There’s always a lot to improve. But in each project you need to find the balance between “quickly” and “qualitatively”.

Vyacheslav Serbov

Country: Ukraine
Age: 26
Job: Freelance CG artist
Website: cgcloud.pro
SocialMedia: www.facebook.com/cgcloud.pro

3DA: Why have you decided to work in 3d-field? When have you started? Where did you study?

VS: Since my childhood I liked to draw. But when I first saw a software that was able to create not the usual flat pictures but the whole 3D worlds and spaces, I was astonished! And I immediately decided that 3D visualization is my calling. I graduated from a computer aided graphic design academy “STEP”. And this gave me the base on different CADs and graphic software. After finishing my education I continued learning the software and technics – bought and read books, looked the web for tutors, talked to professionals on forums.

3DA: What is your usual workflow? Which plugins and software you use? Do you make all the project yourself or delegate some parts of it?

VS: Any work on any project starts with a very distinct and clear brief. If the task is fully described and is easy to understand – then working on it is a breeze, the work goes fast and productive. I’ve used Corona Renderer for the last year to do architectural visualization. Usually I do all work stages by myself. If the task is extraordinary and I need help or advice – I’m always open to communicate with the 3d community and get some help from my friends.

3DA: What your consider most important in creating photo-realistic lighting and materials? Any advice for the students just starting to learn 3D?

VS: The understanding of underlying process is very important. You need to clearly know, what exactly do you change in settings, and most importantly – why do you change it. If you just started to learn 3D – don’t be lazy! Remember: the solutions you’ve found yourself – are memorized for the rest of your life, and will add to your personal experience vault. Also – applying the advice or hint you read on forum CORRECTLY is usually not so easy as it appears. Be self-critical! If you like absolutely everything in your finished job – that’s a bad sign. Commonly, there is a lot to fix. But don’t dig into it for too long, don’t waste your time on trifles – or you can lose your time, your money, and even the client. Always find the balance between “quickly” and “qualitatively”.

3DA: Do you have any personal know-how for creating photo-realistic vegetation and plants?

VS: Due to my current job specifics, my tasks do not include the creation of foliage and trees – I’m doing interior design mostly. But making exteriors is in my plans. I guess, to make realistic greens – you need to notice how the nature is doing it outside – look at the details, such as all these little wrinkles on the tree bark, leaf veins, a little lady-burd on a branch. It all can give you a very realistic result (if made with care).

3DA: What are your plans for the future? What forecasts you can make about the future of 3d-world in general?

VS: Constantly improve! Learn new things, become a real pro. When you look at the best works of current professionals, you understand how far away from this ideal you are now. So – need to improve and strive for the best!
The future of 3D industry as I see it – is of course, progression and perfection, high popularity, creation of new techniques, software and hardware, that open completely new horizons. Thus, you will be required to grow your skills constantly. Each year brings us more computational power, upgraded software and growing network of professionals – so it’s a competitive market, and that’s great. You always have something to strive for, someone to compare you with, and someone to learn from.