Adam:I've been working with 3D since 1997. I am a Vancouver Film School alumnus, 2nd graduating class. Upon graduation, I formed Joncrow Entertainment with a colleague of mine. The company has always had two tracks: short form commercial/broadcast work and consulting/education. We've serviced a lot of different sized companies over the years such as EA, Microsoft, Avid, Bardel Entertainment, NBA, APTN, CTV, Honkworm, Wasserman and Martin and Autodesk. Prior to getting into 3D, I was working towards my degree in Archaeology. I still have hopes of someday incorporating the two. There are quite a lot of opportunities to do so these days. Today, I split my time between running Joncrow and teaching at local universities or institutes of technology. I've been fortunate to work closely with Avid and Autodesk in providing nearly 100 hours worth of Softimage training over the last few years.

Adam: I've worked on a wide variety of projects on the commercial front, mostly local to Vancouver, British Columbia.

• Modeled, rigged, animated "the Giant Wolverine", a 6 minute short film produced by Cogent/Benger for Discovery Channel.
• Modeling, animation, rigging on the "Hopeville Scream Team"
• Rigging/animation on r&d work for "Olive the Other Reindeer"
• FX work on "Halloween 8"
• Rigging and animation on numerous Vegas blackjack consoles
• Print work for Metropolis, BCAA, and Tayo Foodsteps
• Rigging/Animation and FX on "Detroit Dacona"
• Created the first rigging tutorial series for Softimage produced by 3DTutorial.
• Created approximately 90 hours of video training material for Softimage 6.5 and 7.0.
• Acted as technical supervisor or consulted on over 1000 short films.

Adam: I use almost every facet of Autodesk Softimage nearly every day. If there are a few areas of 3D I tend to use more than the rest, it would have to be in the areas of rigging, animation and compositing. Since most of my work is short form, and Joncrow runs as a very small company, I take on the bulk of the work on any project that comes through our doors. In the classroom, my students dive into every nook and cranny of the software and tend to specialize in a number of different areas, so I need to be aware of how all the parts work together for any given scenario.

Adam: There are so many things that make CGI so exciting. The relentless pace of change is one of the most exciting and invigorating aspects to me. I think it must be one of the few careers where new ideas can become old techniques within a few quarters.

The wide variety of projects I've had the opportunity to work on has been in and of itself refreshing and stimulating. I love the process of learning and discovering new things; being able to conduct research on topics relevant to the projects I've worked on has been a great added bonus. It's the ultimate double dip.

There are some amazing minds and personalities in this industry, I've been fortunate to meet with many people from around the world and build some great friendships with many of my contemporaries. The amount of brainpower I see displayed by my colleagues on our mailing lists each and every day is both humbling and exciting.

Software wise, the introduction of ICE to Softimage has been something that has relit a fire under me and left me feeling excited for the now and tomorrow. The endless possibilities of its node based architecture have intrigued me and led me back into the realm of research in a way I couldn't have anticipated a few years ago. Besides being one of the most innovative products to come around in a while, I particularly like how it is designed to be collaborative at heart, as well as to bridge the divide between artist and programmer.

I can't imagine working in any other industry. When I think about the cool projects I get to work on, the amazing software I have at my finger tips, the rate of its development, and the people that are always pushing limits creating inspiring films and works of art, I know I'm right where I should be.

Adam:I see more and more convergence between real time and more traditional rendering technologies. On the software side, more convergence between competing apps, and more and more smart utilities that allow users to move data non destructively between apps. I see a move to more universal file formats that any app can read, like what MIDI did for the audio industry. As the line between games and linear storytelling blurs, so also will the cinematic experience. Movie theatres of the not too distant future will likely require interaction from the audience to determine the direction a film will take, so that each screening would be completely unique. As the modern myth is re-defined for new generations, so too will the delivery of those stories.

Adam: Do your research. There are a lot of schools out there interested in your money. Caveat Emptor. When you find a school, pick a focus. Ask lots of questions. I've been lucky enough to generalize over my career, but artists new to this industry should definitely find a niche and then master it. Take advantage of the great mailing lists and forums out there, enlightening artist blogs and free tutorials. If you're driven and are willing to put in the time, blood, sweat and tears, all the information you could ever want is out there, accessible in a way never seen before.

I would highly advise anybody looking to get into this industry to first thoroughly ground yourself in the traditional arts. It'll pay off ten-fold in the long run.