3DWay: Original 3D Artists

Ondrej Malota joins Alex Fridlyand on 3DWay: Original 3D Artists to discuss environment art built for production: modeling constraints, reuse, optimization and the handoff between artists. His career story moves from medical visualization and learning 3D to outsourced environment-art contributions for American Truck Simulator.They explore why an established team may keep its toolchain, where procedural automation helps and how beginners can move beyond following tutorials. Ondrej’s Maya and Blender comments describe the tradeoffs of a particular production pipeline. He also shares what he learns from the work of Marek Denko and Edgar A. Martinez.Chapter times below follow this edition and differ from the original YouTube conversation.Chapters00:00 Meet Ondrej and his production background01:11 Early models and discovering 3D26:10 Medical-startup experience40:03 VFX school and learning choices50:04 Moving toward environment art58:22 Environment-art production experience1:07:54 Where procedural automation helps1:22:44 Marek Denko's work as inspiration1:31:41 Edgar Martinez and precise wireframes1:42:56 Why teams keep established toolchains1:52:35 Automation and artistic intent2:09:52 Advice for beginners and learning beyond tutorialsGuest and artistsOndrej’s portfolio and blogOndrej on ArtStationOndrej on XMarek Denko — reference artistEdgar A. Martinez — reference artistMarek Denko and Edgar A. Martinez are credited for the reference artwork discussed; it is not presented as Ondrej’s work. Original game and studio credits remain with those works. Ondrej’s supplied portfolio includes his credited game-environment contributions; surrounding game scenes can contain other artists’ work.Original YouTube conversationFollow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.3DWay

Jack Mavar explains the modeling, bevel and texturing choices behind his game-prop artwork. We discuss where topology matters, using ZBrush for bevel control, simplifying material layers and learning from detailed feedback on a project.His comments about education, portfolios and mentorship come from his own path into the field. The video combines discussion and screen-shared examples; some steps are explained verbally rather than shown.FOLLOW JACKJack's portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/jackmavarCHAPTERS00:00 Episode highlights01:30 Meet Jack Mavar21:27 Where quads, triangles and n-gons fit24:53 ZBrush polishing and bevel control34:01 Project review and feedback35:03 Simplifying material layers57:27 Learning something new on each project59:16 Turning comparison into useful studyFollow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.Watch this full conversation and its visual demonstrations on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cB9a1JdBJMHosted by Alex Fridlyand for 3DWay / Original 3D Artists.Explore 3DWay: https://www.3dway.io/Originally published on YouTube on June 16, 2026.

Angel Nieves revisits earlier creature and science-fiction work through the tools and judgment he developed over a long 3D career. What Lurks Beneath becomes a discussion about returning to an old idea, choosing which details matter and deciding what to change.The conversation also covers his medical-visualization production experience, a self-imposed spaceship challenge, personal artwork about AI, photography and taking breaks. He describes the team process behind medical visualization and how his own approach to breaks changed over time.FOLLOW ANGELAngel's portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/vertexangelAngel's website: http://vertexangel.comCHAPTERS00:00 Episode highlights01:44 Meet Angel Nieves07:04 Discovering early 3D tools24:55 Revisiting early portfolio renders36:28 Medical visualization and storytelling46:19 Revisiting What Lurks Beneath56:52 The spaceship challenge1:03:37 Turning a colleague's concept into 3D1:25:29 The personal NoAI artwork series1:42:49 The final artwork in the trilogy1:48:55 Personal experience of burnout and photography1:53:03 Learning when to take breaksFollow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.Watch this full conversation and its visual demonstrations on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75B2XeN4JNoHosted by Alex Fridlyand for 3DWay / Original 3D Artists.Explore 3DWay: https://www.3dway.io/Originally published on YouTube on July 28, 2026.

Sergio Suarez explores environment art through systems that artists can change and reuse. His personal Unreal Engine project leads into a discussion of materials, vertex painting, procedural variation and designing shaders as useful tools.We also discuss the differences between personal work and large-team production, and how his own portfolio priorities changed with experience. The screen-shared examples come from his personal project, alongside reflections on working within large teams.FOLLOW SERGIOSergio's portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/sergiosuarezCHAPTERS00:00 Art education and the move into 3D15:33 Personal work and public portfolio choices20:14 Working within a large production team44:14 Opening the personal Unreal Engine project1:04:04 Reusable rock materials and vertex controls1:13:24 A procedural moss generator1:28:25 Designing shaders as tools1:41:06 Shader walkthrough with the shared screen1:54:35 What Sergio looks for in a portfolioFollow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.Watch this full conversation and its visual demonstrations on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPV4huYtqa4Hosted by Alex Fridlyand for 3DWay / Original 3D Artists.Explore 3DWay: https://www.3dway.io/Originally published on YouTube on May 10, 2026.

Visual note: Some screen-shared artwork in this video may appear brighter or more washed out than intended. Please see the linked original artwork and trailer for Francesco’s intended colors and detail.Original steak artwork: https://jackfurneri.artstation.com/projects/9Ev4WaRedwood: https://jackfurneri.artstation.com/projects/2BDB1gThis steak wasn't sculpted by hand. Francesco Furneri built its form and surface procedurally in Substance 3D Designer, using height information to displace a plane.In this episode of Original 3D Artists, 3DWay founder Alex Fridlyand explores the project with Francesco—from the main shape and muscle fibers to fat, grill marks, and the roughness choices that make the steak look juicy.We then explore Redwood, Francesco's narrative mystery thriller in Unreal Engine 5. He discusses atmospheric lighting, cinematography, deciding which assets to build or buy, and developing the game largely on his own, with help from his father on the story. We also talk about teaching 3D art and his perspective on AI tools.An in-depth artist interview and project breakdown for material artists, environment artists, and developers who want to understand the decisions behind the finished work.FOLLOW FRANCESCOPortfolio and project updates: https://jackfurneri.artstation.com/Procedural steak: https://jackfurneri.artstation.com/projects/9Ev4WaRedwood: https://jackfurneri.artstation.com/projects/2BDB1gHosted by Alex Fridlyand, founder of 3DWay.Follow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.Watch this full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EudNcmmX1cCHAPTERS00:00 Episode highlights02:18 Why make a procedural steak?10:27 Organic shapes in Substance Designer12:21 Influences and putting shape before detail16:23 A programmer's approach to node graphs20:17 Building the steak's main shape25:51 Smoothing shapes with Non-Uniform Blur29:25 Creating bones and masks37:05 Building muscle fibers with Tile Sampler48:37 Why roughness makes the steak look juicy54:06 Voronoi regions, fat, and grease1:04:09 Creating irregular grill marks1:06:53 Teaching lighting and rendering1:11:21 What writing tutorials taught Francesco1:14:33 Introducing Redwood1:23:55 Watching Redwood's opening cinematic1:26:49 Learning storytelling with his father1:34:57 Environment tools and lighting for mystery1:37:14 Which assets to build and which to buy1:41:12 Combining C++ and Blueprints1:42:46 Cinematography, composition, and lighting1:48:00 Scope and release expectations1:50:59 AI tools and artistic judgment1:56:55 Where to follow FrancescoCorrections:At five seconds: Visual note: Some screen-shared artwork in this video may appear brighter or more washed out than intended. Please see the linked original artwork and trailer for Francesco’s intended colors and detail.Which detail makes the steak feel most convincing to you: the shape, roughness, or lighting?#SubstanceDesigner #3DArt #Original3DArtistsOriginally published on YouTube on September 13, 2026.