Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the first ever edition of our newsletter! We’re excited to share with you the behind the scenes of our latest model, The Pierre Jeanneret 3-Seater Chair.

about the model

The Pierre Jeanneret 3-Seater Chair, designed and manufactured by Pierre Jeanneret in India during the 1950s-60s, is an iconic piece of furniture that exemplifies mid-century modern design. Jeanneret, a renowned architect and designer, is celebrated for his contributions to the Chandigarh project, where this chair was originally created. This chair is not only a functional piece of furniture but also a symbol of innovative design and cultural heritage.

I chose to model this vintage chair because of its unique aesthetic similar to old Indian homes as it was simple enough to get going but difficult enough to pose a challenge for me.

setting up

Before diving into the modeling process, I always take the time to gather as many references as possible to ensure accuracy and detail. Fortunately, finding references & dimensions for this chair was straightforward, which significantly streamlined the modeling process and ensured the proportions were precise.

modeling

Armed with detailed references and dimensions, I began modeling the chair in Autodesk Maya. The initial step involved blocking out the model to get the proportions right. Once satisfied with the basic shape, I moved on to adding finer details and refining the model.

The wooden frame was relatively straightforward, while the intricate threading, though easy, required meticulous attention to detail.

uv unwrapping

At this stage, I rarely make changes to the model. However, it is common during production to make adjustments even after texturing. Careful UV unwrapping is crucial, especially for objects that will have textures applied. Using texture maps to check the UV flow is immensely helpful.

These are two of my most frequently used maps when working on UVs. I prefer using Maya for UV unwrapping, as I find its tools more robust compared to Blender's UV tools.

texturing

For texturing, I used Substance Painter, which is an incredibly user-friendly and powerful tool. Texturing wood has always been challenging for me. When faced with difficulties, I find it helpful to revisit the basics and learn from professionals.

This video tutorial is one of the best introductions to texturing I have encountered. It covers essential techniques that are directly applicable to your own projects.

lighting

Lighting can make or break your model presentation, so it's crucial to get it right. I used Blender for lighting due to its excellent toolset that fits my workflow. One technique I rely on is using an HDRI as a base for the lighting. The Gaffer addon by Greg Zaal is a fantastic tool that simplifies the process of managing lights and HDRIs, making it easy to switch between different setups.

There's also an unlimited free trial to his addon which is more than enough for majority of use cases. Its one of my most used addons.

rendering

After setting up the lighting, I brought in the textures from Substance Painter to see how they looked. I experimented with various settings until I was satisfied with the result. For rendering, I initially tried using a backdrop in Blender but wasn't happy with the outcome. Instead, I rendered with a transparent background and made adjustments in post-production.

post-production

Post-production involved bringing the renders into Photoshop for final adjustments using the Camera Raw Filter and other settings. I added a black backdrop, logos, and created a thumbnail for the model.

final thoughts

Creating the Pierre Jeanneret 3-Seater Chair model was a great learning experience for me. Each and every stage helped me learn more about the process and streamline the process in a much better way.

When you are stuck, having a fresh pair of eyes help.
Its never not okay to go back to the basics.
Keep looking at the bigger picture.

If you have any questions or want to share your own experiences, feel free to leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you! Additionally, you can find this model on Gumroad and Sketchfab, where it's available for download.

Thank you for reading and subscribe for future newsletters!

- 🫡 Prem from Prix Studios

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