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GLBDavid Sujono Shares His Journey Through 3D Art Storytelling and Vision
0Article by Filip Radivojevic
In this exclusive interview, 3D Motion Designer David Sujono takes us behind the scenes of his cinematic project The End of the World. Inspired by retro Americana and post-apocalyptic themes, David shares how he blends emotion, technical skill, and storytelling to craft immersive worlds. From the challenges of character rigging to his evolving creative process, his journey is a testament to the power of passion and perseverance in the world of 3D art.
Introduction & Artistic Background
To start off, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in 3D art?
My name is David Sujono and I'm a 3D Motion Designer based in Sydney, Australia. I've always been a creative person, drawing in my math books during school and getting into VFX and filmmaking. 3D appealed to me at a young age because of the limitless possibilities, and so I started experimenting with google sketchup, and then getting into Cinema 4D. I've been in 3D ever since, having the opportunity to be head of 3D at Collider Studio and I am now full-time freelance. I love telling stories that resonate with people and showcase the beauty of art and creativity.
Concept & Inspiration
How did the concept for The End of the World come to life? Was there a particular moment or inspiration that sparked the idea?
The concept for The End of the World came about mainly from the introduction to Fallout 4. Seeing the optimism and suburban dream torn apart in a split second really impacted me. I'm also a big fan of the 1950s retro and particularly retro diners. I visited my local drive-in theatre which has that nostalgic feel, immersing myself in the location and a different time. The rest of the idea came easily from there.
Your work has a strong cinematic and emotional presence. What themes or messages were you aiming to convey through this animation?
Through my work I wanted to convey the power of family to keep the human spirit going, even in bleak and desolate times. I also wanted to tell the story through the environment, placing lots of detailed props to hint at what life was like before the fallout. The diner also signifies a place of rest for the weary traveller, with his robotic companion offering him liquid relief after a long day.
Tools & Workflow
Could you walk us through the tools and software you used to bring The End of the World to life? Why did you choose these tools?
The main tools and software I used were Cinema 4D, Zbrush, Substance Painter and Character Creator. I really enjoy working with Cinema 4D as it is versatile and allows me to get good looking results quickly. Zbrush made sculpting the vault suit a breeze and handles high poly counts like nothing else. Substance Painter was great for adding the wear and tear details to the models and made them feel tactile and gritty. Character Creator was great as it provided a realistic rigged base model. I then added extra skin details in Zbrush.
What did the production pipeline look like from initial concept to final render? Can you break down the major stages of development?
I utilized Procreate and Photoshop for my concept design and idea sketches. I used a model from Character Creator 4 as a base and then sculpted the entire vault suit in Zbrush. I recorded motion capture with my Rokoko Smartsuit pro 2 and modified the animation in iclone8. I generated the background terrains with Quadspinner's Gaea, and also implemented some Quixel assets for the vegetation and scatters. All of the modelling and assembly was done in Cinema 4D, with hero assets textured in Substance Painter. I used Redshift to render the project and Composited the layers in After Effects.
Were there any particular challenges or breakthroughs during the creation process that stood out to you?
A big challenge during the process was the character workflow. At this stage I had no way to add a facial control rig in Cinema 4D. This meant manually creating my own face rig and sculpting my own blend shapes. I was still fairly new to facial animation and so I wanted to keep it quite minimal. It was also a challenge tweaking the lighting for the diner, I ended up placing a lot of hidden lights to get the moody interior vibe right.
Storytelling & Style
The animation and visual storytelling are highly polished. How do you approach storytelling through 3D visuals and motion?
I always want my work to feel very intentional, with every detail contributing to fleshing out the world. I also opt for a tactical and hyper-real aesthetic, making the scene feel almost photoreal but slightly fantastical. I achieve this mainly through my lighting, which is very intentional almost like a film set or a diorama. I approach the cinematography from a traditional filmmaking perspective, ensuring the shots feel grounded and the camera moves are realistic. I love environmental storytelling and letting the visuals speak for itself. It is my goal to have viewers want to see more of the world and know what happens next!
Looking at your growth as an artist, how has your style or approach evolved over the years? What key lessons have shaped your current workflow?
My style or approach has definitely evolved a lot over the past few years. My time at Collider Studio really helped me focus on the right things, and to not get caught up in the weeds early on. The biggest lesson I have learnt is to not be a perfectionist. I'm an overthinker and so if I focus on the details too early it hinders my progress and I get demotivated. Start the layout and play with concepts, be ok with things looking rough at the start. Trust that as you gradually add more complexity and layers there are things you will notice that you weren't looking for and small details that will pop up organically. A lot of the fun ideas in my art came to fruition through the process.
Final Thoughts
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring 3D artists looking to create emotionally driven and visually rich animation like The End of the World?
My advice would be to immerse yourself in the story. Put yourself in the character's shoes, take in the surroundings and what they see. Think about what their motives are, how they are feeling. Also, think about the environment and hint at subtle story cues. Never lose your sense of wonder and keep asking good questions. Play fun games, watch movies, and be sure to venture out into nature to re-calibrate. Remember that storytelling has always been fundamental to the human spirit. As filmmakers and 3D artists we have the amazing opportunity to share our ideas and impact the people around us through the art we make.
Follow David Sujono on ArtStation, YouTube, X, and Instagram to explore more of his incredible work.
