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Sanjay Nandy: 3D artist interview

Indian 3D artist Sanjay Nandy works as a modeler for a gaming studio. Here he talks about his latest gallery entry, and his inspirations and aspirations...

Indian 3D artist Sanjay Nandy works as a modeler for a gaming studio. Here he talks about his latest gallery entry, and his inspirations and aspirations...

3dtotal: Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?
Sanjay Nandy: Hi, I am Sanjay Nandy from India. I am a 3D artist at Lakshya Digital. I learned from Arena Animation courses, completed in 2013. In February 2013 I got my first job at Tripwire Visionworks. I have worked on two movies; Bilal and Another Day of Life, as a character modeler, and simultaneously as an environment and prop modeler. On 4th May 2015 I joined the gaming studio Lakshya Digital.

3dt: Where did you find the inspiration for your latest gallery entry? What's the story behind its creation?
SN: In the last couple of months I have submitted many pieces of work which were not selected, but it's a really great forum for artists to show their work. I kept seeing good work which would inspire me a lot. For this entry, I searched lots of references. From those references I selected a few and created the warrior model, using various elements to create a cool model.

3dt: What software and plug-ins did you use to create this image? Did you face any difficulties, and how did you overcome them?
SN: I used ZBrush and Maya to make the image. Anatomically, I faced many problems – actually, I am very weak anatomically, and I also had to change the hair three or four times. It was a very time-consuming process creating the hair.

3dt: Do you normally use this software in your workflow? What other software and plug-ins do you favor?
SN: Yes I generally use these software, in addition to Photoshop, xNormal, KeyShot, Marmoset, Mudbox and Substance Painter. Photoshop's layering is very user-friendly. KeyShot's rendering is awesome. Marmoset is great for physical based renders. Mudbox is great when texture projecting on low poly models. PBR texturing is really strong in Substance Painter.

3dt: Are there any particular techniques that you use often? Or do you like to experiment?
SN: Yes I like to experiment. I had experimented with the hairs. At first, I began by using fibermesh in ZBrush, but felt that it wasn't going well. Then I tried to make it in Maya using Hair & Fur, but I still couldn't get the result that I wanted. In the end I made each hair separately. It was very time-consuming and I had to have a lot of patience.

3dt: What are your artistic ambitions?
SN: I want to be a great sculpture artist. Now I am working as a 3D artist. As a 3D artist I have to do all the modeling, from the first stage to last stage, from proxy level to texture level. I want to make hyperrealistic characters, and I am greatly inspired by Hossien Diba.

3dt: What software would you like to learn in the future to expand your portfolio and skill set, and why?
SN: I want to learn Unreal Engine, the Quixel Suite, and MODO, as I am in the gaming industry and it's very important to know these software for real time. In Quixel I can easily get great results in a very short time.

3dt: How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?
SN: For my portfolio I don't think that you always have to have a complicated one. I always try to make a simple piece which shows my quality to the viewer. I always try to update myself with the updated software, and try to make something new which will boost my skill and portfolio.

3dt: Who are your favorite artists, traditional or digital, and can you explain why?
SN: For now Hossein Diba is my favorite artist. He is a hard worker. He shared his workflow in a Gnomon tutorial. He is a really great artist. He can sculpt, texture, make hair, has a vast knowledge of look dev, and creates hyperrealistic characters. Scott Eaton is a great sculptor and I follow his anatomy sculpting techniques. Ryan Kingslien is another favorite.

3dt: What can we expect to see from you next?
SN: My next model will be a different one. I want to make an inorganic model. I don't know how successful it will be, but I will try my level best on it. Let's see what happens with this model!

Related links

Head over to Sanjay's ArtStation
"A Warrior" in the gallery with 4 ½ stars
Check out more from the gallery
Grab a copy of ZBrush Character Sculpting

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