Kim Patil: Interview with 3D artist

Hi everyone! We continue series of short interviews with the best artists from Hum3D competitions.

Kim Patil, author of the “Tiger”, will answer six questions and give us a look behind the scenes of his work.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do and how did you become a 3D artist?

I am Kim Patil, a 3d artist from Mumbai, India. I work as a 3d modeler in the automotive industry, I started 3d modeling full-time in 2017 but have been working on and off since 2010. From an early age, I was fond of cars and used to sketch them, even now I mainly model and rendering cars. My tool of choice is 3ds max and Vray, at work I use Maya.

What was the workflow behind your latest challenge image? Where did the idea come from?

I had already photographed the car in a national park in India since I always knew I wanted to make a safari vehicle. Later I modeled the car in as much detail as possible in the given time. For texturing, I used a lot of Vray dirt maps to generate grunge and rust details and finally I lit up the scene and rendered it in Vray.

I got this idea when I was on a safari looking for tigers. The jungle atmosphere made me want to recreate it rather than just photograph it.

What challenges did the image creation? Did you learn something new?

Mainly time as it was limited since I started only a few weeks before the challenge deadline and also had to juggle it with my full-time job, further I had to switch between Maya at work and 3ds max at home for the challenge.

How often do you do personal projects and keep your portfolio up-to-date? Which one is your favorite?

A couple of times a year I try to do projects not only for the portfolio but also to keep my skills sharp.

What or who inspires you today? Are you a member of any art communities? Any favorite hashtags you check on a daily basis?

My first inspiration was my father who was a great artist and taught me a lot about cars and sketching, and secondly, cars and machines inspire me every day.

I am part of various 3d modeling communities on social media but don’t follow any specific hashtag.

Please tell us your five short tips for creating 3D art.

1. – Get a good mentor.

2. – Be open to feedback, but don’t be afraid to try your ideas.

3. – Learn basic photography.

4. – Always double or triple your estimated time for projects.

5. – Be humble, and learn from all.