3D BLOG/INTERVIEWS/FROM BATTLEFIELDS TO BITMAPS: AN INTERVIEW WITH YOSHI VU

From Battlefields to Bitmaps: An Interview with Yoshi Vu

Mar 25, 2025

Article by Jerry Bonner

In the highly competitive world of 3D artists, there are contenders and pretenders. Yoshi Vu is most certainly the former rather than the latter. From his early days as a soldier to his current role as a designer and 3D artist with Skybound Entertainment on one of the most badass superhero shows out there, Invincible, Yoshi has proven, time and again, that his artistic sensibilities are a cut above the rest.

But just don't take my word for it, you can check out some of his fantastic work on franchises such as Star Wars, The Tick, and Half Life on his homepage, Artificial Empire, his ArtStation page, and his overall demo reel.

Yoshi took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with us about life, the universe, everything 3D art related and then some.

JB/RH = Jerry Bonner/RenderHub

YV = Yoshi Vu

JB/RH: What took you from the Marine Corps to the career you have now a career in art and/or the arts?

YV: To be honest, the Marine Corps or the military in general was just kind of a pathway to get there it was college money, if you will. That was one of the big draws of the military, you know, the G.I. Bill. So, for me, that was the big draw there. I wanted to pick a branch that I would be proud of and all that good stuff. So, that's the one (USMC) I settled on, after listening to each and every branches sales pitch. Thankfully, I got the opportunity within the military to do art in there as well. Once they realized that I was an artist, I got the opportunity to do a few designs for battery t-shirts, platoon coins, and what have you.

JB/RH: Typically, and I'm sure you know better than me here, that not too many people that have done what you do: transition from soldier to artist?

YV: Yeah, not very many Marines going to the arts like I did. Many of them ended up working in either law enforcement or, you know, park rangers, or something with an adjacent feel that would be well suited for somebody coming from the military.

JB/RH: As an artist, who and/or what are some of your biggest influences?

YV: Well, Craig Mullins is probably one of my biggest influences. Drew Struzan because he's done some of my favorite movie posters. He basically painted my childhood. And then I was heavily inspired by Neil Blomkamp, of course. You know, seeing somebody make that transition from a VFX artist over to making their own stuff on a larger scale, directing and all that good stuff. I mean, I'm still a ways off from that, but one can dream.

JB/RH: What's your favorite film/TV/animation project you've worked on?

YV: Well, the easy answer is Invincible which I'm working on currently. That would probably be my current answer in terms of my favorite. And that's because this is the longest I've been at a studio (Skybound Entertainment). I love the job. I love the property even though it is different from what I usually do, but it's a very rewarding position to have, working on a property that I love. But, if were talking about single scenes that I created assets for, that would be the Death Star ruins from Episode Nine: The Rise of Skywalker because who wouldn't love to be tasked with an assignment like that?

JB/RH: What's your favorite video game project you've worked on?

YV: I haven't worked out too many video game projects. I think maybe three or four in total. It was Destiny 2, Black Ops 3, League of Legends Odyssey, and the new RTX version of Half Life 2. Thats a tough one, though. I would say probably Black Ops 3. I didnt join that team for the primary game I joined one of the later expansions/DLC packs. And as someone who was in the military, it just felt appropriate.

JB/RH: Sure you've seen things up close and personal that maybe wasn't portrayed properly or wasn't done right? Looking at it from a military perspective, it was like, no, it wouldn't ever be this way. Here's how it would be

YV: Actually, it was during the production of Invincible that something exactly like that happened. I helped them with flag placements. The way the flags are supposed to be oriented on the astronaut uniforms and equipment. So, I corrected that for the show there, and I don't know 100% if this is the reason it happened, but I know there was a plot point in the show itself regarding the flag that was also corrected because of my corrections.

JB/RH: I'm a big Half Life guy and as someone who has worked on that series recently, do you think well ever see Half Life 3?

YV (laughing): I have no idea. I don't deal with it, really. I mean, we got Half Life: Alyx, right? I know for some people that's not 3, but for me, I was happy with it. I was very impressed with how it utilized the VR technology because I'm going to be honest I wasn't on board with the VR thing at first. I get motion sickness pretty easily in VR. I thought they did an amazing job on that game. It was so natural for what it was.

JB/RH: What are your thoughts on something like Flow winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film?

YV: I'm gonna be 100% honest. I haven't seen it. I am so behind on so many things right now because I have two kids and one is a toddler.

JB/RH: I've watched it and your kids would probably love it, so I think it could be something you could sit down and watch with them for sure.

YV: I should put it on with them. The thing is, lately, all I've seen is Cocomelon. You know, because of my youngest. And I have to watch the show that I work on (Invincible) in bed on my phone after they're asleep because it's too violent.

JB/RH: What are some of the tools/programs/apps you use on a daily basis? What are the biggest pluses and minuses of each?

YV: I love 3D Studio Max. That's what I use primarily. I started in Maya originally, that was the first program I learned thoroughly, and I progressed to 3D Studio Max from there, and that's been my primary thing since then. I can use Blender because a lot of my other teammates use Blender, and when I hand assets off to them, I have to give it to them in Blender. So, I use that on a minimal basis, as well. Zbrush and Substance Painter are also big ones. I love some Substance Painter especially working on an animated show.

JB/RH: Yeah, you don't realize when you're watching an animated show like Invincible that somebody sat there and meticulously put these shelves together and did this thing in a 3D program. It's just kind of mind-boggling when you think about the details of it.

YV: That's one of those things where I had to lay it out. Originally, I guess I went a little too far with a lot of the sets (on Invincible) because I'm coming from the live-action SFX industry over to animation. So it was a learning curve for me, visually. One of the art directors comments was, You know, there's a lot going on in this scene, it looks great, but that's going to be really busy. And, you know, it's a lot for the storyboard artist to play with, they're gonna be all over the place. So, we need to, you know, pull this back a little bit. And I know I'm learning about the animation process and how they pull focus to the characters more than certain elements. Like I said, it's knowing how far to take things sometimes versus sinking too many unnecessary hours into it.

JB/RH: Youve also worked on content for various YouTube personalities/creators, such as the Angry Video Game Nerd, Pat the NES Punk, and The Game Chasers, how did those gigs come about?

YV: It was GameSack first, actually. I did their intro sequence, the logo, and there was a full CG sequence in one of their episodes (episode 234). If you watch it, it's the Sega Genesis episode and it's his (Joes) favorite console. I did the fly through of the console. It (the camera) flies through the cartridge port and flies around the motherboard and everything. He opened up his console, took pictures of the board and everything and sent it to me. So, I did a very detailed build of everything and I had a blast doing it. But that was the first YouTube channel I reached out to. Waitno, it wasnt. The first was AVGN. I reached out to him and he got back to back to him but I didn't start working with him until way later. He was the first one to get back to me, but I didnt work with him until his movie. I did a CG animation of a jet but he ended up using a toy, a scale, a practical one which I thought actually worked better. I think one of the only things of mine that ended up in the movie was the Humvee that theyre driving. It actually didnt have a back. It was open, so I just put a CG version of a Humvee rear on there. That kind of work comes mostly from me reaching out to a lot of my favorite channels just wanting to be a part of what they do.

JB/RH: So, from the GameSack thing, then it was kind of a domino effect in a sense where once you worked for one, the others started getting back to you?

YV: It's weird because when I would reach out originally and say, hey, I worked on all these movies and shows, only AVGN and GameSack cared. Pat (The NES Punk) I met him at a convention and I handed him my card. Thats how that relationship kind of started. I did some logo work for his books originally and then it just kind of escalated from there to various other projects, title sequences and what have you. I have to admit that I was actually star-struck when I met the AVGN for the first time, you know, which I was surprised by. I surprised myself that I did not think I would get star-struck by James Rolfe. But the very first time I met him, I kind of froze up a bit like, oh, snap. That's the AVGN.

JB/RH: As it seems to be the hot topic of the day: What are your thoughts on AI and AI generated art as a whole?

YV: Thats a loaded question, isnt it? The best way I can put this is, and I hope this isnt a crude analogy, but when my friends and colleagues talk about it (AI), I say as an artist, I know how to perform without it. So I look at AI as if it was a performance enhancing drug. To those who use it, Id say: Hey, congratulations that you think you can do what I can do. Except when the internet is out and the computer is down, you can give me a piece of paper and a pencil, and I can still rock it and you cant.

JB/RH: When you have free time, what are you personally playing and/or watching these days?

YV: Retro games! Actually, I jump back and forth. I always have at least one modern game I'm playing and one retro game. The one retro game I've been playing is Marvel Ultimate Alliance the first one. And the modern game I'm playing is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

I saw Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 for Nintendo Switch in a game store I frequent, and I guess I didn't realize it was released. I didn't even know it existed and that's when I thought: You know what? I have the first one and the second one at home, and I've never played them so lets go home and do that!

JB/RH: What advice do you have for those looking to break into the 3D art world those who want to do and/or work on similar projects that you have?

YV: I know it's clich but the saying really is true that if you find a job doing what you love, youll never work a day in your life. The biggest advice I can give is to let your passion carry you. Don't let anybody else tell you what you should or shouldnt like or should or shouldnt do. If you're passionate about it, give it your all. It's another clich statement, but if there's a will there's a way.

Look at this way: People lost their jobs, industries changed, and things just went south during the pandemic, you know? So if at any moment things can change and you can lose everything no matter how safe you play it, why not take a chance?

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