Behind the Scenes: Alien Worlds - Jumpship over a tidally locked planet

Jump into Samuel’s intricate workflow as he navigates various sources and tools to create his magnificent sci-fi piece of art.

Hi, I’m Samuel Pantze from Germany, and Blender has been my main creative outlet for the past five years. I studied mechatronics engineering, but then decided that I’d rather want to become a scientist, so I started a PhD in computer science in early 2023, where I now write VR software to analyze multidimensional microscopy images. It turns out that knowing how to use Blender proves quite helpful for my PhD project, allowing me to create quick 3D mock-ups, simulate datasets, or prototype shaders and lighting.

I took my first baby steps in Blender back in 2017 when I joined a group of hobby game developers I met online. They needed someone to do the texturing, so that’s what I learned first. Eventually, the irresistible pull of Blender led me to learn about its other features as well. Needless to say, that game we were working on never came to fruition, but since then I’m addicted to this glorious piece of open-source software.

I’ve always been a huge fan of everything related to sci-fi and space. My bookshelf is piling over with books from Arthur C. Clarke, Stanislaw Lem, Pierce Brown, John Scalzi, Dan Simmons, Isaac Asimov, and so on. Another source of inspiration is the videos from John D. Boswell, better known as Melodysheep . His ability to weave science, 3D art, and self-composed soundtracks into these masterfully crafted videos is truly unmatched. Lastly, I want to mention the beautiful concept art from Paul Chadeisson ; he is incredibly skilled at conveying a sense of scale in his scenes.

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