Deep Dive 8: People to Follow and Places to Learn
This is the last of the Deep Dives in this series.
But instead of closing with more strategy or workflows, I wanted to end with something simple:
Where do you go from here?
Because once you understand how product visualization works (the software, the pipelines, the value), the next big unlock is seeing who’s shaping the space and how they talk about it.
This issue is your map.
Just a starting point to help you get your bearings:
Who to follow
What good looks like
Where people are talking
And what events can help you get plugged in
Let’s get into it.
Artists to Follow
These are artists working in product visualization today, from CPG to cosmetics to consumer electronics. They’re setting the visual bar, experimenting with new tools, and making work that shows up in real pipelines.
Anastasiya Zubrytskaya
Aldeir Gondim
Patrick Foley (aka Patrick 4D)
Mike DiCola
Esben Oxholm
Entail Design
Benoît Challand
Aditya Mehra
Sam Weise
Ratan Pande
Jay Bhosale
Yelyzaveta Spitsyna
People Shaping the Industry
These are the folks worth following if you want to understand where product visualization is headed from 3D pipelines and immersive commerce to digital twins and enterprise-scale workflows.
Every name links directly to their LinkedIn:
Beck Besecker – LinkedIn
Alan Smithson – LinkedIn
Cathy Hackl – LinkedIn
Tony Parisi – LinkedIn
Daniel Beauchamp – LinkedIn
Ben Houston – LinkedIn
Martin Enthed – LinkedIn
Will Gibbons – LinkedIn
Laurie Millotte – LinkedIn
Ashley Crowder – LinkedIn
Carlos Cruz - LinkedIn
Lukas Lejnar - LinkedIn
Conferences Worth Watching
If you want to meet the people building the tools, driving the pipelines, and exploring what’s next in 3D product visualization, these are great places to start.
SIGGRAPH
The biggest conference for computer graphics and visual tech. Overwhelming amounts of cutting-edge research, pipeline talks, and product showcases from companies like NVIDIA, Autodesk, Epic, major brands and more. Traditionally focused on Animation and VFX but product visualization is rising up the list.
Adobe MAX
Not 3D-only, this conference highlights all kinds of creative workflows. It’s one of the major gatherings centered on artistry and process rather than technology or academic papers, offering a broader look at how artists create and collaborate.
NVIDIA GTC
Where you’ll find the bleeding edge of simulation, real-time rendering, digital twins, enterprise AI, and especially relevant for CPG and industrial pipelines. It’s NVIDIA so I’m sure there will be robot there too.
Unite by Unity
Unity’s conference has evolved into more than just game development. Lots of product and immersive retail use cases are now shown off here.
Develop3D LIVE
A bit more CAD and engineering focused, but it’s a great place to see how product design, marketing, and visualization are converging.
Next Week: The Final Guide
That wraps the Deep Dive series.
But we’re not done.
Next week, I’m pulling everything together into one final mega-issue:
The Ultimate Guide to Switching Industries into Product Visualization.
If you’ve been following along, this will tie it all together.
See you then.
The 3D Artist Community
Hayley Akins is a UK-based motion designer, educator, and the driving force behind the business-education platform Motion Hatch. With a background in film production and music technology, she originally entered the media world working in sports-broadcast graphics before taking a senior motion design role at Google’s internal production team.
Feeling confined by studio roles, Hayley made the leap into freelancing to work on projects more aligned with her values (clients like the United Nations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are among those she’s served.)
Seeing a recurring challenge for motion designers, how to run the business side of the craft, Hayley founded Motion Hatch. Through its podcast, community, courses and resources she teaches freelancers how to price properly, win the right clients, and design a lifestyle around their work.
Today, Hayley describes her mission simply: to help motion designers, animators and studios “make more money, save more time and work on projects they love.”
Her work stands out because it blends creative craft and business acumen, something she noticed was missing when she transitioned from studio employment to freelancing. By building systems and community for motion professionals, she’s empowering a generation of creatives to thrive not just as makers, but as business-owners.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your studio, Hayley offers an example of how to build a meaningful, freedom-centred career in motion design.
3D Merch is here and we have a new hoodie!
3D News of the Week
This is exactly why the fashion industry shouldn’t rely on AI-led design workflows - LinkedIn
Get This Pack of Over 200 Ghibli-Style Foliage Assets for Blender - 80.lv
Plain English with Derek Thompson on the state of the U.S. film industry - Apple Podcasts
Phil Tippett On His Studio’s Use Of Generative AI: ‘Like Having A Dog, It Trains You As Much As You Train It’ - Cartoon Brew
Amazing Maya & ZBrush Portrait of a Renowned Composer Based on a Painting - 80.lv
3D Tutorial
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
Hello! Michael Tanzillo here. I am the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, I am the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging. I also created The 3D Artist Community on Skool and this newsletter.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel
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