What is the monolot story? Who brought monolot to life? During the summer of 2020, we were asked by an online magazine about architecture, Archizoom, for an interview. Even after two years, we can say it contains our core values and goals, insight into the way of thinking, and last but not least, our story. We translated it, shortened it, and updated some of the information. Here is the first part.
monolot showcases architecture in a modern light
monolot is a brand new visualization studio and has experienced people. Jan Lankaš (LAN render), Jakub Kolek (RENDERtalk) and David Straka (Straka CGI) form a strong trio and lead a very capable team. If you haven’t heard of them yet, remember them — a fresh wind into the world of Czechoslovak visualization.
How did you get into the visualization? Are you close to architecture?
David: We were all classmates, and we studied architecture. I got into visual arts through car design. I learned to work in 3D software, which deepened and expanded my interest, leading me to architecture. In the end, I decided to study it, but I still enjoyed 3D arts more. After seven years, I returned to 3D, and I met Jan.
Jan: I have always been fascinated by visual side of architecture and ways of its presentation. I studied in Alena Šrámková’s studio, where, paradoxically, everything was drawn by hand. What I enjoyed most about my studies was the subject where we used the 3DS MAX program. I spent a lot of time with it at the expense of other subjects, such as mathematics, which became an obstacle for me to continue my studies. Thanks to my acquaintances, I got my first job in visualizations. I gained more responsibility in three years, becoming an art director. In 2016 I left and founded my own brand LAN render.
Jakub: And I started to visualize out of coercion (laughs). I was convinced that I wanted to be an architect. In the first year of my studies, I came across the fact that I couldn’t present my project. I came up with a project that would be very difficult to draw in hand, and it almost cost me my studies. I had to face the situation where I would somehow present the project or leave my studies. Over the summer, I sat down and learned 3D visualization – I was able to present my project, and it turned out quite well. As a 3D artist, I had a few clients while studying. And I also learned I didn’t want to make a living by being an architect.
After my bachelor’s degree, I wanted to work. A master’s degree did not motivate me. Unfortunately, in practice, I was disappointed by the culture of the architectural profession, and suddenly I did not know what I would do. And I realized that I should do what I could, and that was visualization.
“Final version of our name didn’t meet any of the criteria we set at the beginning.
But “monolot” is precisely what we do and who we are.”
What does the word “monolot” mean?
David: Monolot is a combination of two words. The first part reflects the simplicity we prefer in our visualizations. And the second word, “lot,” is the space where we have our office. We are not only a brand that creates beautiful images, but it is also about the community. The word monolot, therefore, characterizes us.
Jakub: There were a lot of options, and this final version didn’t meet any of the criteria we set at the beginning. It has been a long process. It’s not monosyllabic or striking, but in the end, we liked it the most. “monolot” is precisely what we do and who we are.
And how was monolot established?
Jan: Our classmate Anna Koukolová connected David and me. I helped her with the visualizations for her projects, and she would often tease me, “if you don’t have time, it doesn’t matter, David Straka also has very nice visualizations.” And then she arranged a working date. I was probably even more nervous about that meeting than if it were an actual date. Fortunately, we immediately “clicked,” and I offered him a place in the space where I was working at the time.
David: I didn’t even let Honza finish the sentence, and I immediately said, “Yeah!”. At a time, I was working from home for a year and a half, and I was sick of it. I wanted to change the environment.
Jan: That’s how David and I got together. At first, we just sat next to each other, consulted, and as the amount of work increased, we felt that we needed to connect even more and maybe even hire some people to help us. At that moment, Jakub started to get involved. He began making RENDERtalks (podcasts about 3D modeling) and organized community meetings, which we attended.
Jakub: I started doing the podcast in 2018, and my motivation was to meet people who were better than me and learn from them. I also organized the RENDERbeer meeting, where I made a lot of contacts. And among them was Oleg Maslovskyi, who has his educational project CG.academy. Oleg told me about David’s and Honza’s idea to make an office that will also be a community. And because I have already organized such events, they approached me with the proposition that I would have my place there, work independently and manage only the program of this space. David and Honza then talked about their joint brand for three months, yet nothing happened. And I couldn’t take it anymore [laughs].
Jan: Jakub observed our efforts to merge the two brands and saw that we were struggling. He saw our potential, and he offered help. We sat down, exchanged thoughts, and felt “this is right.” I like when people act directly and say, “I want to help you, and here’s how.” Since then, it has been very natural. Jakub took over the agenda of the company’s management, communication with clients, and the reconstruction of the new space and began to build our brand.
How long does it take your team to create a visualization?
Jakub: It is about 33 hours per picture. The basic predisposition for a faster process is to receive at least rough 3D models that we only modify and finish to details.
David: Or we can even create the 3D model, yet that adds hours to the average. The modeling time depends on the complexity of the design and the size and details.
Jan: The mentioned 33 hours is an average value. There may be a picture that lasts 50 hours, and another may need ten. Usually, the first one takes the longest. But it also depends on the camera. A shot from above can take up to 100 hours without drone photography.
So aerial visualizations are the longest to process?
Jan: Yes, because it is necessary to model the environment. Without a photograph, one must use a graphic abbreviation: fog, darkness, or backlight. However, if the client wants details, we have to add working hours. On the other hand, there are, for example, interior visualizations where an architect has everything already modeled, and we only add a few textures. Such visualization can take only 8 hours. It depends on the nature of the project and its scope.
What do you manage to do in those 33 hours?
Jakub: Modeling is one thing, but it only takes one-quarter of the time. We need to find suitable materials and textures. Light and composition take up the most time; we try different approaches. And post-production also takes up a lot of those hours.
Jan: Post-production is the most important, yet it is generally the most skipped part. The project comes to an end, and there’s not much time left.
What do you focus on the most while post-production of your visualizations?
Jan: Post-production is mainly about color tuning. We try to make the colors right from the render, but in Photoshop, we tune it for at least two hours and try different colors. At this stage, it’s similar to photo post-production. We fix the depth of field, shadow, and light. With exteriors, we sometimes combine photos and renders. And then we need some basic retouching as well.
Are you mainly modeling or photographing the environment?
Jakub: We always evaluate the situation. We will use what is more efficient and appropriate to achieve the best possible result.
Jan: When the project is based in Prague and the surrounding area, it would be a waste of time to model the environment. But, if we do 3D animation, we have to model it anyway.
What software do you use?
David: We primarily use the Czech Corona Renderer for rendering.
Jan: 3DS MAX is our primary modeling program. Sometimes we need to open something in AutoCAD, Rhino3D, or SketchUp. And we use Adobe Photoshop for post-production.
How many of you are in the monolot?
Jakub: There are fourteen digital artists and extra four people that take care of the company – sales, marketing, and finance. And we work with external experts as well.
How do you divide your work in such a team?
Jakub: David and Honza are art directors responsible for the final output. I lead the operation part – communication with clients, marketing, business development, etc. We already have promoted some artists to be project managers – they lead the projects from start to finish. So we used these “micro teams” to keep everything on track.
monolot is a young studio. What are your plans for the future?
Jakub: In two years, we have grown from five to almost 20 people. We are renovating a new space to expand our numbers even further. We managed to stabilize the team, and we are constantly working to improve the efficiency of the workflow.
Jan: I am happy to say that we are already known on the European market. Yet, Europe is not a limit to us. We like to work with Czech studios, but there is still limited capacity, and we had to expand our client portfolio. Besides that, we started to include architectural photography in our services, so now we plan to promote it.
David: As a long-term goal, we want to explore other industries. This means getting out of the box of architecture and architectural visualization and exploring our experience and skills in other areas where 3D graphics can be used.
