Irinel Florescu

Name: Irinel-Ramona Florescu
Area of living: Bucharest, Romania
Company: Working as freelance 3D artist since 2010, interiordelight
Expertise: Architect specialized in interior design
Project duration: 5 – 7 days per image
Software using: Rhinoceros, Marvelous Designer, Vray and Photoshop

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

First of all my primary activity is interior design; 3D visualization was a necessity that I grew to enjoy and became my second activity. But they go hand in hand, so I approach any project as an interior designer and all my views stem from that mindset.

The clients I worked with can be roughly divided into two categories:

• those who have a complete project and need an artist to translate that into images
• and those who only have a general idea of what they want, but need a designer to come up with a solution and translate it into images

With the first there isn’t much room for creativity anymore, the demands are precise almost down to the last detail. In such cases I ask for everything from architectural plans, furniture and illumination projects to materials, colors, equipment and accessories (for very specific ones I request photos of them).

Clients from the second category have just ideas, basic or no architectural plans and are open to suggestions. My questions to them focus on use, habits, interests, personality, mood and aesthetic preferences. Reference images are a plus in both cases, whether they are related to the project or not. Some things are easier to describe that way.

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

This is a debatable subject. Design-wise, my work must reflect the client’s wishes, regardless of my own taste. Some have their preferences and are very strict about them, particularly when they come with a complete project. Others are more flexible or unsure and we come up with the right style together; in such cases the solution also reflects, in various degrees, my own aesthetics. No matter the case, the style must be appropriate for the subject and its context.

My true style is in the personal projects, colorful and playful. But ultimately all my work, however objective the approach, has a personal touch.

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

The first step is collecting all the information available. Email is essential and all information must go through it, even if we meet face to face or speak on the phone. It is important to understand the project and ask all the questions before making any evaluation. After this point the schedule and price estimate are based on the assumption that all details, conditions and requirements have been agreed upon by both parties. Only then do I start working on the project. One or two revisions are included, depending on the project, but usually it is one. If the client makes changes after this, he is charged additionally.

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

I have. When the client thought my work was too expensive. Or when the deadline was too tight or the project too big for me. I also avoid “last-minute” projects, they are a pain in the neck.

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

The client that keeps changing his mind and comes up with new ideas for the same price. The client who doesn’t pay as agreed or, worse, doesn’t pay at all.

– General project time?

There is no such thing :). Projects vary in size and complexity and so does the time to make them. 5 to 7 days to fully design, model and render an average sized room. For a single image. Sometimes less, sometimes more.

– How do you calculate/estimate project price?

Based on the number of days I need to complete modeling, rendering draft and final image, plus the revision in between. That is for the 3D work, per image. Interior design projects are estimated as a whole, depending on size and complexity.

– Do you charge for rendering?

It is included in the price.

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

I have a degree in architecture and I work in interior design ever since graduation. As I see it, 3D modeling is helping me with the design work and vice versa. In that order.

But we are talking about archviz here, I think the answer is obvious. Architectural education improves perception and understanding of space, the ability to see its potential of transformation, the thinking process and aesthetic sense. CGI is an upgrade (a huge one, true) to the classical, hand drawn renderings. The foundation is already there.

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

Since I travel less than I would like, I browse the internet: Dezeen, Designboom, Cool Hunter, ArchDaily, Apartment Therapy, Behance are some of the websites I visit, but lately I find blogs more or less connected with interior design very inspiring. Pinterest is another great source for the sheer amount of images and details.

Usually at the beginning of a project I spend many hours just looking at pictures, even if totally unrelated. It helps and I find interesting ideas in the most unexpected places. Wherever I go, indoors or outdoors, I observe my surroundings: space, shapes, colors, light, textures, details, bumps, scratches, everything. And, of course, people. They are essential when designing space.

– Who is your favorite 3D artist or company?

I cannot say I have a favorite, but there are some exceptionally good artists out there. Alex Roman and Bertrand Benoit come to mind. I like the photographic quality of their work.

– 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?

The second group. Except the outside background, my scenes are fully 3D. But I don’t know if the post work is really basic, because I like to apply all kinds of subtle effects in Photoshop which aren’t obvious, but the accumulated result is nice. That is time consuming.

– 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?

Probably around the middle, so a 5. I still have issues :). There’s a lot of room for improvement in all areas, but sometimes my modeling skills aren’t enough for what I want to do and it’s incredibly frustrating. Same goes for shading.

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

Rhinoceros is my main modeling tool, we are old friends and it’s really hard to move away from it. It’s intuitive and logical, so to speak. Not sculpture, but pure geometry, precise and perfect for architecture. As of last year I also use Marvelous Designer, which is just marvelous. It’s a real pleasure to work with it. For rendering I use Vray.

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

There aren’t many. Vray for Rhino manual is probably the only manual I ever learned from. There are plenty of video tutorials on the internet, some very good. When I’m stuck, I just Google for answers. Lighting and materials are the key elements in 3D images, so it was important to read about the physics of light in order to understand its behavior on various surfaces and in various mediums. I looked at the objects around me and stared at thousands of photos trying to understand why they look the way they look. And then I tried to apply all that. If I were to recommend something, I’d say don’t just follow the tutorials, try to understand the basic physics behind it, read about it. Don’t look only at 3D images, look at real pictures and look around you. And work.

– Do you participate in contests?

I did, but only twice: one was a local design contest (I won 3rd place), the other was the Architectural 3D Awards. The second was a sort of personal test.

– 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)?

I do, but they are rather mood studies than ideas. Some have been in progress for a long time and still are. They were not meant to be yet :). I don’t know what to say about working with someone else on them….

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

It hasn’t been done. I do have favorite projects, but that is it. The Paris apartment is my biggest favorite to the day. It is a personal project and, design-wise, the most frustrating ever. There isn’t a more difficult critique than yourself.

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

Not bad and growing. There are a few companies that are on international levels.

– Market is overwhelmed with the low quality/price offers. There are many programs which allow creating simple 3D without any knowledge. Don’t you see a threat for your profession in near future?

Simple 3D is not 3D art, so I don’t see a danger at the moment. Besides, my main interest is design. If time will ever come when design won’t be needed anymore, than that will probably be the least of my concerns.

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

I plan to enjoy creating beautiful interiors that people will enjoy living in for as long as I can. There’s no greater satisfaction than a client that is happy in a place you designed for him.

Advice from Irinel how to achieve high quality level in 3D visualization:

Technique is important, but it means nothing without the understanding of the real phenomena. Learn by observing reality, your environment and real photography. Work constantly to improve, never be satisfied with your skills. There’s no end to learning.