Who are you, and what do you do?

I am Alan Curtis: engineer, artist, animator. I create things. I worked for​ ​EA​ ​as a 3D / technical artist making video games, then​ ​The Void​ ​developing virtual reality experiences. Currently, I am a software engineer making web applications. After work, I spend time with my wonderful family, paint pictures, come up with video game and web app ideas, then prototype them out. I love what I do.

What hardware do you use?

I have a Dell Precision 5530 laptop, a Dell 27 inch UltraSharp monitor, a Wacom Intuos Pro Large Tablet, a Logitech M705 Marathon Wireless Mouse, with an ErgoDox EZ Glow Keyboard. This all sits atop my ApexDesk Vortex Series 60” 6-Button Electric Height Adjustable Sit to Stand Desk. When standing, I use a Topo Comfort Mat by Ergodriven. Eventually, I get lazy, then sit in my RESPAWN-100 Racing Style Gaming Chair.

And what software?

• Coding:
  • VS Code
  • PyCharm
  • Notepad++
  • Visual Studio 2017
• Art:
  • ZBrush
  • Maya
  • Photoshop
  • After Effects
  • Premiere
  • Animate
  • Substance Designer and Painter.
• UX Design: Adobe XD
• Game Development:
  • Unreal Engine 4
  • Unity 3D

What’s your keyboard setup like? Do you use a custom layout or custom keycaps?

I took all the hardware from above and made my own mobile studio, or as I call it, “My Briefcase”.

I made a 3D model to make sure everything would fit. I exported out the measurements, got cutting, put wheels on it, and BOOM! Portable desk.

This way I have everything I need wherever I am.

My caps are the Cherry MX Browns. I haven’t explored past those.

Layout: I use 4 layers.

• Layer 1: Base, which is the classic with just a few tweaks.
• Layer 2: Numbers and characters.
• Layer 3: Mouse movement and page navigation.
• Layer 4: Photoshop and 3D modeling. Here, I made F a dual-function key so my hand rarely moves when modeling or painting because “Alt” is a super common hotkey. Then, I set up all my hotkeys in the programs all on the left half of the board; that way, I only have to put my Wacom Pen down when typing.

What would be your dream setup?

I have my mobile dream — maybe I’ll put in a cupholder!? But for a home setup, 2 monitors, 24-27 inch ​cintiq​, and a super awesome PC something like this:

• CPU:​ ​TR 2990WX
• GPU:​ ​RTX 2080 Ti
• Motherboard:​ ​Gigabyte X399 Aorus Xtreme
• Storage 1:​ ​1TB Samsung Pro NVMe M.2 SSD
• Storage 2:​ ​2TB Samsung NVMe M.2 SSD
• Power Supply:​ ​Seasonic Prime 1000 Titanium
• RAM:​ ​64GB (4 X 16GB) DDR4-3200
• Case:​ ​Phanteks Enthoo Primo
• CPU Cooler:​ ​Fractal Design S24
• Operating System:​ ​Windows 10

Tons of processing power for 3D rendering and game development, 3 ergo arms to hold the monitors and cintiq… and last, a really nice ​chair​.