Meet Zichen Tang, better known as Async, a self-taught 3D artist making waves in the digital art world. With just a year of dedicated learning, this sophomore has already captured the attention of the industry by securing second place in the 'Steampunk: New History 3D Challenge', which is sponsored by Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the industry, with his captivating piece, 'The Analytical Engine'. Inspired by the magic of cinema, Async’s passion for crafting breathtaking visuals is evident in his work. His latest creation is more than just a stunning 3D scene; it’s a narrative masterpiece, inviting viewers into a world of intrigue and mystery as they unravel the story of a daring heist and the enigmatic technology at its heart.
Join us as we delve into Async’s creative process and explore the bright future of this talented young artist.
Fox Renderfarm: Hi, Zichen Tang! Thank you so much for accepting our interview! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
© Zichen Tang
Zichen Tang: Hi, I’m Zichen Tang, or Async on most platforms. I’m a self-taught 3D artist and have been learning 3D for a year or so. I’m currently a sophomore and working on turning 3D into my future career. My passion for 3D goes back to my love for films. Therefore, I always want to create breathtaking visual impressions using 3D tools.
Fox Renderfarm: It's fantastic to see your work recognized as the second place in the 'Steampunk: New History 3D Challenge'! How does it feel to be celebrated for your achievements?
Zichen Tang: Thanks! I’ve got to say it’s a surprise to me since there are so many talented, experienced artists competing in this challenge and lots of artists that I look up to participated in the past few competitions. It really gives me the confidence to keep learning and pursuing my passion in this field.
Fox Renderfarm: Could you give us a brief overview of the project that won you an award in the 'Steampunk: New History 3D Challenge'?
Zichen Tang: The image is intended to tell a story about someone trying to break into a room and steal an important piece of technology related to a kind of machine called The Analytical Engine.They made a mess and left a threat letter on the door suggesting the conflict of interest behind the technology.
The Analytical Engine © Zichen Tang
Fox Renderfarm: What inspired you to choose the Analytical Engine as the centerpiece for your artwork in the challenge?
Zichen Tang: The Analytical Engine could be an interesting visual element when it comes to steampunk. Because the engine is the foundation of information and science technology in the world of steampunk and really is what makes a complex world possible. It’s basically another possible version of computers and we could understand it if we just think about how big a chance computers have brought us today. In history, there is actually a blueprint of an analytical engine invented by Charles Babbage but hasn't been built due to technical limitations. So I thought it would be interesting to make that come true in the 3D world.
Fox Renderfarm: How did your creative process for 'The Analytical Engine' differ from your other works? Do you have a standard working pipeline?
Zichen Tang: The new challenge for this piece is that the concept or design takes a bigger place. You not only have to iterate the modeling, texturing, lighting and so on, but also iterate the concept of the model and fit it into the environment. So what I do is basically try to build the environment first and sketch the basic shape of the engine and iterate it until I find a good one. Here is a picture of this process.
Process © Zichen Tang
My standard pipeline breaks into the following few steps:
1. Figure out what to create
I search for inspiration, find a good concept, have a rough idea about how to organize elements(composition, lighting…) and walk through the process to make sure I can handle it(or to find out what kind of new technique I have to learn). I used to ignore these steps and found myself either having to reorganize the elements or abandon the entire project.
2. Find reference
I search for different types of references (concept, composition, lighting, color palette, modeling, material and even how I want to showcase the project if it’s just a model or material. Two tips: don’t rush, try your best to find a real object for material reference.
Find reference © Zichen Tang
3. Blockout
Scale is the very thing I want to settle down here, wrong size can easily make my work feel unrealistic. I also block out basic lighting since it’s important for all following steps.
Blockout © Zichen Tang
4. Modeling
I choose a method according to how I want to shade the model. If I want to add lots of hand paint then I better have a proper UV and thus better have a good topology. Otherwise, I can just use booleans and quick hacks to save my time.
Modeling © Zichen Tang
5. Optimize, Retopo and UV
I prepare different LODs, retopo and UV. I separate this part just to remind myself not to rush straight to texturing.
6. Texturing and LookDev
If I’m lucky enough to get real stuff for material reference in step 2, then this should just be an easy one. I use procedural material from some material library, tileable image, scan image, and hand paint for models.I’m still practicing to try to combine them in a better way, but knowing all sorts of hacks and regular methods can save my time.
For example, here is an overview of how I create the wood shader for the engine in blender. I combine image texture, mix different layers, add masks and so on.
Texturing and LookDev © Zichen Tang
7. Iteration
I iterate everything throughout the entire process.
Iteration © Zichen Tang
8. Lighting, Final Tweak, Rendering and Post-production
All about final tweaking and making it look better and less messy.
Fox Renderfarm: The warm lighting in the room adds depth and mystery. Could you explain the techniques or tools you used to achieve this effect?
Zichen Tang: I wanted to make the engine pop up since it’s a messy room. I first used mist in Blender and added an area light to create a beam of light. Then I found that due to the angle constraint, I couldn’t make only the right part of the engine brighter and reflections on the engine look good at the same time, so I actually added another area light in the room to light the ground and part of the engine. Technically I used stylized lighting to fake it a bit. Also after rendering, I threw it in Photoshop, adjusted shadow and highlight to boost contrast and make the transition between these two parts smoother.
Fox Renderfarm: Steampunk often blends historical elements with fantastical inventions. What challenges did you face in balancing realism with the fantastical aspects in this piece?
Zichen Tang: When I searched for the concept, I actually studied the principle and mechanism of the Analytical Engine because I wanted it to look as close to the actual blueprint as possible. But then I realized that the actual design of the engine looks a bit repetitive and couldn’t fit in the space I wanted to create. So I kept the key part of the engine, simplified it, and combined the design with old pianos and pipe organs.
Fox Renderfarm: Were there specific historical inventions or artifacts that directly influenced your depiction of steampunk-themed items (e.g., compass, globe)?
Zichen Tang: The pipe organ and old piano like I mentioned above. And of course the actual Analytical Engine (a kind of code card this engine uses and The Difference Engine which is a much simpler version of the Analytical Engine that has been built). Here are some pictures of them:
© Zichen Tang
Fox Renderfarm: Can you describe a particularly memorable moment or breakthrough in the project's development?
Zichen Tang: Two actually. The first one is how I added yet another light in the room to achieve a balance between reflection and angle like I mentioned above. The second one is how I find a way to simplify the structure of the engine and add pipe organ design. I was kind of burnt out at that moment because I kept studying the engine and tweaking the concept but it just looked off. And then I just kind of gave up and started scrolling Pinterest aimlessly when I saw a pipe organ and they just suddenly connected in a weird way.
Fox Renderfarm: Texture plays a significant role in digital art. How did you approach adding character and authenticity to the materials (brass, iron, wood) in the Analytical Engine?
Zichen Tang: I believe when it comes to texturing, it’s just about references, references and references. Whether we use a procedure of layering or even hand painting, we have to find a clear enough reference and analyze it. For example, those are brass references I found. They are totally different compared to how I remember brass looks like.
References © Zichen Tang
Fox Renderfarm: Could you share your experience using Fox Renderfarm's cloud rendering services for your projects? In what specific ways has our render farm helped you with your projects? Have you found it to be useful and has it saved you significant time?
Zichen Tang: I wish I’d met Fox Renderfarm earlier but I guess it’s because I just started my 3D journey, I basically haven’t used lots of cloud rendering services. Not that I don’t want to, but because I haven’t learned and made full use of it. But just through several email exchanges with the people there, I have found them to be very considerate and supportive. I definitely will use their render farm for my next and future projects. I would be glad to share more exciting news then.
Fox Renderfarm: Are there any other projects that you are currently working on that you would like to share with us?
Zichen Tang: Yes. I’m currently working on a project to practice my texturing skills. It’s a small wooden carousel toy. I want to give it a brushed, vividly painted look with some damages and scratches just enough to reveal the wooden texture underneath. There will be a lot of decoration lights around the toy. I want to set it on a 19th dressing table and use a long lens, shallow depth of field to make the texture work pop up. I just finished modeling and here are some WIPs.
WIPs © Zichen Tang
Fox Renderfarm: Lastly, what motivates you to explore new techniques, themes, or genres? Any advice for staying inspired?
Zichen Tang: I found my passion for 3D from movies, so I would say to develop a hobby in the visual field in general (movie, photography, painting…). For me, when I feel like I can’t feel my passion for work, I’ll go watch movies, episodes or videos with cinematic shots and amazing visual and audio languages. (Such as movies made by Denis Villeneuv, one of my favorite directors, episodes like Love, Death and Robot and so on). If you just sit there and try to think hard, you can easily burn out, but when exploring other forms of visual arts, you can get tons of inspiration, get motivation and relax at the same time. Oh, learning to balance work and life, enjoying the present moment and learning from real world nature is also very important!
Thanks again to Zichen Tang for accepting our interview! Wishing new heights in you and your team’s professional career!
Zichen Tang’s social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asynclight/
ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/w_light
