Russian
Name: Stanislav Orekhov
Age: 30
Job: Designer
Country: Russia
Web site: http://d-e-s-i-g-n.ru
3DA: How did you start working in 3D field? How much time has passed and what kind of studies did you do?
SO: I have studied at Moscow State Construction University. After my first year I decide to work in a deign studio, where I started making 3D. It was in 2002. My job responsibilities at first were connected just with drawings and AutoCAD. Then I understood that I want something more, actually something more interesting. That’s why the next software that I have learned was 3ds Max. I started doing visuals for the projects that we were working on. And I liked that really a lot, so I started going deeper and deeper in the subject. I should mention, that it was a time when commercial 3D was just in its beginning and there was not enough information. Therefore, being at the very beginning of this industry, I had to work a lot and to learn a lot by myself, because there were no schools or books or rules – nothing. Everything was created by doing. Long and painful.
Nowadays the situation is quite opposite. There is plenty of different information, even too much. And it its abundance one should have a lot of patience for self-education: should be diligent and have a lot of time. The main problem now is not to find information, but to evaluate its quality. How are you going to spend your time and what result will you get?
So now I would have acted differently. Instead of spending a lot of time on self-education, I would find some specialists or a community and study with them. It saves time and gives an opportunity to get structured information in the desired field.
3DA: Which are your favorite software and plugins for your daily projects?
SO: Mainly I use – 3ds Max, V-Ray and Photoshop. Actually now a lot of new things are appearing: for example, there are plugins for exteriors that allow to work with grass and trees. And it’s impossible to make a good commercial project without them.
If we are talking just about interiors, then the standard combination 3ds Max and V-Ray is enough. A rich library of models, textures and materials is far more important than plugins. One should either have an own collection or know where to take them. Now one can find a lot of free\paid models in cataloged by manufacturer – even sometimes the companies themselves provide their 3D-models for registered users.
3DA: Tell us something about a project that gave you great satisfactions
SO: It’s difficult to select one particular project. I will better tell about the the types of projects that I had. First type – my own projects, that I made from the beginning to the end. Here I can mention the project + 3D of an apartment in classical style, where the final photos were very similar to the 3Ds, so one can understand the purpose of making visualizations. The other project was an apartment in modern style. The goal was the same: first to make 3D, then to finish the construction and to compare the visual results. These sort of full complex projects are the most winning: in our design-studio we are not just drawing, but also bringing to life our own ideas.
The second type, that is not less memorable for me, are the projects that we make together with our students. It’s very nice when the students are trying to tke maximum from their education and I really like to be a part of this process, to help somebody to fulfill his dream, to share my knowledge. We together about a month and as a result we get many very different and unique interiors. I remember each of these project in its very beginning, in the process and in the final stage. We proudly show all these work on our web-site where one can meet their authors, who became good professionals.
3DA: From where do you take inspiration for your artworks?
SO: Working on your first project, you think “let’s make something creative”. With the second, third, fifth you understand that there are several regularities in the base of everything, you can follow them or even create your own. My inspiration comes from my experience. The most important that a designer and 3d-artist can do is to collect maximum information and his own experience. There are many ways for doing that: visiting beautiful hotels and delicious restaurants, exhibitions and conferences, watching TV-shows and reading magazines and many more. When you have a kaleidoscope of images in your head then making decisions about the project becomes an existing creative process of making something new based upon something you already know and saw. This is Inspiration. And when you practice that daily than you don’t have problems.
In this case 3d-graphics helps designers a lot. One doesn’t need to have a real customer to fulfill all his ideas and to publish the result in his portfolio or in professional community – then by comments one his understand his real level. If the clients would order this sort of projects – you are good, if no – you need to study more. I can recommend to practice not on real clients but in the virtual world. It’s faster and safer.
3DA: How do you live this period of economic crisis? How is it in your country?
SO: Crisis has finished long ago. I suggest to forget about this subject. A lot of time has passed, especially for this industry, where everything can change over a year. Yes, here a lot of companies were closed, mostly the ones who took projects from the state or from friends that were not counting money. The ones who operated on the open market and who got new projects because of his good work, now has even more clients. Our amount of project has doubled. Our studio doesn’t have problems with clients, the main difficulties are with personnel.
Nowadays there are still not enough professionals and some of them work not effectively and need proper training. That’s why we decided to open our own design-school, where we teach to work good and to have no problems with clients.
3DA: What would you suggest to people that are approaching to 3D and architecture?
SO: First o all a young specialist should understand why he starts this way and what he wants to get in the end.
To learn how to draw and to be a 3D-artist? Then it’s not so difficult – you should learn the technologies. There are enough of video-trainings, schools and books and you can learn everything alone in 2 years or with a teacher in 2 months. Then of course you need a lot of practice and to create your portfolio. For creating a proper portfolio that will define the type of clients that you are going to work with, you need to make particular sorts of projects targeted on that clients. Creating your own niche – is the strongest instrument for getting good and highly paid orders. This will also allow you to develop your own style and to be an expert in something of your own. Clients like that.
If your goal is to become a designer and to open your own studio, to grow not in the field o graphics but to create the projects as whole, then you need to study design and architecture. It’s very difficult for a 3d-artist without knowing design basics. Just technical information is not enough: one should study design, ergonomics, construction rules, materials etc.
In general, a design job is very interesting, but requires a lot of patience, discipline and a passion for studying. There is nothing impossible, you just need to have a desire and to choose the right direction. Go to your goal!
