Seeking inspiration? Gain perspective as 3D artist Bertrand Benoit shares invaluable tips on optimizing your Vantage workflow and building a stunning architecture portfolio.
Berlin-based 3D artist Bertrand Benoit first discovered the wonder of the 3D world in 2008 when he first dived into Blender, although his passion for art was ignited at a young age thanks to his mother – a talented painter who served as a significant artistic influence on him. Bertrand's self-taught journey allowed him the freedom to experiment and explore his artistic voice without any constraints. With his French and German heritage, Bertrand's artistic vision is enriched by the cultural influences he has experienced throughout his life.
As his artistic journey progresses, he’s widened the variety of software he uses to create a body of work that focuses mainly on personal archviz projects using V-Ray for 3ds Max and Vantage.
In this blog post, we explore a selection of Bertrand’s projects that vividly showcase his unwavering passion for 3D. He also shares valuable Vantage workflow strategies, along with insightful tips for crafting a captivating architecture portfolio that wows the eye.
The path to Vantage
Being a long-time V-Ray user, Bertrand has amassed an extensive collection of V-Ray-specific assets over the years. The process of creating these assets, which include models, textures, and HDRI maps, is time-consuming and requires a high level of quality for Bertrand to eventually sell them. As a result, it becomes a challenging endeavor to switch tools and rebuild everything in a new format. Despite the allure of real-time solutions like game engines, Bertrand hesitated to make the transition due to the mentioned hurdle.
When Vantage came out, Bertrand realized he could move his workflow to real-time and still use his V-Ray library of assets. He could freely move back and forth between V-Ray and Vantage depending on time and quality requirements, typically doing high-quality stills in V-Ray and super fast animations in Vantage.
Since the software is entirely raytraced and doesn’t partly rely on rasterization, Vantage is a super high-quality out-of-the-box solution without the need to fiddle with settings and variables for hours on end and with very few compromises in terms of features.
Bertrand Benoit, 3D artist
Vantage workflow strategies
By incorporating these Vantage strategies, you can optimize your workflow, enhance realism, and efficiently create stunning archviz renders and architectural animations that are ready to be featured in your architecture portfolio. Bertrand gives us direct examples of how he applied these strategies to his LA River project.
- Rely on Vantage for heavy scenes: Vantage can handle heavy scenes with numerous assets, making navigation and rendering in real-time smoother compared to other software. Bertrand's decision to rely on Vantage in LA River stemmed from the scene's complexity, as it contained numerous assets that caused slowdowns during pre-processing.
- Take advantage of real-time rendering: Vantage allows for real-time rendering, eliminating long render times and providing instant feedback on changes made to the scene. While working on LA River, Bertrand recognized that due to the limitations of 3ds Max, navigating the scene in the viewport was a bit sluggish. Transferring the scene to Vantage proved to be the perfect solution to this challenge.
- Use the volumetric fog feature: Vantage's volumetric fog feature enhances the realism of exterior scenes, giving them a more immersive and visually stunning look, as evident in LA River.
- Leverage Vantage for quick animations: Vantage's real-time capabilities enable the creation of fast and visually appealing animations, even in scenes with certain limitations like displacement and decals such as in La River.
- Build complete environments: By constructing the entire scene before choosing shooting angles, you have the freedom to explore and select the best view, simulating the experience of a photographer roaming through the environment, which is exactly the method Bertrand relies on.
- Test different lighting scenarios: Vantage allows for easy experimentation with lighting setups, empowering you to discover new and visually appealing shots that may not have been initially apparent in the scene. Bertrand shares that he found some really good shots he hadn’t seen before while spending some time walking around the LA River scene and testing different lighting scenarios.
Some advice for your architecture portfolio
Curious about what elements make up a successful architecture portfolio? The tips Bertrand has shared below come from his experience and are meant to inspire and guide you in your preparation for creating a body of work that is sure to impress. Keep in mind that they serve as a starting point, so don’t stress about following them to a T.
Tip 1: Develop a strong, unique style
- Embrace your individuality: Stand out from the crowd by developing a strong, easily identifiable style that is uniquely yours.
- Experiment with different techniques and mediums: Explore various artistic styles and approaches to find what resonates with you the most.
Tip 2: Master the technical skills
- Engage in continuous learning: Stay updated with the latest techniques and tools in the field of commercial art.
- Practice regularly: Dedicate time to hone your technical skills and eliminate any flaws in your work.
- Seek feedback: Collaborate with other artists and industry professionals to receive constructive criticism and improve your technical abilities.
Tip 3: Seek inspiration outside of 3D Art
- Broaden your horizons: Look for inspiration in various artistic disciplines such as photography, fine art, cinema, and music.
- Cross-pollination of skills: Explore how you can apply concepts and techniques from other artistic realms to your 3D art.
- Aim higher: Don't limit yourself to being as good as your fellow 3D artists; aspire to surpass expectations and push the boundaries of your creativity.
To truly experience the power of Vantage and put Bertrand's advice into practice, we invite you to test Vantage out for free with our 30-day trial. Don't miss out on the chance to elevate your artistry and build an architecture portfolio that is sure to impress.
