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I’m an Environment & Lighting Artist creating atmospheric real-time environments and cinematic 3D shots for games, animation, and interactive experiences. I build scenes from blockout to final presentation, focusing on composition, lighting, look development, set dressing, readability, and performance. My work combines artistic direction with production-ready workflows, helping scenes feel clear, polished, and emotionally engaging in Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender.…I’m an Environment & Lighting Artist creating atmospheric real-time environments and cinematic 3D shots for games, animation, and interactive experiences. I build scenes from blockout to final presentation, focusing on composition, lighting, look development, set dressing, readability, and performance. My work combines artistic direction with production-ready workflows, helping scenes feel clear, polished, and emotionally engaging in Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender.

Daniil Nikolaev

3D Designer, Game Designer, Graphic Designer, +7

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I’m an Environment & Lighting Artist creating atmospheric real-time environments and cinematic 3D shots for games, animation, and interactive experiences. I build scenes from blockout to final presentation, focusing on composition, lighting, look development, set dressing, readability, and performance. My work combines artistic direction with production-ready workflows, helping scenes feel clear, polished, and emotionally engaging in Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender.…I’m an Environment & Lighting Artist creating atmospheric real-time environments and cinematic 3D shots for games, animation, and interactive experiences. I build scenes from blockout to final presentation, focusing on composition, lighting, look development, set dressing, readability, and performance. My work combines artistic direction with production-ready workflows, helping scenes feel clear, polished, and emotionally engaging in Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender.

Available to hire

I’m an Environment & Lighting Artist creating atmospheric real-time environments and cinematic 3D shots for games, animation, and interactive experiences.

I build scenes from blockout to final presentation, focusing on composition, lighting, look development, set dressing, readability, and performance. My work combines artistic direction with production-ready workflows, helping scenes feel clear, polished, and emotionally engaging in Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Language

Russian

Fluent

English

Fluent

Work Experience

Freelance 3D Artist at Self-Employed

November 1, 2022 - Present

Delivered real-time and offline 3D assets for indie games, cinematics, and product/exhibition visuals. Environments and props: modeling, UVs, baking, and PBR texturing. Lighting, lookdev, and final polish for stills and short sequences. Unity / Unreal integration when needed; performance-aware scene setup. Trailer-ready presentation: turntables, breakdowns, and edit-friendly shots. Some client/project details under NDA and can’t be shared publicly.

Lead 3D Designer at SolarSense

March 1, 2024 - December 1, 2025

Led 3D direction for immersive exhibition spaces and commercial installations (concept → visualization → production-ready packages). Defined spatial concepts, scene layouts, and a clear visual narrative for client presentations. Produced keyframes, cinematic walkthroughs, and presentation visuals for stakeholder reviews. Worked closely with architects, marketing, and production teams to meet constraints and tight deadlines. Built reusable asset libraries and scene templates to speed up iterations and ensure consistency. Remote-first, with on-site client meetings and site visits when required. NDA-protected details.

3D Graphics Lecturer at Higher School of Economics

February 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024

Delivered Blender-based 3D courses (modeling → lighting → rendering) for design students. Mentored student projects with structured feedback, pushing work to portfolio-ready quality. Designed assignments, references, and workflows to keep results consistent across groups. Supported presentation skills: composition, visual storytelling, and final polish.

Junior 3D Artist at FIBRA Interactive

March 1, 2021 - June 1, 2021

Supported the art team with game-ready props and simple environment assets (modeling + UV mapping). Helped with baking and basic PBR texturing for real-time use. Prepared clean exports and assisted with Unity setup when needed. Iterated on assets based on feedback to match the visual style and performance budget.

Real-time 3D Artist / CG Generalist at Independent / Freelance

November 1, 2022 - Present

Production-ready environments, props & lookdev for games and interactive experiences. Strong in lighting, composition, shaders/materials, and performance-minded pipelines (UVs, baking, PBR). Blender + Substance Painter; Unity/Unreal integration; fast iteration from blockout to final shots/trailers.

Freelance 3D Artist at Self-Employed

March 1, 2024 - December 1, 2025

Delivered real-time and offline 3D assets for indie games, cinematics, and product/exhibition visuals. Environments and props: modeling, UVs, baking, and PBR texturing. Lighting, lookdev, and final polish for stills and short sequences. Unity / Unreal integration when needed; trailer-ready presentation: turntables, breakdowns, and edit-friendly shots.

Junior 3D Artist at FIBRA Interactive

September 1, 2023 - June 1, 2025

Supported the art team with game-ready props and simple environment assets (modeling + UV mapping); assisted with baking and basic PBR texturing for real-time use; prepared clean exports and assisted with Unity setup; iterated on assets based on feedback to match the visual style and performance budget.

Freelance Environmental & Lighting Artist at Self-Employed

November 1, 2022 - Present

Built 40+ 3D projects for indie games, cinematics, product visuals, and exhibitions. Created atmospheric environments, props, and cinematic scenes from blockout to final. Covered modeling, UVs, baking, PBR texturing, lighting, lookdev, set dressing, readability, and performance.

Junior 3D Artist at FIBRAI Interactive

March 1, 2021 - June 1, 2021

Supported the art team with game-ready props and simple environment assets. Handled routine modeling, UV mapping, baking, and export tasks for real-time production. Assisted with basic PBR texturing and Unreal Engine scene setup under style and performance limits. Iterated on assets from feedback to match visual direction and technical constraints.

Freelance Environment & Lighting Artist at Self-Employed

November 1, 2022 - Present

Completed 40+ 3D projects for indie games, cinematics, product visuals, and installations. Built atmospheric environments, props, and cinematic scenes from blockout to final presentation; responsible for modeling, UVs, baking, PBR textures, lighting, look development, set dressing, readability, and performance. Produced production-ready assets and final renders; collaborated with clients to ensure clear, polished visuals.

Lead 3D Designer at SolarSense

September 1, 2023 - June 1, 2025

Led environmental direction for 15+ large-scale exhibitions and commercial installations. Designed spatial layouts, lighting moods, set dressing, and visuals to storytelling. Improved 3D workflow with reusable assets and templates, cutting iteration time by ~50%. Prepared keyframes, cinematic walkthroughs, and polished visuals for client approvals. Collaborated with architects, marketing, and production teams to deliver all projects on time.

3D Graphics Lecturer at Higher School of Economics

September 1, 2019 - June 1, 2023

Taught 3D graphics courses to multiple student groups; covered modeling, lighting, rendering, composition, and final presentation. Designed assignments, reference packs, and workflows for consistent learning outcomes. Mentored student projects with feedback on readability, lighting, storytelling, and polish.