Editor's note: This post is part of our weekly In the NVIDIA Studio series, which celebrates featured artists, offers creative tips and tricks, and demonstrates how NVIDIA Studio technology accelerates creative workflows.
Viral creator turned NVIDIA 3D artist Lorenzo Drago takes viewers on a jaw-dropping journey through Toyama, Japan's Etch -Daimon Station this week In the NVIDIA Studio.
Drago's photorealistic recreation of the train station has garnered over 2 million views in under four months, with audiences marveling at the remarkably accurate detail.
Reality inspires me the most, said Drago. Mundane, everyday things always tell a story - they have nuances that are challenging to capture in fantasy.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/studio-itns-wk21-camera-matching-1280w.mp4
Drago started by camera matching in the fSpy open-source software. This process computed the approximate focal length, orientation and position of the camera in 3D space, based on the defined control points chosen from his Etch -Daimon reference image.
The artist then moved to Blender software to begin the initial blockout, a 3D rough-draft level built with simple 3D shapes without details or polished art assets. The goal of the blockout was to prototype, test and adjust the foundational shapes of the level.
Drago tests and adjusts foundational shapes of the level in Blender during the blockout phase of the project. From there, Drago measured the height of a staircase and extrapolated those proportions to the rest of the 3D scene, ensuring it fit the grid size. The scene could then be built modularly, one model at a time. He modeled with lightning speed using NVIDIA RTX-accelerated OptiX ray tracing in the Blender viewport.
Incredibly, the entire scene is a combination of custom-textured assets. Drago's texturing technique elevated the sense of realism by using tileable textures and trim sheets, which are textures that combine separate details into a single sheet. Mixing these techniques proved to be profitable in creating original, more detailed textures, as well as keeping good pixel density across the scene. Textures never exceeded more than 2048 2048 pixels in size.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/studio-itns-wk21-substance-texturing-1280w.mp4
Drago created his textures in Adobe Substance 3D Painter, taking advantage of NVIDIA Iray rendering for faster, interactive rendering. RTX acceleration enabled him to quickly bake ambient occlusion and other maps used in texturing, before exporting and applying the textures to the models inside Unreal Engine 5.
Final frame renders came quickly with Drago's GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GPU doing the heavy lifting. Drago stressed the necessity of his graphics card.
For a 3D artist, probably the majority of the work, excluding the planning phases, requires GPU acceleration, he said. Being able to work on scenes and objects with materials and lighting rendered in real time saves a lot of time and headaches compared to wireframe or unshaded modes.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/studio-itns-wk21-ue5-lighting-1280w.mp4
Drago moved on to importing and assembling his textured models in Unreal Engine 5. Elated with the assembly, he began the lighting process. Unreal Engine 5's Lumen technology enabled lighting iterations in real time, without Drago having to wait for baking or render times.
Unreal Engine's virtual-reality framework allowed Drago to set up a virtual camera with motion tracking. This gave the animation its signature third-person vantage point, enabling the artist to move around his creative space as if he were holding a smartphone.
The GPU-accelerated NVDEC decoder in Premiere Pro enabled smooth playback and scrubbing of high-resolution video for Drago. With the renders and animation in place, Drago exported the scene to Adobe Premiere Pro software, where he added sound effects. He also sharpened image details in the animation, one of the many GPU-accelerated features in the software. Drago then deployed GPU-accelerated encoding, NVENC, to speed up the exporting of final files.
Subtle modifications allowed Drago to create ultra-realistic renders. Mimicking a contemporary smartphone camera - with a limited dynamic range, glare and sharpening artifacts - was a good way of selling the realism, he said.
RTX features, like DLSS and ray tracing, are amazing, both from a developer's point of view and a gamer's, Drago stated.
NVIDIA 3D artist Lorenzo Drago. Drago recently imported Etch -Daimon Station into NVIDIA Omniverse, a 3D design platform for collaborative editing, which replaces linear pipelines with live-sync creation. Drago noted the massive potential within the Omniverse Create App, calling it a powerful tool capable of achieving extremely high-fidelity results.
NVIDIA GTC, a global AI conference running online Sept. 19-22, will feature Omniverse sessions with industry experts to demonstrate how the platform can elevate creative workflows. Take advantage of these free resources and register today.
Follow Lorenzo Drago and view his portfolio on ArtStation.
Continue Your Creative Journey Drago is a self-taught 3D artist, proof that resilience and dedication can lead to incredible, thought provoking, inspirational creative work.
In the spirit of learning, the NVIDIA Studio team is posing a challenge for the community to show off personal growth. Participate in the #CreatorsJourney challenge for a chance to be showcased on NVIDIA Studio social media channels.
Entering is easy. Post an older piece of artwork alongside a more recent one to showcase your growth as an artist. Follow and tag NVIDIA Studio on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, and use the #CreatorsJourney tag to join.
It s time to show how you ve grown as an artist (just like @lowp
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
29/10/2025
ESPN said it will produce animated telecasts for NFL, NHL, NBA and WNBA games across The Walt Disney Co. and ESPN platforms during the 2025-26 season under an a...
29/10/2025
WASHINGTON Despite the government shutdown, the Federal Communications Commission has passed, with some revisions, a previously announced Notice of Proposed Rul...
29/10/2025
29 10 2025 - Media release SBS, NITV and Screen Australia announce 2025 Digital Originals Shortlist
The 2025 Digital Originals shortlisted teams. Photo credit...
28/10/2025
ESPN Announces Monsters Funday Football', Its Latest Real-Time Animated Bro...
28/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Catherine Chalfant, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe Ole Miss alum is an operational force behind ESPN's extensive college-football catalo...
28/10/2025
Elevating the experience: AI and data take Ryder Cup to the next level By Joe OHalloran
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 - 10:25
Print This Story
NBC produced th...
28/10/2025
Conquering the Air (waves): Taking a close up look at the IBC Accelerator Priva...
28/10/2025
World Series 2025: Spectrum SportsNet LA Brings Dodgers Fans Closer to the Actio...
28/10/2025
Dylan Southern and Benedict Cumberbatch at the premiere of The Thing with Feathers (photo by George Pimentel / Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
28/10/2025
For three weeks in Lagos, Spotify's Greasy Tunes Caf pop-up brought the cit...
28/10/2025
Once a niche subculture, German rap has evolved into an influential cultural movement. Now, Spotify is giving the genre a new home with OFFCULT, a playlist dedi...
28/10/2025
Shane Delia's Malta serves up the Mediterranean this summer
28 October, 2025
Media releases
Feast on 9,000 years of culinary history Mondays from 24 No...
28/10/2025
SBS's global sporting festival continues with the FIVB Beach Volleyball Worl...
28/10/2025
Bilbao, October 28, 2025 - AgileTV, a leading technology solutions company for t...
28/10/2025
Disney, NBCUniversal, FOX, Paramount Each Achieve Double-Digit Monthly Growth
...
28/10/2025
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has announced an agreement to sell WRTV, its local ABC-affiliated station in Indianapolis, to Circle City Broadcasting for $...
28/10/2025
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2025 Top Music...
28/10/2025
NEW YORK As AI usage continues to spike, a new study from IAB delves into an important aspect of how AI is transforming the advertising business with new data s...
28/10/2025
Charlie Jablonski, a broadcast tech pioneer who helped shape the modern era of Olympics television coverage, died Oct. 25 at his home in Lake George N.Y., the N...
28/10/2025
VIENNA, Austria Bitmovin has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insights into video playback. The so...
28/10/2025
LOS ANGELES LucidLink, the file streaming platform, has announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities at Adobe Max....
28/10/2025
Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitably connect the right content to the right audience, today announced that it has joined the Ama...
28/10/2025
Lightware, an industry leader in connectivity and signal management solutions, has announced a major update to its Taurus
platform, which now delivers flawless...
28/10/2025
Following a successful mid-September International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Hiltron Communications will promote its full range of satellite communi...
28/10/2025
Open Broadcast Systems has chosen MC&S (Media Consulting & Services) as a reseller to help strengthen its presence in France.
With over twenty years of experi...
28/10/2025
Bitmovin, leading provider of video streaming solutions, has launched Bitmovin Observability, a new stand-alone video data solution that delivers real-time insi...
28/10/2025
Ease Live, the leader in interactive TV technology, today announced the successful launch of interactive graphical overlays for UEFA Champions League matches fo...
28/10/2025
LucidLink, the file streaming platform, today at Adobe MAX announced a Frame.io integration and expanded mobile capabilities, streamlining collaboration and hel...
28/10/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has promoted Nick Hasenecz to general manager of WNDU, its NBC affiliate in the South Bend-Elkhart, Ind., market....
28/10/2025
Applications Open for Berklee Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant Boston nonprofits can apply by December 12 for funding to support community projects that ...
28/10/2025
Governments everywhere are racing to harness the power of AI - but legacy infras...
28/10/2025
AI is moving from the digital world into the physical one. Across factory floors...
28/10/2025
NVIDIA is delivering the telecom industry a major boost in open-source software for building AI-native 5G and 6G networks.
NVIDIA Aerial software will soon be ...
28/10/2025
The race to bottle a star now runs on AI.
NVIDIA, General Atomics and a team of international partners have built a high-fidelity, AI-enabled digital twin for ...
28/10/2025
Along the Pacific Ocean in Monterey, California, the Naval Postgraduate School (...
28/10/2025
To democratize access to AI technology nationwide, AI education and deployment c...
28/10/2025
Leading technology companies in aerospace and automotive are accelerating their ...
28/10/2025
28 Oct 2025
VEON's JazzCash Wins Silver Award for Innovation in Lending at ...
28/10/2025
Guests include Wayne Rooney, Maya Jama, Dame Laura Kenny, Chloe Kelly, Chris McC...
28/10/2025
The two-hour special, recorded live from the iconic Dolby Theatre in LA, will ai...
28/10/2025
Eutelsat upgrades teleports with Rohde & Schwarz satellite uplink amplifiers High efficiency and resilient Ku-band amplifiers for excellent RF performance
...
28/10/2025
These appointments come at a pivotal time for ABC, as the organisation continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of a digital-first media ecosystem. The ne...
28/10/2025
Scripps Research awarded $4 million to advance platform for neurodevelopmental disorders The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant support...
27/10/2025
You can touch this: Haptics becoming central to the virtual live experience By Adrian Pennington
Friday, October 24, 2025 - 09:12
Print This Story
The vid...
27/10/2025
A tale of two trailers: France's Stop & Go doubles up with its new hybrid tr...
27/10/2025
Pro Padel League Stages City's Cup Finals Inside NYC's Hammerstein Ballr...
27/10/2025
World Series 2025: Sportsnet Delivers Made-in-Canada' Moment for a Nation U...
27/10/2025
ESPN Extends Partnership With Sony's Beyond Sports To Expand Animated Altern...
Editor's note: This post is part of our weekly In the NVIDIA Studio series, which celebrates featured artists, offers creative tips and tricks, and demonstrates how NVIDIA Studio technology accelerates creative workflows. 
