CWH (Clown World House) is among Odyssey’s first 200 alpha users. In this interview, we aim to find out what kind of artist he is, why he decided to invest time in Odyssey, and how he thinks Odyssey may contribute to his work and that of other artists.
If you are the TL;DR type, here it for you: CWH is a 3D NFT artist who sees Odyssey as a new, potentially more appealing, metaverse paradigm, where custom assets can not only be displayed and sold, but also be programmed to enhance the digital experiences of all users.
Read the whole interview to learn more!
What kind of art do you do?
I started with 3D models because the 2D space felt a bit crowded, plus now it’s very easy to leverage AI to create 2D, and I wanted to do something 100% hand made. After I became confident in my 3D skills, I started developing a bit. I have two games in the making and several ideas for gamification in Odyssey.
My art primarily focuses on animated 3D models, because I believe that the beauty of 3D is that you can make it do something. I focus on space art, both spaceships and characters, like spaceship captains. As I said, I tried AI art, but it got boring quickly because anyone can go ahead and do it.
What would be the ideal space to showcase your art?
The ideal space would be my own game! For now, I think the metaverse is the next best thing. I don’t have to spend money on research, developers, or even time writing code myself. A 3D metaverse allows me to show both my 3D models and a gallery for my 3D renders.
I am already working in Odyssey to develop some architecture that can accommodate all my work in the best possible way. Also, I am looking forward to the developments in Odyssey, which could allow me to gamify my metaverse without doing much development myself.
Where do you share your artwork now?
Mainly on my website, CW.house. I am also active on Twitter, Singular.app, and kodadot.xyz, two NFT platforms on Dotsama.
Why did you choose these platforms?
I tried OpenSea, but the Kusama blockchain has always appealed to me (I even won an iPad participating at one of their events!). I was curious about NFTs on Kusama, so I jumped on RMRK and Singular. My first collection (called Rarest Spaceships) went well, so I stuck around. Then I added my collections to Kodadot, and I feel that their community is very welcoming, so that helps a lot.
What do you like and dislike about these platforms?
The community is really supportive, especially the Kodadot one. I am a little put off by the fact that they don’t support 3D art very well, mostly I am forced to present renders instead of actual models.
How did you find out about Odyssey?
I knew about Momentum, and when the team reached out to me with the pre-alpha of the new product, I decided to investigate the project a little bit because they don’t sound like your usual Twitter dumpster fire. I was pleased to find out that Odyssey has the potential to allow me to make something with my 3D collections programmatically, so I started investing time in it.
Odyssey is still in alpha on testnet, but what do you imagine could be its role in what you do?
I’ll start with a story. When Decentraland was in pre-alpha, it was similar to Odyssey. You had basically a 3D room in the metaverse. Then they made a contest where you had to build a scene in the metaverse. Now, Decentraland is huge. I think Odyssey has that kind of potential.
For me, Odyssey can be the perfect outlet to join programming and 3D models. The Odyssey team is really supportive, and if the community grows, I could use some game logic implemented by the team via plugins and make my own games. I used to run one of the largest Minecraft servers in my country, so I know something about the metaverse. Odyssey cares about making things programmable and helping their community, which is not always the case for metaverse platforms.
The interactive experience is a huge thing, and Odyssey wants to do that, they don’t just say “I’ll sell you this 3D jacket for 20 bucks”. For example, if I want to tell a story, from interactive rollercoaster rides to full-blown RPG like the matrix, I think Odyssey is going in the right direction to empower me to do that.
Last thing, not everyone wants to buy land and then buy objects to build on the land. Odyssey doesn't use that logic, so it’s appealing to a lot of people.
What new features would you like to see?
I am not waiting for a specific feature. But token-gating, interface and control updates, basic ability to make animation triggered by user actions, making 3D objects scriptable will be game-changers. The team has already delivered custom skyboxes, which was on my list also.
I am going to watch the next releases carefully, and then adapt to them to improve my 3D world.
What’s your suggestion to someone who is starting to create their Odyssey?
Watch tutorials on 3D modelling if you want to use your own 3D models! Also, it’s a new product in alpha version, so the interface can be a bit complicated at times. You should join their community on Discord, they are always available to help! Try using 3D objects that have a small size for better performance. For ideas, feel free to visit my world and even copy what I did!
Also, it’s very helpful if you share your feedback with them on Discord, as they are very receptive.
Can you show us around what you have built so far?
It’s better if we include a video here! You can see I added several models, an animated skybox (which is a world-within-the-world). I am actually creating a collection of these custom skyboxes, so I can help people get started. I will have more information about them on my Twitter feed soon.
About CWH
Clown World House (CWH) is a 3D artist, world builder, and Blockchain enthusiast. He has contributed as a 3D artist to several projects in the Dotsama ecosystem and is passionate about on-chain games and gamification.
CWH is one of the first Odyssey users and has joined the journey early in the pre-alpha stage on testnet. You can visit his Odyssey at this link, and connect with him through Twitter @ClownWorldHouse or Discord at CWH#0039.
You can also explore CWH’s 3D NFT collections on Singular and Kodadot.
About Odyssey
Odyssey is a web3 social medium for metaverse experiences. We are currently in the alpha stage on testnet. The current iteration of Odyssey offers a 100% 3D in-browser world builder, where you upload your custom assets, set the tone with your own skybox, and collaborate with others through native text and voice chat, screen sharing, and integrations to tools like Miro and Google Drive.
You can create your Odyssey now at odyssey.org
Learn more at discover.odyssey.org and join us on Discord to ask questions and share your feedback.