Learning 3D Modeling on Your Own: Interview with Ricardo Orellana

Could you give a brief introduction of who you are and what you create?

My name is Ricardo Orellana, 3-D Artist with primary focus in 3-D modeling and Digital Sculpting and Texture paint as a secondary skill.

How did you get into 3-D Modeling/Animation? And how long have you been doing it?

My 1st contact with 3-D as back in 2006 when I took a Cinema 4D course. I was in an architectural school at the time and I took it mostly to improve the quality of my 3-D perspectives for arch viz, which I was doing with VectorWorks and Art.Lantis. I was really enjoying more doing perspectives than drawing floor plans. When I saw everything the C4D could do, I got so excited I kept working on architecture during the week and during weekends I would do some 3-D on my own. Then I decided I enjoyed more creating spaceships and monsters than living rooms so I decided to go to the entertainment industry.

Did you acquire your skills through a formal education such as a college/university, and/or are you self taught?

A little of both. When I did the course of Cinema4D, they didn’t really teach us how to model or texture. It was a brief overview of all the basic features, pretty intensive course. When I started taking Todd’s class, I learned about proper topoly and mesh flow. And even Farrar’s basic texture and lighting class helped me to get acquainted with Maya. But I never took any advanced modeling or texturing. Most was by my own; with the aid of Google, 3-D magazines and books I use to buy. Even Gnomon school had some free tutorials explaining advanced Maya concepts. During my 1st internship here I also got to learn Zbrush, which I asked for some tips from my work peers until I was pretty much set to be on my own. Even today I still keep learning new features. It never stops. But things like Digital Tutors make it a lot easier.

I noticed you got a Master's degree in Fine Arts, Does that help with your ability to do models/Animation? Or is it more of an interest/side hobby for you?

The Master is when I did the ATEC program at UTDallas. The undergrad degree was the Architectural school back in Brazil.

What software(s) do you use? Which is your favorite one and why?

Maya, Softimage, 3-D Studio Max, Mudbox, Zbrush Cinema 4D, BodyPaint3D, Vue, Photoshop

Hard to say, as every one has its pros and cons. I still prefer to work in Maya most of the time, since it’s the one I have easier access to on my computer. 3-D Studio has some great modeling tools, but horrible interface and navigating and some of the ways it does things I find it pretty dumb. Softimage I could say is my favorite since it has some good modeling tools and has an absolutely clean and user-friendly interface. However it’s Windows only and I’m a Mac user. I have no patience in exporting the model I’m working on as an OBJ file and doing dual boot on my computer every time I need to throw that model into Zbrush. Vue I use the least since it’s mostly for background landscape and Cinema4D, I barely use it now. Mostly just for the BodyPaint feature for 3-D texturing.

What type of modeling do you prefer and why?

Cartoon. Sometimes I like the challenge of creating something realistic but I often found cartoon-like shapes more appealing to me. It’s nice to be able to make something stylized looking. And they are not necessarily easy. Because they are cartoon, they don’t behave as normal characters would. So to be able to create intricate animation, the mesh sometimes is quite challenging. It may look simple on the outside, but wire frame wise it can be quite complex.

What do you like most about your job and why?

That every day is a different day and you never know what’s going to happen. There is no chance in getting bored. And problem solving. Sometimes I may have to make something look like velvet for example. If don’t know how, I keep researching on the Internet or ask my supervisor the best way to do it and at the end of the day when you achieve it, you have that sense of victory. And even when a task it’s simple and I don’t need to be fully concentrated, I can simple put my headphones and enjoy some good music.

What process do you go through for your personal modeling/animation projects?

I don’t have an established workflow. I may start sometimes with a simple plane and keep extruding it until I get the shape. Other times I do a sculpt 1st and retopography. It really varies from case to case.

What is the average amount of time it takes for you to model?

That’s really from case to case. A character usually can take from 3 days to a full week. There were other characters that I did in one day only. Some intricate models took me about a month or two in my spare time. Professionally, it’s how much time you are given. It’s hard to keep track of the time because you may finish something, and even with the supervisor approval, you can expect some changes from the clients. If you deal with indecisive clients, your one-week model can extend to one-month model.

What was your first major project?And how did you feel about it?

It was working as an intern on The Amazing Spiderman feature. How did I felt? Pressured. It was my 1st time in Hollywood, working with the big boys and I was the only one carrying the UTDallas flag, among other interns, majority from Ringling, followed by SCAD and CalArts. But it’s nice to look back and recall I had this chance.

Is there any certain model that you have created that has been your favorite?Why?

Tough one. I usually hate my models after a month or so, hehe. I always expect to create a new model and see which one I may take it away. But the Baiana model and the Dragon still hold up for me, due to it’s complexity and how it turned out. Also I like how the helicopter I modeled. I cannot say I really have a favorite one.

What is/was the most challenging part of modeling/Animation for you?

Modeling realistic human figure. It’s easy to get away with fantastical creatures, or stylized shapes, but a realistic human figure evolve deep anatomy study and since humans are something we know how it looks like, if you make one mistake, people are going to notice. (The eyes looks weird…the lips looks odd to me…something’s strange with his feet)

What are some important lessons you have learned through your experience? And what are some typical mistakes to avoid while producing a good 3-D Model?

Knowing exactly what you are going to model and it’s primary use at 1st. From past experience I did some models and I caught myself spending too much time modeling a specific mesh to reproduce a muscle shape that works only for one pose. Whenever the character get into another pose, that mesh got completely messed up. Now I learned that a lot of things can be achieved by keeping the mesh simple as possible. It helps to plan ahead if you know how it’s going to be used. I can model a skirt with all the wrinkles in it, which may work for a stiff showcase but if it’s going to be animated, then I would just do a tube and let the animator apply a cloth sim. Things like that can help save a lot of time.

What inspires you? And/or who inspires you?

My grandpa was a really hard worker. From artist perspective, my 1st inspiration, which made me choose the art path, was Boris Vallejo. But I follow the work of other modelers like Alessandro Baldasseroni, Pascal Blanche, Andrew Hickinbottom and Carlos Ortega.

If you had the chance, what company or artist would you like to work with on a project?

As every artist dream it would be great to be part of a Disney or Pixar project. Not to discard Dreamworks. From VFX perspective, I like a lot the work from MPC and Weta Digital.

How do you stay motivated/focused?

To know that my next portfolio piece could open a brand new opportunity for me and to remember everything I went through to be where I am now.

What advice do you have for people who want to get into Modeling/Animation?

For both fields mentioned above, take at least a basic rigging class. It helps to understand how a good topology for animation works. For shapes and form, anatomy. Both human and animal. Remember, people will notice if something off with a realistic person or animal.

Do you have any other hobbies besides 3-D Modeling/Animation that affects your style(i.e. Sports, painting, etc.)?

Sometimes, I do 2D painting to distract myself from modeling. Otherwise, going to the movies or hanging out with someone. Sport wise, swimming and hiking, or just sightseeing.

Is there anything else about Modeling that would be helpful for beginners to know?

Learn about topology. Shape is really important. Anatomy as mentioned earlier. And be prepared that as a modeler you may have to learn to model everything. Realistic, Toon, vehicles, guns, assets, etc.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

A 2D painting that I’m doing on my spare time. But since is something I’m doing without any hurry, I have no prevision on when I may finished it, hehe.

Thank you to Ricardo Orellana for taking the time to do an interview with me.

ALL IMAGES BELONG TO RICARDO ORELLANA!!

Resources

Pascal Blanché's Derelict Planet. Retrieved April 13, 2013, from http://www.3dluvr.com/pascalb/gallery.html

The Art of Ricardo Orellana. The Art of Ricardo Orellana.Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://ricardoorellana.carbonmade.com/

Learning 3D Modeling on Your Own

Friday, April 19, 2013

Interview with Ricardo Orellana