Zeeshan Shah is the author of Realistic Asset Creation with Adobe Substance 3D; we got the chance to sit down and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: What are your specialist tech areas?
Zeeshan: Interactive Media, 3D modeling and animation, visual effects, web design, motion graphics, teaching, research.
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Zeeshan: I was approached by Inderpal Singh Arora on LinkedIn to collaborate as an author for Adobe Substance Suite. I was really happy to hear that because I always wanted to author a book and this was my moment. I was ecstatic also for the reason that Adobe Substance 3D suite is my favorite Adobe Suite and I really enjoy working on it, casually speaking I am addicted to it. I was impressed by the Packt team who guided me on every step and took the book in the right direction.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Zeeshan: I have been involved in creating Adobe Substance 3D online courses, therefore, I had enough material to compile in the shape of the book. It took me some time to arrange the lessons because I wanted them to be easy, simple, and detailed.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Zeeshan: I recently joined a new University as a lecturer and at the same time, I took this Authoring job as well. Both happened at the same time, therefore, the task became quite tedious to me because I was handling both new promoting tasks concomitantly.
Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Zeeshan: Adobe has jumped into the 3D world quite recently and they are taking this to next level, as for the new technology they have introduced Virtual Reality in modeling which is quite innovative, and I believe Adobe will move forward in leaps and bounds with this 3D Design Technology like there are chances that their next target is Augmented Reality.
Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Zeeshan: Usually, Tech Text Books that are available for sale, are pretty overwhelming with perplexing information, whereas, my book is not only comprehensive but also very easy and simple to understand. My book is up to date with a straightforward step-by-step guide, I have used various images to make it convenient for the readers to understand the steps.
Q: What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
Zeeshan: By the end of this book, the readers will have extensive knowledge of Adobe Substance 3D and will have the skills to build a comprehensive portfolio of work, setting the readers up for a career in 3D design. I sincerely hope the readers find Substance Suite easy to use for all of their different creative projects. Above all, I want readers to use this information to advance their use of Substance Suite by applying it to their own use cases.
Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
Zeeshan: Software like Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Designer, Sampler, Stager, and Modeler gives you the superpower to create anything, but at the same time, you might get overwhelmed owing to the huge number of features these software offers. If you are afraid to have a creative block, then stay close to nature, you will never fail.
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Zeeshan: I have a YouTube channel that has a number of online multimedia, CGI, and interactive media-based courses, you can visit the channel by clicking here.
Q: Can you share any blogs, websites, and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning? What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
Zeeshan: My own channel is full of extensive resources which I have spent years building for learners, my channel is for every age and every level, you can visit the channel by clicking here.
Q. How would you describe your author’s journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Zeeshan: I am impressed by the way Packt hunts for authors, not so many publishers give chances to new talents, but Packt has not only given me chance but also given me confidence which inspired me to author more books in the future, therefore, I strongly recommend to upcoming promising authors.
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
Zeeshan: I am a member of many online creative tech groups, like CG Society, Artstation, Deviant Art, etc.
Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Zeeshan: I am a keen follower of ACM Siggraph, their UpToDate CGI research papers always cater to my need of producing more research work and exploring new technologies, especially those which are not been touched yet.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Zeeshan: I usually divide my days, I am lucky (Thanks to God!) that I work as a University Lecturer, and I don’t stay at work 9 to 9 and 6 days a week. Owing to my flexible schedule, I can give ample time to complete my book.
Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Zeeshan: While writing the book, make sure you understand who your readers are, if they are beginners then explain to them everything from basic to advance. Learning from basics will give them confidence and will build their skills step-by-step while learning in advance will motivate them to work on professional projects. Don’t take writing as a JOB, take it as your DUTY. JOB helps you to make money, but DUTY helps others to find JOBS.
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, please share.
Zeeshan: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram
You can find Zeeshan’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
