Jonathan Welch masters the imperfections of photorealism

I am currently a creative manager who oversees a team of artists, but my first love will forever be industrial design and has always been where my passion lies.

In school, I was taught SolidWorks, but it didn’t feel like enough for me. I loved being able to create 3D models, but I needed something to take it to the next level. This is where I stumbled upon an up-and-coming software — at the time — that was called KeyShot 2. I spent countless hours of my days and nights teaching myself KeyShot. I quickly fell in love with the ease of visualizing my ideas, designs and models. I loved that I could create these photo-realistic textures, scenes and images. The software was only in its infancy at the time, but I was hooked forever.

After graduating from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, I started off as an industrial designer at an agency, but it became obvious that my visualization skills with KeyShot were really steering my career. After almost 15 years in the creative industry, my career has now taken me in so many directions. Over the years, I have explored different styles and techniques with KeyShot, which has graciously allowed me to work for brands in a wide array of markets including transportation, toys, medical devices, robotics, electronics, home appliances, consumer goods and more. I now feel so honored to mentor and guide the development of the young artists on my team as a creative manager, but I feel like I will always be a 3D artist at heart.

Ever since a young age, I knew I was meant to do something in a design-related field. I came from a family with engineers on one side and artists on another, so I was naturally drawn to creative outlets. I spent an enormous amount of hours drawing and sketching, as well as playing with toys like LEGO sets and K’NEX. Throughout my childhood, I first thought I wanted to be an architect then I was steered into engineering, but neither of those careers are what I wanted to pursue. After some research, I discovered the field of industrial design. The industrial design field wasn’t as mainstream as it is now, but I took a chance, switched schools and pursued an industrial design degree. It was easily one of the best decisions I ever made.

Most recently, I took on the 36 Days of Type Challenge and that was really enjoyable. I forced myself to make every letter out of a material that started with that letter. It forced me to make some materials and textures that I otherwise would have never tried. In addition to that, a few other recent projects I worked on include a HydroFlask animation I did for fun, a tape dispenser design I came up with, and a modular keyboard concept that was featured as a part of one of the RenderWeekly challenges.

With where I am today, I’m using KeyShot Studio to visualize so many aspects of the design process. I’ll use it to make concept renders for pitch meetings, package design concept reviews, planogram visualization with retail display signage, instructional content for assembly guides, trade show booth designs, and high-quality renders for marketing and advertising. It really helps with every stage of the design process.

If you didn’t catch it before, I first started using KeyShot back in Version 2. This means that I have watched addition after addition come to the software, and I’m so appreciative of what it can do now compared to its earlier versions. I am especially fond of the Material Graph. I probably spend way too much of my time exploring the material graph and building massively complex materials to achieve those photorealistic imperfections we’ve all come to crave.  In addition to that, I love some of the newer additions to the software, such as the Photography Mode and its various features. This has saved me so much time from having to post-process in Photoshop after a final render is completed.

The best advice I can give is to just sit down and start experimenting with the software. So much of what I have learned has come from trial and error with KeyShot Studio. Don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment. You’ll learn something along the way, no matter how good or bad your render comes out. Additionally, the KeyShot community is amazing. I’ve learned so much from making connections and watching tutorials from fellow 3D artists over the years. It’s all about understanding how the world looks and functions. Study and dissect every detail you can, and you’ll see what makes this world so beautiful.

“I now feel so honored to mentor and guide the development of the young artists on my team as a creative manager, but I feel like I will always be a 3D artist at heart.”

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