking for. There will be a new filter to create extra-detailed normals, which is great for mechanical surfaces. CrazyBump has always worked best for natural and organic types of materials, so I’m trying to improve quality for mechanical stuff. Artists have also asked for more specularity tools, so we’ll also have one of those in the new release. The community has also been crying out for mac support. They will see that soon. I’m actually embarassed that the osx version isn’t available yet. It’s been in development forever.

Ryan Jackson – Tell us some of the major obstacles you’ve faced with creating a tool as robust as CrazyBump?

Ryan Clark – The major obstacle has been keeping the interface simple. I think an interface has a natural tendency to expand and become unweildy as a program grows. With CrazyBump, I’ve tried very hard to fight that tendency. I’ve tried to keep the interface simultaneously simple and powerful. It’s been a challenge to add new features without losing the ultra-simple feel of the program.

Ryan Jackson – How are you finding the development of CrazyBump now compared to when it was handling normal maps only?

Ryan Clark – Development is more fun at this point, because I have more data to play with. I can create filters for all the different map slots, and I can combine them in interesting ways. It’s like having more legos to build with.

Ryan Jackson – Have you anything else you’d like to say about the tool or its users?

Ryan Clark – I’d like to say thanks to all the artists who use CrazyBump. You’ve given the project a life of its own. CrazyBump wouldn’t exist without your sugestions. I would also like to say “please continue to do my work for me, because I am lazy.” Tell me what features you want to see, and I’ll try to hook them up!

Ryan Jackson – What’s next for you, Ryan? Any new technology coming from you that game artists will love to get their hands on, much like Crazybump?

Ryan Clark – I hope so! My latest project is a bit of rendering technology for the iPhone platform. I’m bringing high-performance normal mapping to all generations of iPhone hardware, along with dynamic lights, shadows, and water. The project is still in development, but I can share a couple of screenshots with you. I’m sure I’ll be posting more about the project on the polycount forums soon!

Ryan Jackson – Right on, thanks Ryan. We can’t wait to see your next project out in the Forum.

If you’re one of the few artists who hasn’t had the chance yet, check out Crazybump yourself by heading over to www.crazybump.com