French Designer Shows the Sexy Side of 3D

Xavier Dabrowski is a French stone carver, who began making 3D models as a hobby. He truly believes that nothing is impossible to design. Though he makes 3D models of sculptures, buildings, horses, movie characters, he genuinely enjoys designing pinups.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into the 3D printing industry?

Born in 1972 in Paris, I discovered 3D modeling on Autocad as a Stone carver when designing the buildings I'm working on. Then I worked for an architect society, building a few hospitals in 8 years. I am a hobbyist, so I learn by using tutorials and forum helps, such as Zbrush, and Blender. Those tools and their updates are paradise for a guy like me! I am a huge fan of cartoon design, I watch the stunning works of a lot of guys from all over the world. I am learning all the time. And now I'm happy I have followers and visitors more and more satisfied with my pinup work, which is based on other generous designers, or on my own imagination. I also design horses, buildings... not only pinups!

How do you approach a project? Where do you get inspiration from?

As a hobbyist, I make 3D models as a necessary part of life. Though I jump from one project to another, mostly working on 2 or 3 projects at the same time. I recently found a great way to progress by working with 2D designers, looking at their stunning work. I often say that I'm just a guy who "eats" what he likes. Though I'm a victim of challenges - when one asks me for an impossible thing, he's got it on his desk the next morning. But the best way for me is to work with others, the latest realistic sculpt I did was with references to a nude picture. But I was talking to the model for a few days to get a piece of advice from hre, or just a “wow!”.

What kind of research process do you have?

“Look and like” process - I surf the Internet, look at the people or things around me.

What are your daily challenges as a 3D designer and what are the best parts of the job?

The challenge is my daily motivation. I try to develop graphically intensive models, to really sculpture the process. I also have fun with complex and very clean models such as vehicles, space ships. My pleasure and challenge at the same time is to find people to interact with and push further the quality of every model.

What do you feel are the most important lessons you have learned during your time in the industry?

Destroy the work you're happy with to make it better.

Who are your customers or clients? Do you design with a particular customer profile in mind?

I don’t have actual clients. I have worked on stone sculpted shapes, some personalized figurines and I also try to produce and offer a personalized style of pinups. When I'm really happy with a motorcycle I spent hours working on no one cares!

What kind of objects have you 3D-printed for your personal needs?

Every model I did I could pay for. Though mostly too little regarding the price vs. my budget!

What’s your favorite thing about 3D printing?

Reality created from the virtual world.

What do you feel are the most important tools for young designers trying to break into the industry to learn today?

They need to work precisely, clean and spend hours on it.

What software do you use?

Blender and Zbrush.

Do you believe in 3D printing revolution? Why?

3D printing is really not a revolution until it dependents on 3D designers. Nobody is going to pay for that. But when scanning photo techniques will be clean, it will become a revolution.

How do you see 3D printing changing people’s lives in a decade?

People are going to buy many shelves to put their tiny printed objects or seriously people will have such personalized things they cannot imagine now.

Any last bits of advice for designers just embarking on a 3D career path?

Appreciate others’ work, be curious, this work is going to be as classic as plumber’s or any other. 3D printing is still dependent on designers and it's the good days when printing is so easy now.