Russian
Name: Yuri Evdokimov
Age: 25
Job: 3d-artist, developer, engineer
Страна: Russia, Ufa
Web-site: http://3dufa.ilconte.ru/portfolio
https://www.linkedin.com/in/evdokimov2209
I would like to share with you my experience of acquaintance with 3d-world. In my story I want to describe everything that helped me in my work, education and personal growth, and also all the difficulties, stopping my progress.
Primarily I would like to begin with the fact that after getting my university diploma and spending a year in the army I did not have any clue of what I want to do. I didn’t have any picture of my life, but clearly understood one thing – I for sure can’t work for somebody else. Just 2 days spent in the factory like engineer-developer were enough to understand that. Wake up at 6-30, be in the factory at 8, traveling through the half of the city, one hour lunch break, finish at 5. One hour to get home. At home you can only eat and go to bed. On the third day I could not break myself, said “f*** off this work” in my head and continued sleeping. Several days after I got a phone call from the office “But you at least should come to get your payment”. That’s how I started my sailing through life. Quite an optimistic picture, don’t you think? A young guy with education, after military service, living alone in his own flat in the center of the main city of his region. Sounds cool! But no money at all.
Then I occupied myself with buying-selling different electronics, Ebay, started my own company, nearly published a magazine. Slowly I am approaching to the subject of 3d-visulisation. Once my friend, a designer, was waiting for a good project to start, and her customer wanted 3ds. But there was no-one to make them – there are not so many people understanding something in that in my region. So she motivated me to learn it. I immediately understood all the possible perspectives on the nearly empty local market. Unfortunately that time I did not even consider a possibility of on-line education, I was smart enough just to look for something here in my city. It looked liked there is no place to study, when I finally found a web-site of a person who was more or less (as I thought that time) professional. I phoned him and subscribed to a course.
Three months I studied the most basics of 3dsMax: how to start it, splines, boxes, main modifications. My knowledge of 3d was minimum, but I started somehow to turn around in the field. I saw how the teacher worked, heard his conversations with his clients. And I felt inspired. I enjoyed it. I asked him many questions not only about subjects learned in the class, came to the room 15 min. earlier to be able to discuss clients, projects, software and hardware and other things that were not clear. By the end of the course I was like en employee – with at least some experience.
After these courses there was an option to work for that guy – he offered an employment to his best students. I thought it was a good idea. He explained everything, gave me the task, all the drawings and said the he offered me freelance work. I was supposed to work from home and from time to time show him the results. And he wanted to pay me about 180 euro. I wanted to believe that it’s good to have an experience and the money I can earn later. But by the evening the common sense won and next morning I apologized, gave back all the drawings and started my independent career.
There was nothing to do at home and I decided that I need practice. Measured all my apartment and started to make renders – my friend helped me with designs and drawings. And I worked a lot. In the same time I found some web-sites about 3d and understood that my level is not a level at all. But I worked and worked, learned, read and worked again. It took me 2 weeks to more or less finish the renders of my apartment.
Once upon a time on one web-site I found a job offer – to make a small shop in 3d. I’ve sent an application and already in 10 min. we were talking in skype. I received the drawings of the shop and finished renders in 3-4 days. I was payed about 100 euro and was extremely happy. Because of this project I met a girl who was a very experienced 3d-artist: the client was showing her my work to get some evaluation, if it’s ok or not. And then he gave her my skype so she could give me a piece of advice. And so we started talking to each other, she helped me really a lot during that project and after it.
A week after that shop my friend’s project (the one that made me learn 3d) finally started. It was a restaurant complex. My second work and already so huge! I was afraid, very afraid that I won’t manage it. But I did. It was long and hard but I did it. Thanks to my fried who was always inspiring me. The client was happy when he got his project and we were happy when we got our money and then an order for another project. So I started my active 3d life. One year has passed after that time. I did 25 projects, 16 of them are already build, the others are either in the process or will be build soon. The main part of these projects was made by my friend Angela. Now I want to thank her a lot, everything was possible because of her.
Looking back to my previous year and analyzing my experience, I can give the following advice to the ones who just start their 3d-road:
1. Learn from a professional, whose approach you like. It will save you time and increase your income. It means that you need to find someone who is not only a professional, but who also has a good work routine and can teach you to make cool works.
2. Learn always to see positive sides. Not to lie to yourself but really to see positive. Yes, I made a mistake when I choose a 3d-school, but I got my experience from that and understanding how to communicate wit clients. I became confident that this is a growing field.
3. Don’t be afraid, just start working.
4. Always take a pre-payment. Doesn’t matter how much, just take something.
5. Do you work as best as you can. And the received pre-payment serves as a good motivation!
6. Forget about your modesty and don’t be afraid to ask questions to the ones who know more. Ask questions even though they seem foolish.
7. Always try to learn something new – both in your work and for self-development. (Now I continue my education in several directions. After one, two, maximum three projects the money for the education would be repaid).
