Rafi Nizam
,
Director & Creator of Art Squad
Working with my ProArt hardware lets me focus on the creative aspects of making without distracting technical hiccups. As a showrunner, I now iterate and refine my ideas much faster than ever before.
A 25-year veteran of the Media and Entertainment industry, Rafi Nizam is a multi-award-winning showrunner, creative development executive, animator, director, and more. His extensive experience working across story, animation, XR, real-time and virtual production has shaped his craft as an independent creator.
His current project, Art Squad, is a scripted animated show for children that features vibrant 3D characters who solve problems through the power of art. The series showcases the different production techniques relating to the creative vision Rafi has as an artist.
His current project, Art Squad, is a scripted animated show for children that features vibrant 3D characters who solve problems through the power of art. The series showcases the different production techniques relating to the creative vision Rafi has as an artist.
Portfolio
2015
–
2016
Halcyon
2012
–
2014
Bates Motel
2011
–
2015
Haven
2009
Follow the Legs
2008
Faulty Choirs
Recommended Product
Intel® Z690 LGA 1700 ATX motherboard built for creators, with PCIe® 5.0, DDR5 support, Thunderbolt™ 4, 10 Gb and 2.5 Gb Ethernet, WiFi 6E, four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots with heatsinks and a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 front panel connector with Quick Charge 4+
Create with ProArt
Software used:
Unreal Engine Omniverse Create Omniverse XR Adobe Substance 3D Modeller Adobe Substance 3D Painter Photoshop
Unreal Engine Omniverse Create Omniverse XR Adobe Substance 3D Modeller Adobe Substance 3D Painter Photoshop
Focusing on creativity rather than technical troubleshooting
Being a hands-on independent artist, Rafi's creative vision begins with a sketch with the pencil on paper. Rafi mentions how he enjoys working from his drawing table where he starts by sketching different characters, worlds and story outlines before moving into the digital realm where he then brings these characters and scenes together inside the virtual reality (VR).
To bring these characters to life, he requires equipment that he can smoothly run all the different applications he needs to turn his 2D sketches into the 3D digital space. His work comes truly alive when he moves into Unreal Engine and NVIDIA Omniverse where he ties in lots of different software in his pipeline. Every piece of equipment needs to not only be compatible but also powerful enough to run all the multiple applications simultaneously to work in real-time.
“It makes it really simple for me as a creator to just move back and forth between these applications in real time without having to worry about exporting manually or relinking stuff; it just sort of all speaks together quite nicely,” he comments.
To bring these characters to life, he requires equipment that he can smoothly run all the different applications he needs to turn his 2D sketches into the 3D digital space. His work comes truly alive when he moves into Unreal Engine and NVIDIA Omniverse where he ties in lots of different software in his pipeline. Every piece of equipment needs to not only be compatible but also powerful enough to run all the multiple applications simultaneously to work in real-time.
“It makes it really simple for me as a creator to just move back and forth between these applications in real time without having to worry about exporting manually or relinking stuff; it just sort of all speaks together quite nicely,” he comments.
Working in real-time
The creative vision of Art Squad demands photorealistic worlds filled with expressive artwork. Rafi often has Maya, Unreal Engine, Photoshop, Substance Painter and Omniverse Create running simultaneously, and they perform smoothly on his Scan 3XS Workstation powered by an ASUS ProArt Z690 motherboard. “The Z690 chipset with an Intel Core i9-12900K CPU and NVIDIA's RTX A6000 GPU is pretty rock solid” mentions Rafi. “It's running multiple creative applications without a hitch.”
As a hands-on artist, Rafi uses VR headsets and a pen display for his work and he needs plenty of connectivity ports that can be found on the side of the workstation. His archive and reference work sits on a NAS, a Network-attached storage that he can access quickly via the 10 gigabit Ethernet port on the motherboard.
As a hands-on artist, Rafi uses VR headsets and a pen display for his work and he needs plenty of connectivity ports that can be found on the side of the workstation. His archive and reference work sits on a NAS, a Network-attached storage that he can access quickly via the 10 gigabit Ethernet port on the motherboard.
The total ProArt workflow solution
The integrations between the monitor, laptop and workstation demonstrate how much ASUS has thought about the needs of creators. Every ProArt product speaks for itself, but also works together to provide a solution across the whole production pipeline so creators such as Rafi can focus on what is the most important - telling a story.
“With ASUS ProArt hardware I'm literally bringing this show to life in a way that I would never be able to do before,” he says.
“With ASUS ProArt hardware I'm literally bringing this show to life in a way that I would never be able to do before,” he says.
Reviewing visuals across multiple formats
Working with the ASUS ProArt equipment, Rafi can focus on creativity more than technical troubleshooting. With the ASUS ProArt Display PA32UCG he can easily grade, review and deliver the right color space for a wide range of content in multiple HDR formats like Dolby Vision, HDR 10 and HLG. Reviewing all his work with a monitor that can sustain 1000-nits of brightness and peak at 1600-nits makes his visuals look amazing. “Considering the display's accuracy just out of the box, bundling a professional display calibration tool with it is really going the extra mile“ says Rafi.
Creating art can be a long process, and working with PA32UCG Rafi has noticed he doesn’t suffer any eye fatigue because the monitor emits less blue light and it is flicker free. Another great feature that the monitor comes with is the hood. This helps creators like Rafi who are working from their home studio to block out any external ambient light depending on the environment they work in.
Creating art can be a long process, and working with PA32UCG Rafi has noticed he doesn’t suffer any eye fatigue because the monitor emits less blue light and it is flicker free. Another great feature that the monitor comes with is the hood. This helps creators like Rafi who are working from their home studio to block out any external ambient light depending on the environment they work in.
High-end workstation in a small form factor of a laptop
Rafi does most of his work in his home studio in North London, but since his clients are all around the world, he also needs to travel to on-location shoots. With the ASUS Studiobook 16, Rafi can be assured that what he has been originating in his home studio, travels with him wherever he goes. The laptop comes with an OLED screen and HDR support, which makes his visuals not only look excellent, but also stay consistent with what he has been developing at home.
“It's clear ASUS puts a lot of care and attention into the form factor and the usability demonstrates a keen interest in the needs of creators like me because it just couldn't be simpler this way and I get the performance I need from a high-end workstation in a small form factor of a laptop,” he says.
“It's clear ASUS puts a lot of care and attention into the form factor and the usability demonstrates a keen interest in the needs of creators like me because it just couldn't be simpler this way and I get the performance I need from a high-end workstation in a small form factor of a laptop,” he says.