Waldek Bartkowiak also known as Mancubus here on Spin Quad is one of the communities most creative and talented artist. A self-taught Lightwave user with a gamming style and last years Redemption Challenge winner, Waldek proves that he has an eye for detail and an awesome skill as can be seen in all his work. We had the chance to speak with Waldek recently here’s what he had to say…

By Mike Lynch

SQ – Tell us about yourself. …Who are you, where are you from, where did you go to school? My name is Waldek Bartkowiak, but many of you may know me as Mancubus. I live in Glogow, a small city in Poland. I’m 27 years old, and I finished the Computer Systems and Networks at The University of Applied Sciences in Legnica, Poland. Since I was a kid I’ve loved drawing - and later, since I get my first computer, I’ve loved coding. When I finished high school I thought that art wouldn’t make me much money, so I decided to go technical route. After graduating the university, I realized that I wasn’t happy, and it was time to follow my dreams. That’s why I got back to drawing, but this time - using computers instead of pencils. I’ve since realized that was the best decision of my life. I don’t regret the time I’ve spent learning all the technical stuff, because I believe CG is the place where art meets science.

SQ – When were you first introduced to CG and Lightwave? In high school I was programming a lot with friends – we were making some simple computer games. Because, I was the only one that could draw, I was also creating the graphics for them. That was kind of cool: to create something that would look good in 2D with really low resolution. Time was changing: high school changed to university, and my hobby had changed form programming to partying [laughs]. But, most importantly: my graphics changed from 2D to 3D. My first 3D app was 3D Studio Max. It is the most popular 3D app in Poland. There were no schools that were teaching 3D - so I started to learn 3D from different tutorials. I also decided to buy some old 3D magazines on E-Bay to help me learn. In one of those magazines I found an article, which offered a comparison of different 3D apps. I found Lightwave interesting, because in this comparison it seemed to have the best render times, and the lower price compared to others. Also my cousin said to me, that he knew a few people that had used Lightwave in the Amiga days, and he said, that Lightwave has the best community of all. Now, after those years I can say honestly that he was 100% right.

SQ – What made you choose Lightwave as your 3D app? Like I said, the low price, the quality and speed of rendering engine. Last but not least - the community. When I started learning 3D I was looking for good 3D Forums across the Internet. Most Polish forums were filled with rants, and “pseudo-artists“ with bigger egos than skills. Then I discovered SpinQuad. I have read many threads and articles, and I thought “...if I try to learn 3D by myself, then here I can find people that can help me...” So I chose Lightwave 3D, and that was another great decision in my life.