In this interview, we chatted with Luís Fernando Florentino, a talented Brazilian graphic designer and 3D artist. With a passion for cars and a knack for creating stunning 3D renders, Luís recently celebrated a significant milestone by being selected as the Fox Renderfarm Choice in the 3DModels’ 2024 Car Render Challenge. Join Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the industry, as we delve into Luís’ creative journey.
Fox Renderfarm: Hi Luís Fernando! We are honored to have you here! Please introduce yourself first to our readers.
Profile picture © Luís Fernando Florentino
Luís Fernando: I'm Luis, a Brazilian graphic designer specializing in 3D art. Over the past year, I've combined my passion for cars with my 3D studies, which led to creating my first car render. Later that year, I received an invitation to participate in the Car Render Challenge. It was a proud moment, marking a significant milestone in my career and studies. I decided to give it a try, and for my first time participating, the experience turned out to be truly rewarding.
Fox Renderfarm: Congratulations on winning the Car Render Challenge! How do you feel about it?
Luís Fernando: I was truly surprised by the outcome. I aimed for a good position in the challenge, but considering it was my first time participating and I had been creating car renders for less than a year, I didn't expect such a remarkable result. Being selected as the Fox Renderfarm Choice, especially among so many talented competitors, filled me with immense joy. I couldn't help but do a little happy dance, haha :) !
VW Beetle (fusca) 63′ – around the world © Luís Fernando Florentino
Fox Renderfarm: How was the scene in this photo conceived and designed? Where did you get the inspiration from?
Luís Fernando: I drew inspiration from an old Beetle my father used to own, which he inherited from my grandfather. The car had so much character, though the front passenger seat didn't even have a floor—it was my father's first car. I combined this nostalgic element with a dream of mine: to travel around Europe by car with my girlfriend. Unfortunately, that specific car no longer exists, but perhaps one day I'll buy a similar one, with a floor this time, haha, and make that travel dream come true.
Fox Renderfarm: What emotion did you want to convey when creating this piece?
Luís Fernando: I aimed to convey emotions of passion, companionship, and warmth to the heart. It's meant to be a scene you encounter on a bad day, where you simply stop and admire it, hoping to feel like the two characters—just taking a moment to appreciate the sun and the nature around them.
Fox Renderfarm: Did you reference any real-life locations when building this 3D scene?
Luís Fernando: For this 3D scene, I used Monaco, some roads from Italy, and a few pictures from Croatia as references. It was like taking a virtual road trip through maps, gathering inspiration from these beautiful locations.
Fox Renderfarm: Can you share with us the creation process of your work? And how long did it take you?
Luís Fernando: It took me about a month to complete the project. I started by modeling the car, as I’ve been focusing on this type of modeling throughout the year, aiming to improve with each project. For this one, I created some assets from scratch, like the tires, suspension (I considered animating it but haven't done it yet), and the paint job, to streamline future projects.
Wireframe render without subdivision © Luís Fernando Florentino
Paintjob test © Luís Fernando Florentino
Almost final model © Luís Fernando Florentino
While detailing the car, I felt it needed more life—after all, it's meant to have traveled around the world, right? So, I developed a Geometry Nodes system for the stickers (maybe it wasn't necessary, but I enjoy adding little challenges during production), and added some dirt, and luggage.
GeoNodes stickers © Luís Fernando Florentino
Adding luggage and dirt © Luís Fernando Florentino
Once the car was done, I started planning the scene—deciding on the location, choosing the HDRI, positioning the sun, selecting the background, adding plants, and eventually moving on to post-production.
Choosing HDRI and angle © Luís Fernando Florentino
Fox Renderfarm: What were the technical challenges in this work, especially in terms of automotive materials and lighting effects?
Luís Fernando: The hardest part for me was working with EXR files and rendering passes for the first time. I’m not exaggerating when I say I spent days rewatching the same YouTube videos, trying to grasp what they were and why I should use them. It was another self-imposed challenge during this project. Using Geometry Nodes also took me some time to understand, but it was worth it in the end—I learned a lot from this project.
Fox Renderfarm: The environment in this artwork is beautiful, how did you handle the details of the meadow and so on?
Luís Fernando: I used a few rock and plant models for the meadows. Since it’s a mountain scene, I went for smaller plants and flowers. Using the knowledge I gained from the stickers, I created a simple Geometry Nodes scatter system to randomly distribute the plants, with weight paint to define the path. As for the mountains in the background, they’re just scaled-up rocks. Since they’re far in the distance, I didn’t need to focus too much on them.
Fox Renderfarm: Are there any artists whose work has inspired your approach to 3D design? How have they influenced your style?
Luís Fernando: I started doing car renders after watching a video by Ethan Davis. Throughout this project, I drew a lot of inspiration from Damian Mathew, Ryan King Art, and Robin Squares.
Fox Renderfarm: Have you tried or heard about Fox Renderfarm’s services before? What is your impression of our cloud rendering services?
Luís Fernando: I’ve heard about Fox Renderfarm long before I started with car renders. I always wanted to give it a try, but since my country’s currency is undervalued compared to the dollar, it was difficult to justify the investment. However, it would be a huge help—today, it’s unnecessary to spend hours, or even more than a day, waiting to render a scene or animation.
Fox Renderfarm: What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of participating in and winning a 3D challenge like this?
Luís Fernando: The biggest reward for me was the motivation to keep going, keep trying, and improve even more. Before this challenge, I was really questioning whether I should continue down this path, but it completely changed my mindset. It reignited my passion and almost spoke to my fearful side, saying: ‘You're good at this—look at what you’ve achieved. Keep going, and you’ll get there.’
Luís Fernando’s Social Media:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rabiscaluis/
- Artstation: artstation.com/luisfernandoflorentino
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luissflorentino/
