Lee, also known as DaGaz, is a self-taught artist who embraced the possibilities of Blender through sheer passion and online resources. DaGaz has earned a remarkable achievement by clinching 1st place in polygoniq’s Custom Garage Design Challenge. In this exclusive interview with Fox Renderfarm, the industry's top cloud rendering service provider and leading render farm, we explore the inspirations behind his captivating project "Stealth Pitstop," which draws heavily from his childhood gaming experiences. DaGaz shares insights into his creative process, discusses the challenges of rendering gritty environments, and reveals how he crafted an authentic atmosphere that seamlessly integrates modified performance cars. Join us as we delve into the creative world of DaGaz!
Fox Renderfarm: Hi DaGaz! We are honored to have you here! Please introduce yourself first to our readers.
DaGaz: Hi, my name is Lee and I do 3D work as a hobby mainly. I’m completely self-taught with Blender, anything I have learned has always come from research and YouTube.
Fox Renderfarm: Congratulations on winning 1st place in polygoniq’s Custom Garage Design Challenge! How do you feel about it?
DaGaz: I was in shock to win if I am honest as this is the first challenge I have ever entered. I really didn’t expect to win.
Fox Renderfarm: Can you share more about how your childhood memories of "Need for Speed" and "Midnight Club" influenced the creation of "Stealth Pitstop"?
DaGaz: I have always been a gamer as far back as I can remember. However I don’t really play racing games much anymore, but as a kid, I was obsessed with those games. I was constantly playing to buy new cars just to customize them. I always remembered these games taking place in a seedy underground car scene, so that really influenced the atmosphere I tried to portray.
Need for Speed © Electronic Arts
Midnight Club © Rockstar San Diego
Fox Renderfarm: The modified performance cars are a central element of your artwork. Can you talk about your process in designing and integrating these vehicles into the environment?
DaGaz: The vehicles are assets that I used from Sketchfab, I’m not much of a modeller, I do basic models but mainly work on environments. I knew these vehicles had to be the stars of the show.
Fox Renderfarm: Can you share with us the creation process of your work? And how long did it take you?
DaGaz: I have a very messy workflow, I tend to set up the camera wherever I think it could look nice and from there, I start to just throw assets where I think they will fit. However, this scene was slightly different as I had to sort of make the garage feel somewhat functional, which meant I had to think a lot more about the placement of my assets.
Clay render © DaGaz
Fox Renderfarm: What challenges did you face while designing a gritty, abandoned garage, especially since you usually create fantasy scenes?
DaGaz: I rarely make indoor scenes as I struggle with scale. I’m unsure why but I can never quite get the scale right with these kinds of renders. This doesn’t matter as much when it comes to fantasy work as you can get away with exaggerating scale slightly.
Fox Renderfarm: Can you describe a particular moment or decision during the project that significantly impacted the final outcome?
DaGaz: It sounds so simple but I think it was when I decided to add the decals to the walls of the garage. Before this, the scene sort of looked just like a room with cars in it, I think the decals help to sell the idea that this place is used for vehicle work and is endorsed by performance companies.
Fox Renderfarm: The smoke effects, color grading, and chromatic aberration add a lot to the final render. How did you approach these post-processing steps in Photoshop?
DaGaz: When it comes to post-processing, my workflow is fairly simple. I tend to always follow the same routine. I throw the raw render along with the mist pass into Photoshop. From here I duplicate the raw render and add a strong blur which I use to paint in the glow to any lights and highlights. I then use the mist pass as a mask that I paint in with some smoke brushes that I have acquired over the years. Then I overlay dust and lens damage effects which are again masked into the areas that make sense, after this step I duplicate and merge the layers, and throw them into the camera raw filter where I basically toy with the various presets and sliders until I like what I see. This is the first time I have ever even touched chromatic aberration in Photoshop so I had to resort entirely to YouTube for this.
Raw Render © DaGaz
Pre-Camera Raw © DaGaz
Fox Renderfarm: What are your favorite aspects of "Stealth Pitstop," and why do they stand out to you?
DaGaz: I think the cars really are the stars of the show, but for me, I think I managed to nail the atmosphere and sell the look I had in my head, which is all I ever try to accomplish with my renders.
Fox Renderfarm: Have you tried or heard about Fox Renderfarm’s services before? What is your impression of our cloud rendering services?
DaGaz: I had never heard of Fox Renderfarm before this challenge and never used any render farm. I think as I have never used a renderfarm the process is fairly complicated but I have to admit the videos that you have on the website are very well presented and helpful.
Fox Renderfarm: How do you feel about your progress and improvement since the last challenge you participated in?
DaGaz: Like I said this is the first challenge I have ever taken part in, but it has given me the confidence to enter more of them. Win or not I can only ever improve.
DaGaz’s Social Media:
Twitter: @DaGaz96
