Fox Renderfarm, as a world-leading cloud rendering service provider, sponsored the 31th CG Boost Challenge themed on "Abandoned Space Station Challenge". And we are glad to have an interview with the 3rd Place winner, Cesar Verastegui. His work stands out for its strong composition and lighting.
Here comes our interview with Cesar, in which we could find out how he created the amazing work with 3ds Max, Vray and Photoshop.
© Cesar Verastegui
Cesar: “I created several panels and cables that were the basis for the whole scene. A lot of geos, so I had to create several proxies to handle it.“
- Cesar Verastegui
- Architect
- Monterrey, Mexico
- Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/cesario76
Fox Renderfarm: Hello Cesar, thank you for accepting our interview. Could you please give us a brief introduction?
Cesar: Thank you for this interview. My name is Cesar Verastegui, a 3D artist from Monterrey Mexico. My main work is Architectural Visualization for International Projects, so, these kinds of challenges are always a good way to do something with a lot of design liberties.
Fox Renderfarm: Congrats on winning 3rd Place in the CGBoost Abandoned Space Station Challenge, how do you feel about it?
Cesar: Great. I wish I Had more time to put it on, and maybe obtain a better place, but I'm glad of how the image resulted. I am still making changes on it to improve what I did not like that much.
Fox Renderfarm: Could you share with us the inspiration behind your artwork? Any References?
Cesar: I saw a film called Aniara. The third act of the film, it was an inspiration, to follow the theme of the challenge. Abandoned, derelectic...this was my main visual resource, talking about lighting and mood. I made a blocking scene and then worked from there.
Aniara - Official Trailer
Fox Renderfarm: This image’s strong and calm composition and modelling is incredibly pleasing to look at, how did you make them?
Cesar: Main light source, with almost no bounces, to reflect this to be in space. The emptiness of no skylight….the very subtle fog...tilted camera….that was the idea….to look….abandoned….
Fox Renderfarm: The gloomy atmosphere does a great job in making it a beautiful vista, how did you make the color use and lighting?
Cesar: I tried to make a blue light from some bounce of the planet, and the white sun, not in the frame, but hard shadows light coming from the big broken window. No more lights, to make it look dead inside….long time abandoned….so is Mainly blue and some white….
Fox Renderfarm: How long did it take to finish the artwork? What is the most challenging part? How did you solve it?
Cesar: Two or three weeks of my freetime. It was mainly to practice some modular modeling, something right now I'm breaking to avoid obvious repetition. After a while, the geometry and polygons were a headache….I solved this with several proxies, so the scene could be manageable.I created everything from scratch, and then played with that, as a kitbash.
Fox Renderfarm: Could you share with us your educational and work experiences?
Cesar: I am an architect myself, but everything 3D I learned after I finished school, I only learned autocad at that time. I learned 3ds Max by myself in the 2000s. Right now the Internet has training for everything, so You can learn whatever you need., investing little money I think.I worked in a couple studios in Monterrey Mexico, and in Miami and Orlando for 5 years for ArchViz Studios. Right now I am freelancing from Monterrey.
Fox Renderfarm: Do you have any recommendable learning methods to improve professional skills?
Cesar: I used to wake up very early to study, only to study, but the most I learned was from the community and coworkers. Try to solve your challenges by researching yourself, ask anyone in the forums...that can save you a lot of pain in the future.
Fox Renderfarm: Any artwork or artist inspires you the most?
Cesar: When I need inspiration I only open Artstation, cgsociety, 3dtotal….any galleries for current artists, and it is incredible what new generations are doing...of course films and everything with vfx….
Fox Renderfarm: Is there anything you want to share with the CG enthusiasts?
Cesar: Do not get overwhelmed with all the talent out there... Do your thing, and be critical in your work….I hope that helps----
