Mohammad Amin Jamali: Interview with 3D artist

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

Mohammad Amin Jamali, author of the “Ride, Coffee, Book”, 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?

Hi there to you and the visitors of the site. I’m glad for this conversation.

When I was 6 years old, met Flatout Game. This game was very interesting and exciting for me, very excited to be able to drive a car in the computer world. I drew a lot of drawings of this game on paper and always asked how could make one like this. After a while, NFS Underground 2 was released and my interest in games doubled.

A few years later, I had an opportunity to learn GameMaker 8.0 software. The world of 2D games was not that attractive to me, but accepted it because it was the starting point. After some time, I started learning Unity. It was very difficult for me. I wasn’t that good at computer graphics, but it was better than drawing on paper. Because there was ctrl+z (undo) could correct my mistakes without ruining my work!
At that time, I was programming my small games and I needed a 3D model for my projects. There were few game-ready 3d models. I started learning 3d modeling with modeling cars from the beginning. I didn’t have many educational resources available, but after a while, met friends who guided me very well and compassionately, so I learned well from them. In short, continued this path until now.

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

I need more peace these days and I have become interested in quiet places, poetries of Hafez (a part of that exists in my artwork), and quiet music.

I have a passion for cars and I have a special respect for the cars of the 80s and 90s. At the top of these cars, I like the classic Porsche 911 because of its very different design and pleasant curves on its body.

Combining this interest and my inner spirit has created this work, my best artwork so far. I am proud of myself for making it and I love it from all of my heart.

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

I started working with 3dsmax in 2010 and was familiar with the challenges of this software in making car models, so I used this software for modeling.

I always like to see the final result of my work quickly, that’s why I render my projects with real-time rendering engines. Currently, the fastest, simplest, most flexible, and highest-quality software for me is Marmoset.

Before this, I only had the experience of studio renderings of an object with this software and didn’t know if this software was suitable for implementing my idea or not, however, because it was one of the best options for me, I went to it first and Fortunately, I was able to get results even beyond my expectations.

In this software, there was no tools to create particle systems, so I came to Photoshop to create rain (which played an important role in creating the atmosphere) and manually added them to the final rendering. In general, I am satisfied with the result.

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

I do these things because of my interest in art and cars. Although busy with various projects like many of my colleagues, I try to add non-commercial work to my work every 1-2 months and I enjoy it a lot. Now the main gallery of my works is active on ArtStation and LinkedIn.

My favorite is the project I did for the competition, after that, I really like my Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta project. I was very interested in Ken and spent a long time designing this car. Finally, my projects are like my children and I love every one of them.

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

Those who restore and maintain original classic cars and those cars themselves attract my attention. I am very excited for them, especially if the car is special and rare or has unique colors and accessories. In my opinion, they are special artists, like those who restore and maintain historical buildings.

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

1. – I don’t think you need to learn a lot of different tools. Try to use the basic tools well to do different things so that you can master what you want to do and achieve the desired result.

2. – An artwork is a combination of different sciences. So try to get information about other sciences as well. Architecture, philosophy, physics, history, etc. (any field you feel interested in) can help you. New ideas and solutions often arise from combining seemingly unrelated things.

3. – Get help from expert teachers. Some people start learning by self-learning from various sources, many of which may not have the necessary quality and the student may not understand. It is better to find experts in your desired field and learn from them. You may have to pay a little but it will speed up your progress. In my opinion, an expert teacher for a student is someone who has good artwork, is strong in conveying basic concepts, and compassionately criticizes your artwork and guides you to solve the problem. Of course, all the characteristics may not be in one person and you need to find a few limited people.

4. – Practice, practice, practice. Try to practice a specific subject well for some time to master it completely, and then move on to another subject if you want. This will make the appropriate solutions to solve the problems of that subject stay well in your brain. This time depends on you and your work. It may be 1 month in some cases, it may be 1 year.

5. – And finally, success is never easy, so be kind to yourself, who is your only real asset.

No one has been the best artist from the beginning. Don’t beat yourself up for not being the best at the beginning or halfway through.

If you love what you do and the results you get from it, and you feel your development, you are on the right path. Continue the same.

Thank you for being with me until the end of the conversation and I hope you have a peaceful heart in your life.