Kay John Yim: Interview with 3D artist

Hi everyone! We continue series of short interviews with the best artists from 3DModels competitions.

Kay John Yim, author of the «Autumn», will answer six questions and give us a look behind the scenes of his work.

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

I am a Chartered Architect and CGI Artist based in London.

My journey into the realm of 3D began during my time studying architecture at university. In those formative years, CAD software such as Rhino and Revit became indispensable tools of the trade. While I occasionally explored other Digital Content Creation (DCC) software like Modo and Cinema4D, primarily for rendering purposes, it wasn’t until the COVID lockdown in 2020 that I found time to fully immerse in the vast world of CG software beyond the realm of CAD, when I began to learn about Houdini, Unreal Engine, Gaea, Marvelous Designer and so on.

Driven by an obsession for creating beautiful imagery, I embarked on a journey to expand my skill set and artistic horizons.

Where did you find the inspiration for your latest challenge entry? What’s the story behind its creation?

Rather than simply seeking inspiration, I aimed to delve into the intricacies of modeling in Rhino with NURBs, particularly focusing on car modeling, and to explore procedural modeling in Houdini for environmental scenes. The narrative was a continuation of my ongoing personal theme “A CGI Fantasy” – which seeks to evoke a sense of enchantment and intrigue, blending the elegance of classic automotive design with the magic of nature.

What software and plug-ins did you use to create this image? Did you face any difficulties, and how did you overcome them?

I used primarily Rhino, Houdini & Redshift for the car modeling, environment creation & rendering respectively. Despite my decade-long experience with Rhino in architecture, this was my first time modeling a car. I delved into a lot of tutorials online to revisit techniques that I seldom used. It was quite a fun and refreshing process.

For the architecture elements, I set out a goal to model everything procedurally It was extremely challenging given it was my first time modeling in Houdini. Part of the modeling process turned out to be an extensive reading of the Houdini documentation – an unexpected revelation, as I discovered it to be more insightful than many video tutorials.

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

I am always working on personal projects, and I update my online portfolio on a monthly basis. Among my favorites is my animated piece, «Fiery Kimono», representing my initial foray into Houdini Vellum for cloth & hair simulations, in addition to pyro simulation. On the still side, «Golden Gallery» stands out, showcasing my initial attempt at marrying fashion design (using Marvelous Designer) with architectural aesthetics.

Who or what has inspired or delighted you recently? Maybe it was a book, a movie, or an artist.

One pivotal source of inspiration was the Japanese film, «Godzilla Minus One,» my favorite movie of 2023. Beyond its impressive narrative, what captivated me was the seamless integration of touching human drama and larger-than-life VFX, all achieved within a modest budget of 15 million USD—remarkable when compared to its Hollywood counterparts.

The film featured extensive scenes set in water/ocean environments, showcasing Godzilla’s interactions with the ocean in a breathtaking manner. This reignited my interest in fluid simulations, a once-abandoned pursuit that I am now eager to revisit in 2024.

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

1. – Learn consistently, an stay informed about updates whenever possible.

2. – Practice consistently – I try to dedicate as much time as I could to work on personal projects every day, usually early morning before working hours.

3. – Reach out to software developer/forums – I used to learn in a bubble, but I came across so many hurdles while transitioning from Cinema4D to Houdini that I learned to reach out to software developers, industry veterans, forum & Facebook group for help whenever I am stuck.

4. – Take artistic liberty – a lot of artists (myself included) get caught up in the technical trenches and try to make everything photorealistic as opposed to atheistically pleasing.

5. – Enjoy the process!