MY STORY
Not long ago I was chained to my cubicle. Much like everyone else I knew at the time. I was going along for the ride on that proverbial “hamster wheel”. One day out of nowhere between paying my rent and deciding what would be good for dinner I realized I was not happy. Not because I hated my job, but because I didn’t LOVE it. So just like the hero in an indie film I decided to take that leap into the unknown and embark on a journey through the highway of self-discovery. It was a bumpy ride. However, at the end I found my true passion, 3D Animation.
My name is JUAN CARLOS CALVACHI and I am a 3D Artist.
I am a proud Washtenaw Community College alumni with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from the 3D Animation Arts program. I completed a Bachelor of Science degree in the Simulation, Animation, and Gaming program in the College of Technology at Eastern Michigan University.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI
Part Time Instructor (2019-Present)
Designed, managed and lectured animation, modeling and storyboarding classes at Washtenaw Community College. Lectured students though the interface overview, project management, preference and settings, polygonal modeling workflow, proper edge-flow, UV mapping, texturing, rendering, animation, basic lighting techniques, scene composition, cinematography, animation history and storyboarding.
Innovation Bench Aligner, Belleville, MI
3D Aligner (2020 – 2022)
3D Aligner responsible for reviewing and retrieving scanned vehicle component files. Aligning individual scans of vehicle components. Manipulating 3D data/images using provided software. Saved aligned data into company database.
Unbreakable Studios, Ann Arbor, MI
Freelance 3D Generalist (2016 – Present)
Innovated pre-established modeling workflows to increase efficiency and shorter asset delivery. Automated repetitive modeling tasks with scripts. Collaborate with riggers and animators to create high resolution and low poly count assets for animation and in game engines. Improved UV layouts to decrease projects overall texturing workload. Constructed proxy meshes for animation, managed polygonal retopology, and rigged assets. Created, developed, and designed character concepts, mechanical constructs, and 3D environments taking art direction and critique from clients and lead directors. Generated photorealistic render images using customized diffused, specular, and normal texture maps with customized HDRIs for backplates and live footage video. Composited, edited and fixed issues in post-production in Adobe After Effects.
EDUCATION
Eastern Michigan University
Bachelor of Science in Simulation, Animation and Gaming
Washtenaw Community College
Associates of Science in 3D Animation
Washtenaw Community College
Associates of Applied Science in Information Systems Programming in C++
SKILLS
Maya
3DS Max
Blender
Substance Painter
V-Ray
Arnold
After Effects
Photoshop
Illustrator