I was born in Clusone in 1990 and raised in Leffe, small villages not far from the city of Bergamo in northern Italy. I still live here in Leffe, which I think is a really good balance of urban areas and nature, not too far from the city but not too much in the wilderness either. You can easily find good spots to relax and unplug from the daily routine, trekking in the mountains or just chilling in the forests nearby.
My studying career isn’t art-related. I graduated in 2009 as a Mechanical Expert (mostly focused on plastic moldings), then started University following a Mechanical Engineering path, which I did not conclude as my interest in studying was slowly disappearing.
My passion for art started very early in my life. Since I was young, I’ve always loved drawing, just simple pencil sketches, nothing really fancy, not too many colors, just focused on black lines. Growing up, I approached the PC, which I fell in love with from the beginning, from Windows 95 to Windows 10. All these experiences made me the Tech NERD that I’m now, and I’m really proud of it! Technology is a big part of my life. Keeping yourself updated these days is really hard, but I always do my best to spread my knowledge in the tech world.
During high school years, I got closer to the 3D world. Pixar and heavy CGI movies were my favorites, mind blown by what people could create with computers! Researching on the web, I jumped into Cinema 4D, mostly because of the simple and intuitive User Interface, not so common in these complex types of software. From then, my 3D interest exploded, and I wanted to learn as many skills as I could in this area. Photography is my other big passion, which I discovered very useful in 3D compositions, applying camera and lens properties in the virtual world.
Now I'm a Freelance 3D Artist, collaborating with local Cinema Production Studios, Architects, and Advertising Agencies, but most of my work is focused on industrial design, recreating in the 3D space how clients' machines operate. This is where my course of study made my life easier. On the other side, all my personal 3D creations, where I can really spread my creativity without limits and deadlines, are my R&D department to learn new skills.
What are you working on at the moment?
Right now I’m working on three big projects. One is a VR Presentation for a company that will be shown on a VR Headset, long rendering times! The second project is an industrial machine demonstration, working on heavy CAD models that will be animated and texturized. The last one is an architectural exterior visualization for a new residential complex, showing what it will be like in a few months. Meanwhile, I always have a personal project in progress. Stay tuned ;)
What does a typical working day look like?
A typical working day starts around 8 o’clock. While having breakfast, I check the news and all my social networks, mostly on Behance, looking for some inspiration from all the amazing pieces of art that populate the feed. Then, of course, I spend most of the time at my desk at home immersed in the 3D space, always with Spotify in the background. Some days I visit my clients for project updates and reviews.
What tools do you use most for your work?
I work on a Windows Desktop machine, no MAC for compatibility issues, and also because I’m a PC gamer ;)
Regarding the 3D world, I use Cinema 4D with Octane Render; GPU rendering is a must these days for the outstanding speed. All my post-productions are done in After Effects, without neglecting Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Lightroom Classic is for all my photographs. I like to keep my PC as fresh as I can, with new NVIDIA GPUs for the best performance and render times.
What skills have you learnt along the way?
The list is long... From a technical point of view, there are tons of them. My daily software is always adding new useful features. One that really improved my workflow is the new ability of Cinema 4D to import CAD models, a game-changer for industrial projects! No more model conversion, which was always a pain. I’ve also improved my texture and material knowledge, especially with Octane Render, creating more photorealistic renderings.
From a planning side, I learned to schedule all my jobs, to better take advantage of the available time, to calculate how many hours it would take to finalize a rendering, and so to finish a job ahead of a deadline.
What advice would you give to a young creative?
Keep creating! No matter if others say "it's not good enough," if you are satisfied with what you've done, that's all! Even when I look back at my older creations, I think "Well, that could have been done much better," but at the time I was really proud of what I was able to create by myself, and I don’t regret any of my projects because each one of them was a little step to get better each time!
I'm a self-made 3D artist. I have never taken any class or course; the internet was and still is my learning source. You can find tons of tutorials from amazing artists and creators. Not saying that classes are bad, but there are infinite ways to improve your skills, and all of them will give you something to grow.