Bringing Vitality Back to Naples Alley with 3ds Max: Introducing 3D Awards Student Winner, Nicola Scognamiglio

2020 CGarchitect Architectural 3D Awards, referred to as the Oscars of architectural visualization, attract entries from around the world. As the sponsor and long-term partner of the competition, the best cloud rendering service provider, Fox Renderfarm is honoured to interview the winner of the best student image, Nicola Scognamiglio, an outstanding Architect from MADI, Master in Digital Architecture at IUAV in Italy.

When lockdown ends © Nicola Scognamiglio

The artwork “When lockdown ends” shows the end of quarantine, when we can see children playing, tourists crowding the Naples alley, and people finally living without social distancing. Nicola spent less than 3 weeks to finish the work, which was made with 3ds Max, V-Ray, Substance and Photoshop.

Now, let’s learn about Nicola’s creation process and his CG experience through our exclusive interview.

• Nicola Scognamiglio
• Architect/ 3D Artist
• From: Italy

Fox Renderfarm: Hi Nicola, could you give us a brief introduction about yourself?

Nicola: I’m Nicola Scognamiglio, 26 years old and I come from Napoli, Italy where I graduated as an architect. Then I worked a bit as an architect in Milan, before moving again to Venice to attend the classes at MADI, Master in Digital Architecture at IUAV. At the moment I am in the Netherlands working as a junior artist at Proloog.tv.

Panopticon © Nicola Scognamiglio

Fox Renderfarm: How do you feel about winning the best student image in the 2020 CGarchitect Architectural 3D Awards?

Nicola: it's cool! wasn't in the plans, it was a big surprise already when I found out I was among the nominees. I was pleased to receive such a kind review of my work from an experienced jury, and I hope to do well again this year!

Fox Renderfarm: What’s your inspiration for this amazing work “When lockdown ends”? Why did you select this artwork to participate in the competition?

Nicola: The image was initially born for another competition held at MADI, hosted by Cityscape Digital. The aim of that competition was to present a scene from life after COVID-19 in Italy, insisting on how this emergency has made us rediscover family values, made us more compassionate and strengthened our national spirit. So when I learned about the 3D Awards held by Cgarchitect.com, I chose the image that was my best at the time, and it turned out well!

Fox Renderfarm: The work shows a harmonious and beautiful life without pandemic, what do you want to express through the work?

Nicola: The image tries to represent the exact moment when you get the news that the pandemic is over and people are looking out on balconies to celebrate the event. Naples’ historical center has always fascinated me. Only walking through the alleys you can understand what It means living together: you live on the street with your clothes hanging high like flags. The population density, the proximity of the apartments makes everyone part of a large cohesive community.

Sketches

Fox Renderfarm: The Naples alley and buildings are so realistic and lovely, could you introduce how you make the model and texture?

Nicola: I started modeling the buildings, trying to keep as few polygons as possible. Then I moved for other architectural elements such as: balconies, external fixtures, railings. Later was the turn of all the various types of installations and elements at street level.

The texturing phase deserved special attention due to the nature of the environments. I decided to proceed with Substance Painter to have the largest compositional freedom in the creation of the materials.

Fox Renderfarm: There are so many details in the scene, such as the hanging clothes, potted plants and even the doves, could you tell us how you made all these lovely details?

Nicola: Most of all those elements are 3d assets I had in my library, while in particular the hanging clothes are put in the post production phase.

Fox Renderfarm: Did you meet any difficulties when creating this work? And how did you solve it?

Nicola: More than technical difficulties, at the beginning of the process I was very hesitant about the camera to choose. I didn’t know how much it should look like as an aerial view or how “natural” it could seem. At the end, moving around the scene, I found the right position: as if you were looking out from one of those balconies.

Fox Renderfarm: How long have you been in the architectural visualization career? And who or what project inspires you most in this industry?

Nicola: I would say this is the beginning of my career in architectural visualization, now it’s just about one year since I first opened 3ds Max. I’m curious about what’s next!

What could inspire my eventual personal projects is not so much what I see in this industry. I like to get influenced by a movie I’ve seen, a TV series or a book I’ve read. Even taking photographs helps me picture a certain scene or environment!

Fox Renderfarm: Any other things you want to share with the CG enthusiasts?

Nicola: Nothing but wishing everyone to keep pushing through with amazing artworks!

Teshima Art Museum © Nicola Scognamiglio

Instagram

LinkedIn

Artstation

Behance