Why I'm Learning 3D Graphics After 20 Years in Tech

Hello, world. My name is Emilio, and I'm a Senior Software Engineer.

For the better part of two decades, my world has been one of databases, APIs, massive processes, CI/CD pipelines, and complex enterprise architectures. I've built robust, scalable, and mission-critical applications. It's been a rewarding career, one that has taught me the value of solid foundations and meticulous design.

But I'm missing something. All this time, I've only created things for others, so I inevitably felt that call, the next step that had to come at some point: the desire to build something completely different. Something visual, interactive, from scratch, and my own.

The Itch to Create

I've always been fascinated by virtual worlds and complex simulations, but my professional path led me down the road of enterprise software. Although it has been rewarding, the desire to build something tangible, something you can see and feel, has always been a quiet hum in the background.

This blog is the public chronicle of that new journey. It's my commitment to stepping out of my comfort zone.

The Mission: Embracing the Junior Mindset

I'm embarking on my most ambitious personal project to date: a large-scale, interactive 3D experience for the web. For now, I'll call it "Project S".

My goal is not just to build it, but to document the entire process in public: the good, the bad, and the buggy. This means embracing the humility of being a beginner again. After 20 years of being the "expert" for backend problems, I'm now the student, facing the intimidating interface of Blender and the endless possibilities of Three.js.

The Toolkit

My arsenal for this adventure will be a mix of the familiar and the completely new:

• 3D Modeling: Starting from zero with Blender.
• Real-time Rendering: Bringing it to life in the browser with Three.js.
• Frontend & Blog: This very site (emilioacevedo.dev), built from scratch with Astro.
• Backend: Leveraging my experience with Node.js, TypeScript, and modern cloud architecture.

The Promise

So, what can you expect from this space?

This won't be a polished tutorial series. It will be an unfiltered log of a senior developer tackling a new domain. I'll share architectural decisions, frustrating bugs, performance optimizations, 'aha!' moments in Blender, and the raw code behind it all.

If you're a developer curious about 3D, a creative professional interested in the tech, or just someone who enjoys watching a complex project come to life, I'd love for you to join me.

Let's build something cool.

Comments

[Yalda Khoshpey]

Inspiring read!It's motivating to see a senior engineer embrace the beginner's mindset. Looking forward to following your journey with Project 😁

[Emilio Acevedo]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Yalda! I'm glad the post resonated with you.

It's easy for senior professionals to get comfortable with what they know. But I've found that the most exciting challenges often lie just outside our comfort zone. Adopting that "beginner's mindset" again has been incredibly refreshing.

I'm looking forward to sharing more updates soon. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Yalda Khoshpey]

thanks I'll wait for that💪🏻

[bfuller]

What an exciting journey! I'm excited to follow along.

[Emilio Acevedo]

Thanks so much, bfuller! Really appreciate the encouragement. It's definitely going to be a fun (and challenging) journey. Glad to have you along for the ride! 😊

[Sofia Petrova]

Want to co-build a Three.js + Blender perf demo for Project S?

[Emilio Acevedo]

Hey, thanks so much for the offer, that's awesome! And I love that you're already on board with "Project S" haha.

To be honest, I'm still in the "how do I even select a face in Blender?" phase, so it might be a bit early for a perf demo. But it's a great idea for down the road!

Following me here on DEV.to is the best way to keep up with the project's progress. Looking forward to sharing more updates!