3D Artist Spotlight: Tiago Mesquita

Walt Disney once said, “Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” That seems to be a straightforward fact, doesn’t it? Yet many of us forget that truth from time to time, and pull stern faces, spending countless hours arguing about serious things with serious people.

Some believe that living with a lighthearted, cheerful attitude towards life is the key to ageless youth. 3D modeler and look dev artist Tiago Mesquita is here to remind us to take a step back, breathe, and try to see the wonder and beauty of everyday life as a child would – with curiosity, playfulness, imagination, and restlessness to explore new worlds! Read on to discover Tiago’s journey in 3D and how he creates marvelous creatures and visual stories with V-Ray for Maya.

Want to be the next one featured in our 3D Artist Spotlight series? Take the first step by submitting your best render to us! 

How did you get into the world of 3D and what led you to specialize in modeling and look dev?

I got into 3D when I was 15 years old, through a friend. I soon discovered how the animated films that I liked were made, especially the Pixar films. It made me fascinated by the 3D world.

There is a great sense of childlike wonder and curiosity in your work. How are you able to keep the child in you alive?

I watch and like Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks movies a lot, I was addicted to Toy Story when I was six years old. In each personal work, I try to bring a little charisma to my characters and to the cartoon style, which brings back the nostalgia of when I saw those films.

Your depiction of a boogyman looks very cute and friendly. How did the lightbulb end up in his stomach?

This was one of my first 3D scenes trying to show a character in an environment. I was thinking of making a little monster, but I wanted to tell a story about it in a fun way. It's a monster that eats everything in sight!

What are your sources of inspiration? 

My sources of inspiration are movies I like and artists I follow and admire. Seeing inspiring work helps me evolve as an artist.

What is the story behind your “I’m Rich!” render? 

I think a pirate is a great character to be made by an artist at least once in his life. Pirates are adventurous characters with many accessories, always looking for treasure. It was a really cool job to do. I was inspired by the work of some artists I follow and movies I watched; however, I always try to create something new.

Can you tell us about your creative process for creating the lighting?

I find scenes in films where there is a cave and a beam of light showing hidden treasure very beautiful. That was my inspiration for this scene. I used the main light to highlight the character and treasure, additional lights to highlight the character's silhouettes, and candlelight to make the treasure brighter.

How did you go about placing the gold coins in the scene? And what about the reflection in the water?

To scatter the coins, I used a simulation of particles colliding with the stone and the treasure chest. It was quite challenging and I did several tests to get what I wanted. Then I manually placed some coins at strategic points to fill the scene.

For the water, I had no secrets. I used a plane with a noise modifier to create the water ripples and applied a reflective material.

What is your favorite V-Ray for Maya feature?

I studed V-Ray since I started in 3D. I consider it a very powerful tool as it has a high level of realism. Although I love the cartoon style, I really like mixing it with realistic materials. This greatly enriches the work, and with V-Ray I have no problems with that! 

If you could give a single piece of advice to aspiring 3D artists what would it be?

My advice for artists who are starting 3D is to never stop studying and evolving their work. Remember to always be critical of your work, and look for references and artists that inspire you. When you finish a project, see what you can improve on. If it turns out that you have to change an entire work process and redo your entire project, just do it! You will gain more experience and develop your skills from it!