Vladislav Voskresenski

Name: Vladislav Voskresenski
Area of living: Vladivostok, Russian Federation
Company: Full-time Freelancer, since 2011
Expertise: Expert level in interior
Project duration: 1 week
Software using: 3DsMax, Corona render and Photoshop

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

Ordinary customers come with a full technical task. If initially it is not ready, we will do it together. We concentrate on references and analogies in order to develop a concept.

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

I do not think that I have my own style or at least I try not to stick to a certain style. Usually, the customer and I create a special style that fits to the customer’s needs. Such style is based on similar objects that are interesting for both of us.

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

Usually, an excess amount of amendments shows that the designer hasn’t properly organized work with a client. I try to establish a mutual understanding and agreement on key aspects of the project at the stage of development a technical task.

For example, to select the style of the project and visual solutions I tell the client about the latest trends in design. So that before he chooses visual style he would have known what is good design and what is bad. After that we will certainly make a good design. It goes with browsing through good interiors in such resources as Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr. Also, before starting a 3D visualization I use line drawings by hand to discuss and agree on the basic ideas.

Later during the development of the project I keep a customer informed of the design process and together we will adjust it to achieve the desired result. This method avoids many unnecessary edits, since the project was originally built to satisfy the customer’s needs.

– How do you calculate/estimate project price?

As a rule, for the convenience of the client I break the project into separate services, each service has its price. For example, sometimes a client can save time and money on some drawings or 3D visualization if it is enough for him of hand-drawn sketches. Often this helps in very urgent projects. On average, designing a room can take up to two days, and this period is multiplied by the number of rooms plus some time for finalization and aligning final decisions.

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

Yes, I have basic architectural education. I can not say that it helps in the understanding of 3D graphics, but it helps in designing interiors. It seems to me that a designer without technical knowledge of architecture is similar to a surgeon who does not know the organization of a human body. For me, 3D graphics is not a goal in itself, but only a tool to demonstrate ideas. Sometimes I think of completely switching to sketches by hand.

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

As I have said, the inspiration is formed during the drafting of technical specification and design concept. It is also formed when we study different existing objects, and choose which of them can be applied to our project. In my mind develops an image which motivates me to visualize it in real picture. In terms of visualization, I was inspired not so much by 3D artists, but instead by examples from movies and photo art.

– Who is your favorite 3D artist or company?

I think that 3D visualization standard right now are Alex Roman’s works. He set the plank so high, that only a few could reach this level of quality. And he also has shown that technical skills are meaningless without the artistic vision of a project. Each of his work is a true masterpiece. Light settings, frame, color solution, beautiful architecture, scenic background, and some technical skills allow you to do what he did. In general, my favorite 3D artists are: Albert Mizuno, Denis Krasikov, Jacub Cech. I guess, I can not say that someone from them is a true example for me, but from each I find something, what I should learn.

– 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 render the entire scene and then do post-processing on the passes in Photoshop. This allows very fine-tune the final result, and significantly improve the image produced by the rendering engine. Clean render I perceive as a blank workpiece. The skills of painting and drawing let me add an artistic atmosphere in the final result for which the rendering engine is not capable.

– How would you rate your level of expertise in 3D graphics on a scale 0 till 10. In what areas you would like to get more knowledge?

There are many things in 3D that I do not know. For example 3D sculpting in z-brush, animation, characters modeling, professional texturing packages. So, if we take broad 3D graphics knowledge, I would rate it about 4-5. But it is enough for my profile direction.

– What software do you use/like the most? Why?

I’m using today’s popular bunch of 3ds max, Corona render and Photoshop. These tools should be quite enough for that would make a decent rendering. 3d max has become a standard in our industry for archviz. Corona lets you focus on the artistic work and not think about setting up a render engine. Photoshop provides the necessary tools for artistic render treatment.

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

Of course I have studied courses from Evermotion and Alex Roman. Also, I like video tutorials by Artem Kupriyanenko. He teaches the right principle of learning-by-copying photos. In painting it is one of the most important methods of teaching is to copy paintings by famous artists.

– Do you participate in contests?

I’m more interested in interior design contests rather than pure 3D. In this area, I have an experience, I won several contests. Here is the link to one of them: link

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

If possible, I watch the webinars by Artem Kupriyanenko.

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

When I was working in an architectural studio, we received an order to develop apartments in a penthouse in one of the highest and most luxurious buildings of the city. Although I was a young designer, I was immediately appointed executor of this project. It seemed to me that this was a project of my dreams and I gladly started working on it.

I did a lot of variants of each room during half of a year and each variant was good. But each time the client changed his views and could not decide. Other people were communicating with the customer and I could not affect it, or make a technical task with him.

After six months of meaningless work, I realized the importance of competent management with customers and development of technical tasks. Unfortunately this studio was not able correctly organize design process and work with clients. We were just trying to guess what the client likes. Later I went to work on my own, but the project was never completed. As far as I know the client stopped communicating. It was an important experience for me.

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

I think that Russia is lagging behind Europe and the United States in the level of 3D graphics. But as for architectural visualization, I think that in any country there are mediocre artists and there are outstanding artists or at least those who are above average. Among the CIS countries, in terms of design and 3D graphics, Ukraine is ahead. If you meet a good Russian-speaking 3D artist or a designer, he is likely to be from Ukraine.

– 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?

That’s a good question. Today it is often raised on 3D forums. But such view is generated by a misconception, that a user of software is automatically a 3D artist or a designer. I think this is a right evolution of CG Art, when a 3D program takes its rightful place of a tool – of a canvas and paint. The main difficulty and value are not in the technical skills, but artistic and not many possess those.

It seems to me that CG Art market is really The Art Market, and one shouldn’t get fixated on the technical side. Soon, the client will understand that 3D graphics has no value in itself. The result will be of importance, and it won’t matter how it was accomplished – by painting in oils or in a 3D application.

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

I don’t think I want to work with 3D graphics all my life. I hope the time will come when I will only draw interiors by hand and do 3D just for fun.

Advice from Vladislav how to achieve high quality level in 3D visualization and how to attract more clients:

I think every studio knows what should be done in terms of attracting new customers. Of course it is to make beautiful projects and to give them maximum publicity on the Internet and the media. Also the service is very important.

Regarding 3D visualization quality. Naturally, most of the work is done by a rendering engine. But in my opinion, it is only gives a nugget what you want to expose to gem-cutting, i.e. post processing. I will try to tell you some of the principles I try to follow myself:

• A 3d artist must understand that photorealism is not in just rendering, but also in the scene geometry. This means that the more perfectly smooth edges and surfaces are there in your scene, the more it looks like a toy render. Add irregularities on the walls, shelves, floor, ceiling, furniture.
• Try to use quality textures and shaders. At least sometimes used unwrap modifier and draw texture yourself – it will add exclusivity and credibility to a render.
• Do not over saturate colors. It looks colorful, but false.
• In order to simulate hardwood flooring and tiles, use the floor generator + multitexture. They allow you to make uneven floors with a random arrangement of textures. It looks very realistic.
• Do not forget about ambient occlusion. This effect adds to the realism too. But it is desirable to apply it in the post processing program.
• And remember, photo-realism is different. Sometimes it may not be pleasant to look at. The goal of an artist is the beauty rather than photo-realism, so try to make it nice and not only photo-realistic.