Talking Shop with 3D Archviz Artist Pedro Uriel Del Carmen

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We pick the brains of 3D archviz artist Pedro Uriel del Carmen about how honing his methodology took his passion for 3D and turned it into a career.

‘Hacienda San Sebastian’ by Pedro Uriel del Carmen

Q. When and how did you get into 3D visualizations? 

Pedro: I started in 3D visualization during architecture school - first with BIM modeling and basic rendering in Revit. A couple of semesters later, a group of friends and I took a Vray course. 

In 2018 I decided to start a more serious career in visualization, specifically in interior design. My first job as freelance architectural visualizer was for a friend of my father, who was an architect; the project was a small house in Morelia, a town near Mexico City.

‘Fungi’ by Pedro Uriel del Carmen

Q. What did this first archviz job teach you?

Pedro: At the beginning, I spent most of my time watching tutorials for realistic materials and tricks for faster rendering. Even though some of them were useful, I later realized that I wasn’t improving my images. So instead, I decided to focus my efforts in learning about color, composition and lighting - not only in renders, but in drawings and photography. 

‘Outdoor Dining’ by Pedro Uriel del Carmen

Q. What were the challenges of starting a career in 3D?

Pedro: Once I had a solid methodology after practicing with personal projects, I had to start looking for clients - this was the most difficult part. As I mentioned, my first visualization job was for an architect that worked with my father, but after that I didn’t land another contract for a long time. I stopped doing 3D rendering and took a job in BIM modeling - I started thinking that 3D art would just be a hobby.

But I decided I didn’t want to quit CGI, so I started offering my services in fiverr, a freelancing platform, and did rendering after work. I didn’t like the terms, but I could find international clients that way - after a while, some of them contacted me outside of the platform and I continued working with them.

‘El Encino’ by Pedro Uriel del Carmen

Q. If you had to choose, what were the 3 most important tips to reach professional standards with 3D?

Pedro:

  1. Learning the basics of photography - really taking the time to observe your photos and the ones from the pros, to learn perspective, composition and real-life lighting.

  2. Register your progress and analyze your successes and errors - it helps you create a more solid methodology for future projects.

  3. ‘God is in details’ - take the time to really polish the elements that are most relevant in the image.

‘Loie Lounge Chair’ by Pedro Uriel del Carmen

Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring artists wanting to start their career in 3D viz?

Pedro:

  • Focus your efforts in understanding the basics.

  • Learn from other fields of art.

  • Practice scenes that are most difficult for you.

‘Hacienda San Sebastian’ by Pedro Uriel del Carmen