Tim "Chamferzone" Bergholz has worked with Crytek and is currently employed by Ubisoft. He also makes so totally sweet weapon models that will sweep you of your feet. Here's his story!
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you start with 3D modeling or texturing?
It all started around 2005 after Half Life 2 released. Back then I just finished my education as a media designer, mostly focusing on creating print adverts and working a lot with text software. I didn’t feel like this was going to be my dream job but fortunately some of the Photoshop skills that I learned through that time enabled me to edit textures for Counter Strike Source.
I uploaded them to different websites and got an overwhelming amount of feedback from the community. This really motivated me to carry on with it.
How did you become a modeler for videogames?
After this phase of creating all sorts of texture modifications for Source engine games I got an email from a company that wanted to interview me for the position of a Texture Artist. I was shocked because until then I only did it for fun. That was truly the turning point where I felt that I could make a career with what I am doing in the spare time. They interviewed me and let me know that my texture skills are great but I lack the 3D knowledge. Thus I decided to take a 1.5 year crash course in 3D modeling in one of the colleges. I was working hard on my portfolio and then landed a job at Crytek right after that.
What do you enjoy most about working in the industry?
I knew I would enjoy working in the video game industry when I had my first glimpse into Crytek and everybody had a Xbox Controller on their desk as well as Nerf guns for spontaneous office battles. On top of that I get to work on games that millions of people (hopefully) like to play and I am always surrounded with awesome and inspirational people from all over the world.
How did you find your passion for modeling guns?
As someone who specializes on hard surface modeling the weapons are the equivalent to character art in terms of visibility of any object. They get the most screentime in FPS games and are always in the player's face. This is motivation enough for me to have a passion for it and to make the best possible work on them.
What kind of research do you do before you start modeling?
I scrape google images for every possible picture, take screengrabs from Youtube and write down dimensions from wikipedia. The more I know about the object I work on the better the results will be.
The pershing square bridge I worked on for Crysis 2.
A couple of years later I had the chance to actually visit it.
How do you market your products? Can you share some tips & tricks?
I make use of most of the social media platforms available and post my work into channels where I assume people would be interested in it. On top of that I think it's very important to provide free samples. That applies both to my tutorials and 3D assets. In the case of the 3D assets people can already see how I split things apart, how I named everything and how the textures have been exported. That lets people see the quality of my work without having to buy to find out about it. Feel free to check my account for the free AKM, Grenade and ammunition type models. You can find out more about my tutorials as well as watching the free tutorial on my Youtube channel.
How did you find CGTrader?
One of my 3D Artist buddies sent me a link to CGTrader and I was immediately impressed with the look of the website. It was clear that I wanted to put my work up for sale here and I am pleased with the fair royalty rates (especially when compared to one of the well known and big competition sites).
Do you have a moment from working in the industry to share with us?
I joined Crytek as an intern and being a newbie I was quite nervous whether I’ll be delivering results that are to their liking. One day I realized that this feeling was gone, I had developed a routine in which I feel confident thanks to the many things learned in a short amount of time (and bugging my colleagues with questions along the way). I can only advise anyone who starts fresh to not be too concerned. The people you work with know you are new to it and as long as you do everything to commit to the project and get better at what you are doing you will be fine and soon deliver great results.
What’s the hardest thing being a professional 3D designer?
The hardest part is usually to say.. “That’s it, it’s done!” Most 3D Artists are perfectionists and I often struggled in the past to say for example that this high-poly model is now finished because it’s always easy to find another small detail that you might want to add here. It’s something you learn fast enough though because you got your deadlines and you have to make sure to deliver the best possible result in a reasonable timeframe.
What software do you use?
I work almost exclusively with 3DS Max and Substance Painter. The PBR era changed everything when it comes to texturing and lets you be much faster than in previous days where you would create the textures with Photoshop.
What is your magnum opus, so far?
It’s already one of my older assets but I am really happy with the truck I created for Crysis 2. It was actually the first hard surface model that I ever got to work on and therefore an important piece in my career to set the path for my hardsurface focus.
What is the most impressive 3D model you have ever seen?
That might almost be an impossible question to answer because everyday you get to see something new that is excellent. Spontaneously though, this zombie head comes to mind.
Do you have a dream or an idea that you hope to model one day?
Many! Because I am also a tutorial creator I have a whole list of things that I want to be working on that I want to share with the community out there. I don’t want to quite spoil it yet but the aim is always to bring top quality content and explain everything the same way I would approach it if I was given the task at my everyday job.
What do you think about the rise of virtual reality in relation to your work?
I think it’s going to have a huge impact on my work. The guns that I sold so far on CGtrader where mostly for people wanting to integrate them into their VR projects. To be honest I don’t own a pair of any of these “goggles” yet but knowing the importance of it, I will make sure to buy one soon. It’s not just a trend, I believe this is here to stay and is a real game-changer (literally). It’s important to catch up with that.
Please finish the following sentences (be as honest as you can be : )
My greatest inspiration is... any artist who doesn’t only put the effort into the modeling aspect but also sees the unwrapping and the texturing phase as equally important. Looking at other people’s great work is the best inspiration out there.
When I catch myself procrastinating, I… take a deep breath and picture the finished product on the 3DS Max viewport. It helps to already “imagine” the whole wireframe in front of me. Then I get back to work and create it.
I’m the most productive when… I put my headphones on and forget everything around me. Just getting in the zone and modeling away :-)
I take a break from my work when… I am on vacation. Other then that there are no breaks from work. Vacation time is when I recharge the batteries.
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