About​

If my ancient dull brain can get the concept clear in my mind, then maybe I can explain it to you too.​

Only a few years ago, I got involved full-time with 3D modelling, although I have worked in many allied fields. I started my career as a young industrial photographer in big bustling Johannesburg. I was cocky, self-opinionated and thought I knew it all. A typical “twenty-ager”. One day, a client of mine introduced me to a commercial photographer who was temporarily visiting and needed to hire a studio. I was happy to let him use my equipment – I didn’t want any hire money – but I decided to show this guy from Germany how to do things properly. I wanted to brag. Oh, how foolish I was!

What he did in my studio using my equipment left me utterly speechless. I couldn’t believe it! Within half an hour, I went from being “Mr BIG STUFF” to “Mr. devastated humble little boy”. We became friends, and I tried to suck up everything he could teach me. He encouraged me to visit different countries and work in the big photographic studios of Europe. I only found out many years later that he was a photographer of world-class stature.

Years later, I set up the very first authorised (by AutoDesk) AutoCAD training centre in Cape Town, where I taught 2D drafting in the days when Computer-Aided Drafting was new and exciting. One day, I was fascinated by a brand new application just released called 3D Studio Max. I never had the time to get involved with 3D illustration – I was too busy trying to make a living and support a family – but it was always at the back of my mind.

In 2016 my wife died of cancer, and its shock caused me to perform a complete life reset. I moved away from the Big City into the small seaside town of Yzerfontein on the West Coast of South Africa. I decided to stop wasting my time and do what I really wanted to do, so at the age of 63, I decided to become a full-time student of 3D technical Illustration – concentrating on Blender and Substance Painter.

While I cannot learn 3D as quickly as a modern teenager, I have a lifetime of graphics and technical knowledge to draw upon, which compensates a little. Still, in particular, it allows me to explain matters differently, which I hope will be of some use to you.

Enjoy this site, and please don’t hesitate to ask questions or comment on the posts – that helps me help others in this wonderful journey through the world of 3D modelling.