Olesya Ligay

Name: Olesya Ligay
Area of living: Kiev, Ukraine
Company: Part-time Freelancer for 6 years
Expertise: Interiors
Project duration: 1 week
Software using: 3DsMax, V-Ray, Photoshop, Autocad

– Every project starts from collecting materials and client’s wishes. How do you negotiate with clients? What do you ask for?

The customer usually provides all info 🙂 Most important part in conversation with a customer is: where the person has traveled before. This information I will try to reflect in a future interior. If customer travels a lot – project will be really interesting. What’s why I also ask about hobbies, profession, etc…

– How do you work: in your own style or under clients guidance?

I’m trying to do a mix with client’s wishes and my own style. In most cases customers do not understand what they really want and from here begins my work.

– How is you working process look like? How many revisions allowed to make?

One set of corrections already included in every project. If customer wants more corrections, than for his money as much as he wants. In such circumstances one set is enough 🙂

– Have you refused to do the project and if yes why?

Yes, I have refused to do projects many times. I divide clients by 3 categories. With 1st category I do not work at all already. This is such group of people from whom many freelancers started their journey. I call this group: “Troubles for the 3 cents”. Other two groups are: average and expensive ones. The higher cost of the project, the better the whole team performers. With such people it is really nice to communicate. They are competent and interesting in themselves.

– With what kind of client you will never do business again?

Will never do business again with customers who start to threaten or heavily bargain. From their words they are supposedly worried about the result. Well, goodbye then.

– General project time?

Very abstract question, but normally if only design needed, than one room in 3 days, visualization in addition – 2 days.

– How do you calculate/estimate project price?

I will estimate the project by square meters and complexity of style. Short deadlines can raise the price. Large areas conversely affect the discount.

– Do you charge for rendering?

Rendering already included in price.

– Do you have technical education? Does it helps in 3D?

Yes I have technical education, I’m architect and yes it helps in my current work. In many ways. If I had not such education I would have learned in the process to understand all the technical features, but it would take more time and through a lot of mistakes. More than allows a trained person.

– Client is nice, project agenda is clear, now you need inspiration to get started. What are your sources of inspiration?

If all materials are collected, than it is clear what to do 🙂 Usually clients bring with them a lot of images to explain the concept they would like to realize. I only take best of them and may be add something of my own. I create a symbiosis. There were no such situations then client come without any materials. Because I do not understand how a family will live in a house if it is not interested in future design at all. But to be true – all inspiration come from internet and the nature. Mind is very strongly developing when you travel and meet new people.

Regarding internet sources, before it was DesignBoom but now there is no specific, because of many others which are also so good. I like Behance very much. It is so many talented people in one place.

– There are 2 types of visualizers: one who heavily rely on post-work (they do not render scene completely, but only parts of it, and one who try to get complete scene after render process and apply basic post-work) From which side you are and why?

I always compose scene complete and then render everything all together. Time of “pieces” gone long ago for me. I only render small part of image in case of changes to save time and not to render a whole image once again. Time is money.

– How would you rate your level of expertise in 3D graphics on a scale 0 till 10?

Hmm … I’m not a pro in this … but not a novice also. Tricky question. Let everyone rate my skills by himself.

– What were the main sources of training that you used if any? Which one you can recommend?

Yes, I had a couple of courses. In one place I was taught all at once – from beginning till animation. In next place, only basic things. I dropped them. The last one was in Orehov studio for free. It was more like hangout party. We had fun all night long, found lots of new friends. My suggestion, it is better to go to a strong teacher or school, than the result will be also good. In nameless school it is not possible to achieve serious results.

– Do you participate in contests?

Yes I take part in competitions sometimes: Designboom, Pinwin, Formabilio. I remember that once I took part in graduation projects contest. Even got to 2nd round but was not manage to go further, because my project was too specific.

– Do you attend 3D vis conferences or at least track them in internet?

Yes I try to attend conferences, if somebody invites, but I mostly emphasis in design, not 3D itself. Nowadays it is very easy to find talented artists.

– Do you have any personal ideas in 3D which you would like to realize (maybe someone has similar idea and later you can connect with each other in order to help accomplish an idea)?

Oh, I have a lot of sketches… One of them even in WIP stage. But they are mostly experiments, rather than real dreams. My real dreams are not connected to 3D 🙂

– What is your greatest work that you have done? The most challenging project you have worked on?

This was a house. Client was a woman who worked in supermarket. Oh, how she tried to bargain the price. This was a project with the biggest amount of edits. And you know which version was selected – the first one.

– What do you think about general 3D visualization level in your country

3D rapidly develops in our country, but clients do not appreciate this as a complex work. Also there are lots of middlemen who drastically lowering prices. And I’m very disappointed that a lot of people agree to work for the low price, which in the end leads to client’s thinking: “Is it really true that good 3D artist is expensive one?”

– Market is overwhelmed with the low quality/price offers. There are many programs which allow creating simple 3D without any knowledge. Do you think such job as 3D artists will be still needed in future?

No I do not afraid of this. They will take their own segment which does not correspond with mine. If I’m mistaken, will change my profile. It is necessary to evolve with the times.

– What are your long-term goals or career plans?

Right now none. Of course I would like to win a large contest, but for now it is what I’m doing for living.

Advice from Olesya how to attarct more clients and how to achieve so high level visualization quality:

To attract more clients, you must have a good portfolio in internet. Also it is common practice to attract clients by the known employee name or by the known client’s name. All things are obvious, there are no secrets. I do not have such known names, that is why I advertise my portfolio only.

Objects arrangement and light sources adjustments, materials, post-work. When all the links in the chain with high quality, the chain itself is generally also good.