Objective

To lead in a creative role as an artist, writer, researcher, conceptual designer, or Creative Director working with a fantastic team of visionaries.

Real-time 3D character animation, Virtual environments, Writing, Teaching, and Web development. I am an accomplished user of 3DStudio and 3ds max, Photoshop, Fractal Painter, Detailer, Paint Shop Pro, VRML, HTML, and RoboHelp, and have had training in WaveFront and AutoCad. Since 1988 I have worked on Windows, Mac, and SGI platforms. My main expertise is as a 3D character animator, designing low-poly avatars and environments for real-time applications; but with a background in fine arts - painting and sculpture, my passions are artistic.

Education

2005    De Anza College, Cupertino, CA      AS in Biology; AA in Environmental Studies
1992    Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison             M.A. in English Literature
1988    Memphis College of Art, TN            B.F.A. in Painting
1986    Rhodes College, Memphis                B.A. in English & Art

Continuing Education

1999 to 2000    West Valley College, Saratoga, CA
Concentration on Fine Arts - drawing and painting figures, and sculpture, including bronze casting and Raku.

1998 to 2001     SFSU Multimedia Studies Program, San Francisco, CA
Principles of Programming, VRML Intensive, Real-time 3D, Typography, Interaction Design, Macromedia Flash, Advanced Photoshop, HTML II and Cascading Style Sheets. Teaching Assistant for classes in 3DStudio Max and Character Studio.

I am also a regular attendee at the 3D Design Conference, the Game Developer's Conference, and Siggraph.

Professional Summary - Full Time Employment

San Mateo County Department of Agriculture, Redwood City, CA  2006
Agricultural Pest Detection: Set up and inspect insect traps throughout San Mateo County in order to intercept exotic agricultural pests before they become established. Keep records and create detailed maps of all trap locations and surrounding hosts; obtain permission from landowners; keep records of properties in use; and set various traps for exotic fruit flies, gypsy moths, Japanese beetles, and glassy-winged sharpshooters; and train new employees. The job requires the ability to identify invasive insects as well as up to 300 species of potential host plants, including fruit trees and ornamentals.

NASA Space Science Division, Moffet Field, CA, 2002-2004
Data Analyst – Measure prevailing wind directions on Mars in order to better understand current weather patterns; analyze lee wave cloud formations; take latitude and longitude measurements of lee waves in order to ascertain prevailing wind directions using ISIS software developed by the USGS; enter data into Excel spreadsheets to plot coordinates; create PowerPoint presentations; update the Space Science Division website. I also used JMARS software developed by ASU to measure the topology of water-carved features in order to reconstruct the climate of ancient Mars.

Communities.com, Cupertino, CA, 2000
As Authoring Engineer, I was part of the OnLive! team, responsible for resurrecting Traveler, a 3D audio chat application I had worked on from 1994-1997. Along with 3D modeling, my job was to refine the production path, document new developments, and explore avenues for further growth, taking the application to a new level, both aesthetically and in terms of functionality. Communities.com was renown for its popular 2D chat application - The Palace.

Lionhearth Technologies, Los Gatos, CA, 1998-2000
As the Lead Character Animator, I created textured full-bodied continuous mesh H-anim compliant VRML avatars, with morph targets for lip synch, using Photoshop, 4D Paint, and 3DS Max. Created and maintained an internal website that documented advancements in the avatar production process for milestone presentations, also serving as an inventory of avatar assets and archived brainstorm sessions. Provided documentation and training for other artists, including two interns from SFSU's Multimedia Studies Program..

Projects included Alter E-Go and The Virtual Command Post.  Alter E-Go, aimed at e-commerce, integrates avatars with web content, providing opportunities for call-center agents to interact with customers.  The Virtual Command Post is a military funded R&D Project that allows generals to log-in to a virtual environment for remote collaboration, using 3D terrain maps and live video feed.  Also created prototype avatars to be used on hand-held devices such as cell phones.

OnLive! Technologies, Cupertino, CA, 1994-1997
As the Lead Avatar Designer and 3D artist, I was responsible for the design and creation of Avatars, real-time lip-synching 3D characters used over the Internet in OnLive!'s Traveler product. Created full-bodied, articulated avatars with various animated motion sequences, as well as a variety of characters focusing on lip synch and facial expressions. Working with engineers, I developed and documented the authoring process from scratch, researching various platforms and 3D applications, finding creative ways of acquiring both with no cost to the company. Attended two weeks of WaveFront training in Santa Barbara, CA. I also helped with real-time space design, creating 3 low-polygon (2500) environments. Primarily used Wavefront’s Kinemation package, 3DStudio, 3DS Max, Fractal Painter, and Photoshop.

As well as managing in-house contractors, I spent 10 days in Japan at NEC, training them to create their own characters for NEC’s Biglobe site. Also helped with many administrative duties such as buying equipment, software, and hiring. As one of the first employees in the company, I was instrumental in recruiting, filling nearly every position in what soon became a first-class design team.

Twin Dolphin Games, Redwood Shores, CA, 1992-1993
Lead 3D character animator on Forgotten Castle, a D&D style action game developed by a small start-up. Developed the story line, plot, and designed all monsters and humans for a fantasy role playing game, creating both 3D sprites and 2D character animations. Used 3DStudio, Fractal Painter, and Photoshop.

Blue Feather Company, New Glarus, WI, 1988-1989
2D artist and writer. Created computer generated videos for mom and pop TV production house. Operated lights, cameras, and video editing equipment. Responsible for ad copy and illustrations, creating promotional material, and technical instructions for the use of their Teleprompters. Used Studio 8, Pixel Paint, Director, PageMaker, Swivel 3D and Freehand.

Professional Summary - Contract Experience

aPeerance, San Francisco CA, 2001
Created realistic texture maps for a parameterized facial system.

Be There, Mountain View CA, 1998
Used PhotoModeler Pro, 3D Builder, and a proprietary software called ScenePad to generate 3D geometry from a series of 2D photos. Documented the process and provided a competitive analysis of comparable software packages and technologies.

Accolade, San Jose, CA, 1997
Created low-poly tiling 3D terrain elements for an online multi-user game using 3DS Max.

Extempo, San Jose, CA, 1997
Creative lead for a start-up developing Imps - improvisational characters for the Internet. Duties entailed story boarding, writing, acting, and collaborating with contractors.

MetaCreations Corporation, Scott’s Valley, CA 1997
3D Illustration for the RayDream Designer User's Guide using RayDream Designer, Detailer, and Fractal Painter.
 

Instructional Media and Development Center, UW-Madison, 1991- 1992
Used Aldus Persuasion to create graphic slide show presentations on the Mac.
Painted set designs for IMDC's Educational lectures aired on public TV.

Bou-Matic, Dairy Equipment Company, Madison, WI, 1990-1991
Used PageMaker for desktop publishing, editing, and layout.
Produced brochures and technical manuals in Spanish and English.

Nicolet Instruments, Verona, WI, 1989-1990
Used Adobe Illustrator to create technical illustrations for manuals.
Used FileMaker to maintain databases for technical publications.

Federal Express, Memphis, TN, 1986
Technical Illustrator and layout and paste-up artist on aircraft maintenence manuals.

Real Estate News, Memphis, TN 1985
Layout and paste-up artist and proofreader for weekly publication.

Mastering 3ds max 4 by Cat Woods, 2001.
Three full-color images of 3D characters created in 3ds max appear in the color plates.

Avatars! - Exploring and Building Virtual Worlds on the Internet by Bruce Damer, 1998.
Avatars appear on the cover design and throughout the OnLive! Traveler section, pp. 191-235.

Web Developer.com Guide to 3D Avatars by Sue Ki Wilcox, 1998.
Avatars appear in Chapter 11: OnLive! The Audio Pioneers, pp. 241-255.

Virtual Africa - Ancient Art, Contemporary Art - Masks and games of metamorphosis in the twentieth century arts.
Avatars appear in this forum, showcasing the influences of African Art on contemporary society.

RayDream Designer User's Guide (now Carrara), MetaCreations, 1997.
Features full-color 3D illustrations of dolphins and killer whales, as well as technical illustrations, created in RayDream Designer and Painter 3D.

The New York Times, Business Day, C1.  "The Internet, in Three Dimensions," by John Markoff, features a full-page spread of avatars within the OnLive! Traveler 3D environment. Monday November 25th, 1996.

Using Virtual Reality to Treat Social Phobias, Banff Centre for New Media.
Banff, Alberta Canada - September 2001.

The Aesthetics of Real-time Entertainment, Game Developer's Conference.
Long Beach, CA - May 1998.

Avatar Design - Design Considerations for Creating Low Poly Avatars, Avatars '97 Conference.
San Francisco, CA - October 23, 1997.

Siggraph '96 - Digital Bayou Exhibitor. An invitation-only exhibit featuring the most innovative advances in 3D graphics. New Orleans, LA - August 1996.

Microsoft Professional Developer's Conference 1996 - Keynote Address. Created the 500 polygon likeness of Bill Gates used in the OnLive! Traveler demo, presented before thousands by Henry Nash and Bill Gates. San Francisco, CA - March 13, 1996

Sketching, photography, hiking, running, reading, writing, research, attending classes, organic gardening, and performance arts and movement such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Capoeira, Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Tao Ju Jitsu, and Kung Fu.